The Goodrich Life

TIME OUT!

2012-02-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

.....for women. Have you heard of this? Why have I never heard of this 'til I moved to Layton? Anyway, Time Out for Women is an LDS? event for women. Where we all gather together and listen to different presenters and music artists share their message of inspiration. You don't have to be LDS to go, but all the presenters were and the majority of women that were there.

I invited my mother-in-law up to go with me, and I'm so glad she came! There were a few different messages and talks that we both needed to hear, and it's always more fun with her! Thanks to my good friend Jennie we were able to get tickets! She's the one who told me about it and she knew I'd been wanting to go, so luckily she got our tickets for us just before they sold out!

She was also nice enough to invite us to dinner the night before with her mom and her sister, Jessica. And her mom was SO nice to get there at 6:30 the next morning to save us seats! She sat outside in line 'til the doors opened at 8:30 and not only saved seats for her two daughters, but also me and Cath and a few more seats for Jessica's mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. Not to mention the seats were pretty much front and center! Seriously so thoughtful and sweet!They reallly made us feel apart of the fam! It was awesome. Love these ladies!

Cathie, me, Jennie, Willie, Jessica

So, the first night we got to hear from Michael McLean (who I've always loved, growing up going to Forgotten Carols every year) as well as another speaker and a few singers. Then Saturday was a day full of speakers as well as music and songs from the band "Mercy River" I had never heard them before but I loved them! Cathie bought their CD so we thought we'd go up and meet them during one of the breaks so they could sign it- and Jennie is friends with one of the singers.

It really was so much fun and I'm so glad I got to go! I was a little worried going into it, that I might come out feeling guilty for not being a better member of the church - because I know there are so many things I could be doing to be a better LDS wife, mother, advisor...but I actually came out feeling so much better! I loved it because I felt like each presenter related to someone in the audience, whether you were going through a hard trial, or struggling with your own self worth, or just feeling like you need to be a better wife and mom to your husband and kids. It really strengthened my testimony and gave me such a better perspective on things. I really really loved it and recommend it to any woman out there LDS or not!

Then just a quick update on what's going on at the Goodrich household...

We finally finished the basement! Well, pretty much- still needs a few doorknobs here, and a fire alarm there, and maybe some shelves and rods in the closets... Okay- so there's still some to do, and the bathroom still isn't finished- but we weren't planning on finishing that 'til later anyway!

All I know is the walls are painted the baseboard and casing is up and the carpet is in! I was seriously so ecstatic I made all of us go down there and play the day the carpet was installed. The girls were running around and I was doing cartwheels! (maybe that's a little too embarrassing to admit?) It's pretty sick that I can get that excited about carpet- and I was even more excited to vacuum it! So I find myself down there the majority of the day and.. there's not even anything down there yet! Just cleaning toys and trying to get them organized. Okay- I know no one even cares, but I think it's awesome! So, I just had to post about it!

friends

2012-01-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

It always seems like after Christmas we get together with friends a lot. Then summer comes and we don't see them very much 'til after Christmas again! I think I even posted about friends last year at this time.

This year Ty and Whitney threw our annual friends Christmas party at their house. You had to wear an "ugly" sweater in order to go.

We had some delicious dinner, a white elephant exchange, and everyone voted on the ugliest sweater. Dave won!

Then after Christmas I always get together with my girlfriends from highschool for a little "Girl's Night Out" and gift exchange.

This is pretty much the only time we get together all year! So, it's fun to see everyone and catch up!

We always invite everyone up for a New Years party, but every year, the only ones that ever make it are Craig & Nekell and Kelly & Melissa. So it was just the same six it's been every year for who knows how long.

...but it's always way fun! We do dinner, the girls chat and the guys talk, Craig wins every game we play, and we counted down the seconds to the new year with Dick Clarke.

Our friends Dave and Deb are pregnant with their first baby! So, Kayla and I thought we'd put together a little brunch to celebrate.

Poor Deb has had a rough pregnancy and is so ready for baby boy Luke to arrive! Melissa and Nekell are also pregnant with boys, and due in April. So exciting!

It was so fun to see Lisa at our Christmas GNO while she was in town, and she ended up having to stay longer than planned, and I really wanted to see baby Jack. So she and I planned a little lunch downtown at the Gateway.

We've already decided these two will have an arranged marriage in 22 years. I seriously love him! I think Lia does too. She tried to give him a big kiss when she saw him, but got the camera out a little too late! They're so cute!

These friend get togethers might not be happening as often with Lisa going back to Washington, and everyone having babies, but of course I'll have to go visit when they do!

2011 ReCap

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

What a year, what a year. Here's a little recap of our 2011.

Three trips to Vegas...

Just for fun in February. I went on a girls trip with my mom and sisters in April, and Ry ran the Summerlin half marathon with his brother who lives there.

Sara and Della started sharing a bed...

(this was their first night sleeping together)

Potty training Sara before Lia was born...

(Della's also potty trained now too ;)

Had our third baby girl!

Lia Lyn, May 27th.

Celebrated our 5 year anniversary...

June 24th

Had some fun times at Bear Lake!

Tubing with cousins, fourwheel rides with Ry and my fam, and girls falling asleep on the tube.

Went on our first trip as a family of five.

Yellowstone with the Goodrich family.

Sara turned 3....

...and started Preschool!

Ryan ran three marathons; Ogden, St. George, and Desseret

...as well as 6 half marathons.

We blessed this beautiful baby...

September 4th

We took a trip to California to go to Disneyland, Newport Beach, and Seaworld.

...and Della turned 2 while we were there!

2011 was pretty good to us-
but I must say, the highlight of the year has to be going from a family of four, to a family of five...

Thanks for a great year 2011!

We Survived Christmas!

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Once again, does anyone else feel like they need like a 3 day nap after Christmas is over? Don't get me wrong, we love Christmas! Definitely one of the most wonderful times of the year! But it really felt like we just kept going, and going, and going, and going....

So as much as I'd like to re-live it all right now, I figure all these pictures pretty much speak for themselves without having to give some long, drawn out, detailed description of everything we did.

Ogden Lights

We went with our good friends the Burbidge's to see the Christmas Village lights in Ogden. We had never been before and it is really cute to see. Sara absolutely LOVED looking inside each little cottage/shop to see what was inside.

Goodrich Christmas Party

The Goodrich's threw their party while Dustin and Stacie's family was in town. Pretty sure this is one of the only times ever we've gotten a pictures of everyone!

Walker Christmas Party

My Mom's whole side of the family had their annual Walker Christmas Party a couple days before Christmas. Santa always comes and Sara's getting better at sitting on his lap, but the only way we could get Della to was by bribing her with the present.

Christensen Christmas Party

This year each family had to bring a bag of random/funny Christmas clothes/accessories then switch bags with another family and wear them bowling. It was pretty funny to see everyone dressed up. My Grandma's husband Gene had to wear a full on Santa suit. Of course it didn't last all night, but it was so cute 'cause random kids that were at the ally would run up and sit on his lap.

Christmas Eve

We always spend the 23rd with my family, that way we can spend the 24th with the Goodrich's. We always open our Christmas jammies, and Grandma Good just started a new tradition of making cookies for Santa. The girls loved it!

Christmas Morning

Guess who just had to get sick on Christmas... Sara. Luckily we took her to the doc a couple days before and got her on some antibiotics for her double ear infections, but it was kind of a bummer 'cause it really put a damper on her Christmas. She just wasn't herself, she was still excited, I just don't think she enjoyed it as much as she would have, had she not been sick. But Della and Lia were loving it! Okay, Lia was kind of clueless, but it was still way fun!

Christmas Day

We were hoping to be able to make all the rounds on Christmas, but only made it a couple houses. Sara and Della crashed at Ryan's Grandma and Grandpa Garretts the whole time we were there. They didn't even want to wake up to open their presents, so we just headed home after that. But it was fun while it lasted!

So that was Christmas for the most part! We also enjoyed an "Ugly Sweater" party with friends, Ryan's work Christmas party and the lights at Layton park! There was even more we wanted to do but didn't quite fit it in. Makes it a little harder when you have 3 little ones to drag around, especially when one or two are sick! But at least we can say we survived Christmas!

DISNEYLAND!

2011-12-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

My Dad plans a trip every year with my whole family, and this year he planned a trip to Disneyland! With such a big family it's sometimes hard to get everyone to be able to go, this year Terra's, Tawnya's, and Ty's family were able to, plus us and my mom and dad. Here's is a picture of all the grandkids/cousins that were there.

Chloe, Gwen, Malia, Noah, Sara, Savannah, Amiya, Kasin, Della, Alyvia, Hunter and Lia

Has anyone ever felt like they need a vacation from their vacation? Because man this trip was a lot of work!! It was way fun too! But after, I felt like I almost needed a vacation, even though that was a vacation! I felt like we started as soon as we got there, and didn't stop 'til we got home! When we got to California our rooms weren't ready to check in yet, so- we got all the kids in their swim suits and thought we'd let them go swimming at the pool 'til we could check in. Sara and Della loved it!

The next day we all woke up bright and early to go to Disneyland! I don't know who was more excited, me or the kids- but I was so excited for them! We got in and went on our first ride "Peter Pan" which me and Della loved, but made Sara a little nervous. She seriously cried on her first ride. Well then we went on "Toads Wild Ride" which Sara didn't cry, but Della did. (this was going to be a long day)

So then of course we had to go on "Dumbo" which they both loved and the first thing you see when you get into "Fantasyland" is the carousel. Della was absolutely dying to go on it the whole time. "Horsey Ride! Horsey Ride!" So, I took the girls on it, and of course, it ended up being their favorite. Nothing like driving all the way to California to go on a ride you can find at Southtowne Mall.

So, "Pinochio's Darling Adventure" was right next to the carousel and I thought we'd hit up that ride next. Well, "Pinochio's Darling Adventure" wasn't so darling. I went on it with my sister Tawnya and her 3 year old, my sister-in-law Whitney and her 3 year old, and I took Della. What a disaster that was. All of the girls were screaming crying practically the whole time! So, ever since that, it took a lot of convincing to get Sara to go on anything! She went on the tea cups fine, and made it through the "Storybook boat ride" fine once we got through the whale's mouth.

But I guess you could say Disneyland didn't quite go like I had planned. LoL Della loved pretty much everything but "Toad's" and "Pinochio" They loved "Casey Jr." and a few others that weren't inside rides. But I felt like I couldn't take them on a bunch that I wanted to. Even Lia got to go on a few rides with us, which was nice so one of us didn't always have to sit out. It's funny 'cause out of all three girls I was most worried about Lia- but she was actually the best out of all of them!

After a couple more rides, some lunch and a nap in the stroller it was time for our "character dining" where we get to go eat at Goofy's Kitchen and meet some of the Disney characters! Sara was the most excited just 'cause she kind of understood what was going on and who she was meeting.

And Della didn't know what to do when she met Belle. Della loves Belle. She is probably her all time favorite princess and couldn't believe she was meeting her. She was somewhat in shock and so Belle gave her a hug to try and make her feel more comfortable. So cute!

Then Lia couldn't really figure out what was going on when this giant chipmunk came and said hi to her. It was hilarious.

The next day we started at "Toon Town" to see everyone's houses and meet Minnie!

We did a couple more rides then headed over to the submarines to go on the "Finding Nemo" ride, which was super cute. But, of course- there had to be at least one scary part! Then we went back to the hotel for naps and met back up with Ty and Whit and their fam for some more rides like "The Little Mermaid" at California Adventure.

Once that park closed we headed back over to Disneyland to watch the fireworks.

What a great way to end the night. Everyone loved the fireworks, even Lia. It was so cute the whole time we were watching them she'd randomly grab my face and give me kisses. I was loving it- definitely one of the happier moments at the "Happiest Place on Earth"

The next day was Della's birthday! Everyone had a pass for a third day at Disneyland but us, (2 days was plenty) So, they went to Disneyland that morning for a half day and that's when we went to Downtown Disney to do "Build a Bear" for Della's birthday. After we took the girls back to the hotel for a nap a group of us got together to go to Newport Beach.

It was the girls first time ever seeing the ocean...

After walking around with dad and feeling the water on their feet, they didn't waste any time and got straight to playing. Sara was loving the sand! Just building sand castles and whatever else she could think of.

Della just loved running around. She'd play in the sand for a little bit then get up and just run around and around loving life. It wasn't easy trying to get her to stop long enough to take a picture!

I was really glad we took a day to go to the beach 'cause I think it was one of the girls favorite parts of the trip! And one of the most relaxed for us :)

But the fun didn't stop there!! The next morning we woke up, and the same group of us that went to Newport drove to Sea World! I had never been before so it was a first for me and the girls.

We started off by seeing the walrus and the penguins, then met up with the rest of the clan to go see the shamu show.

I thought it was SO awesome! Pretty sure I had a permanent smile on my face the entire show. How do they teach the whales to do all that? I was loving it.

We tried to get it all in! I think we went to every show and only missed one exhibit. We took the girls on a couple rides there and by that time, it was dark and time to go. So we loaded up and headed out.. to Vegas. We thought we'd stop there to spend a night and kind of break up the long drive home.

Now does anyone else see why I feel like I need a vacation? No, I'm kidding. It really was so SO fun! I really loved it! And was so grateful I got to go and spend time with my family as well as extended family. Thanks to all of them and all they did to help us out with the kids when we needed it, and thanks to my dad for planning such a fun family trip! Can't wait for next years!!

look who's 2!

2011-11-30T13:19:00.001-08:00

This adorable little fire ball turned 2 last week. We were in California celebrating Thanksgiving with my family at Disneyland! We went to Disneyland Wednesday and Thursday, and took a day off Friday which was Della's birthday. We thought it'd be fun to go to Downtown Disney and let the girls "build a bear" for her birthday.

I'm sure most know the "build a bear" drill. You get to pick out whatever bear/animal you want and make it yourself. She picked out a cute bear and after stuffing it, was able to pick out a heart to put inside. It was so cute 'cause they try and make it fun by having you do all these things to the heart before putting it inside and the girls would do everything the lady told them to.

...including smelling the heart, rubbing it on your tummy, and giving it a kiss. Then the heart was ready to put inside and the bear was ready to be sewn closed. Then we got to name it and put it in a box to take home! I think she thought it was pretty fun.

So since there wasn't really anywhere to have a party and open presents, we saved that for when we got home. She couldn't beleive all these presents were for her. She kept grabbing them and saying "oh! these are for Sara!" and would get really excited when we explained they were for her. Even when she was opening them, we would say "this one is from grammy, papa, and TJ" and she'd say "Oh! For TJ?" and go and hand her present to him.

She thought it was really neat that she had her own cake and got to blow out the candles. She couldn't stop smiling.

Then I had to post this picture of her on her actual birthday. I love how she fell fast asleep all snuggled up with her new bear and minnie mouse she got for Disneyland.

We sure do love you little miss Della May. So grateful you joined our family 2 years ago. I hope you had a happy happy Birthday!

Why do I even try?

2011-11-19T20:50:00.000-08:00

So we haven't gotten family pictures since Lia was born and I wanted to try and get some done to possibly send out for Christmas cards. So, I booked an appt. with Butterfly Love Photography for a mini session and was so excited to get them done. Well, Ryan informed me the week before that he was running a half marathon the same day I booked our family pictures! So, Saturday came and we made it to the race then rushed to Ryan's parents to try and get ready and to get to pictures in time. Well, we were pretty late and she does mini sessions back to back so there was someone coming behind us. Well, we got started and things were going okay, but the next family showed up, so we waited 'til they were done with their session to finish ours. Well, while we were waiting the girls got very impatient, and whiny, and tired. We tried to start back up but Della would just not cooperate. Then Lia started in crying because by this time she was hungry. So, I ran to the car to feed Lia while Ryan and Jana tried to get a decent picture of Della. Well I came back and it sounded like things still weren't going well. We tried to hurry and get a couple more pics then we finally threw in the towel (more or less) Jana wanted to keep trying but the girls had had enough. I was pretty bummed and we still haven't gotten them back, so who knows if we even got one good one. Oh, and P.S. Butterfly Love Photography is "taking a break" for at least a year, if not indefinitely. But that's okay, 'cause I found another photography company that I LOVE!I'm sure you've all heard of FotoFly Photography. So, I like to follow them on facebook because they always have these contests you can enter to win a free CD. I've entered pretty much every contest and never won.... 'til NOW! They announced their new "FotoFly Away" on facebook and all you had to do was comment and they randomly chose 12 winners out of like 1100 or more? I could not believe I won! I was so so excited- especially because my last photo session went so terribly I thought this was a chance to redeem myself. Well.... I was wrong. Boy was I wrong. This one was even worse than the last one. Why?!? Why do I even try?? I was so disappointed. All I could think the whole time was "at least this photo session is free" Della cried the whole time.......and I mean the WHOLE time! I couldn't believe it. Then Lia would cry if I wasn't holding her. So I was holding Lia the whole time, trying to manage the stroller, Della was crying wanting me to hold her (did I mention it was freezing?) and then there was Sara. Perfectly sweet little Sara who was pretty much an angel the whole time. At least one of my girls was good. I even got all the girls dressed in coordinating outfits and thought they looked so cute together!But no matter how hard I tried, I just could not get Della to stop crying long enough to take a picture. So... even though the main reason I went was to get an updated picture of all three girls, I ended up getting none of them together, one of Lia, non of Della, and tons of Sara. Which is fine I guess. At least I got something right? And it was free :) So, here are a few of my faves.She was so awesome and would do any pose they asked. Whether it was peeking through the fence, or putting her hands in her pocket. Eric (fotofly owner) said she was one of the best 3-year-olds he's ever taken pictures of.These are only 3 of about 50 pictures we got of her. It was hard to decide which ones to post!I really, truely, honestly, don't even know why I try. It is so incredibly frustrating. And the worst part is, the whole time I'm thinking "oh, Della's probably tired, I bet she'll fall asleep the second we get in the car" but nope, she just stopped crying and instantly started talking and giggling. What?? I can barely deal. I really REALLY want to get a picture of all three of them together once Lia's a little older and sitting up. Of course I'll be going to fotofly ;) we'll see if those turn out any better....until then! These will have to do.So sick.

(All pictures were taken by FotoFly Photography at Thanksgiving Point. Find the link to their blog on the right under "photographers")

what a weekend

2011-11-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

Halloween weekend was a busy one for us. I seriously feel like we did not stop going all weekend, then it seemed like it wasn't quite over because Halloween was on Monday!(Kiss, Zombie, Baby, Aladin, Jasmine, Dennis Lidell, Referee, Pumpkin, Ghost, Cat, Candy Corn) We started off the weekend with Ryan's mom's annual Halloween party Friday night. Everyone has to dress up and we have contests and win prizes.
I had to take a picture of Riley's girlfriend Jessica with her prize. She didn't stop talking about this jar full of gumballs all night and how she just HAD to win it and even if she didn't, she was taking it from whoever did win. It was the "estimation game" you had to try and estimate/guess how many gumballs were in the jar and whoever got the closest won the prize. It was funny 'cause I've actually won this game like 2 or 3 other years so we always kid how it's my favorite game. Well, once everyone guessed Cathie read all the estimates and I was only FIVE numbers off!! But Jessica's guess was closer by FOUR! She was only ONE number off the actual amount! I couldn't believe it, I would have won. So I kept teasing her but she was so ecstatic about winning the gumballs she didn't care. It was pretty funny.
There's also a costume contest, that Ryan has won like the last 4 years but guess who won again! Jessica! and Riley. They were Jasmine and Aladin. I have to admit it was pretty cute. So we didn't win that either. Our only hope was the pumpkin carving contest. But... again- no winners in our family :( First year ever our family didn't win anything! But it was still so fun! We love Grandma Good's Halloween Party!

Saturday was a crazy day! Ryan ran the Halloween Half down in Provo that morning, so we went to watch him cross the finish line. Then we raced back to Ry's parents to get ready for family pictures. Which were a disaster!! Don't even ask. Then back up to Clearfield for our ward's Trunk or Treat!
They always serve dinner first then all the kids get ready to go get some candy. Sara was so excited! It's impossible to get a good pic of my girls together both looking, but I thought this was cute with their trick or treat bags that match their costume. Lia also had a candy corn bag that matched hers too! These two went to about 6 cars and were ready to go! That, and their small bags were already full. It really was so cute watching them though.
Monday was Halloween and Sara's school carnival. I didn't get any pictures of her at school, but I got this cute one of her and Lia right before.
That night we took the girls to Salt Lake to go trick-or-treating in Ry's parents neighborhood. It's fun to go there because his parents, Grandparents, and two of his uncles live within walking distance of each other, so we took them trick-or-treating to each one.

Here are some better pictures of each girl in their costume, since they refuse to get one together. I got Sara and Della's costume ideas on Pinterest and attempted to make them myself. I didn't have any directions to go off or anything. I just saw a picture and thought "I can do that" I thought they turned out pretty cute for someone who's never made a costume before. Here are my first time trick-or-treaters. Sara was a little nervous, but Della was just loving every minute of going from house to house for free candy! Of course right when we get back Sar dumps out her candy bag and starts lining it all up. She has this thing for lining things up, whether it's squinkies, rocks, toys and I guess candy! Kind of funny. So that was our fun filled Halloween weekend! The older my girls get the more fun Halloween is. Hope everyone else had a Happy Happy Halloween!

Sara's First Field Trip

2011-10-19T10:57:00.001-07:00

Sara got to go on her first field trip last week with her preschool! They went to Black Island Farm, and I got to go with her. It started off with a hay ride behind the tractor.

The tractor took us around the farm and showed the kids their crops and told us a little about them. Then they let all the kids get off at the pumpkin patch to pick their very own pumpkin to take home! They were all still attached to the vine and there were hundreds of them! Sara found "the perfect pumpkin". After each kid picked a pumpkin we got back on the hay ride that took us back to the farm where Sara got to feed the animals.
They also had slides to slide down, tunnels to explore, a corn maze just for kids, a cow train, a pumpkin bounce house, and this ghost to play in.She was pretty much running from thing to thing just loving every minute. It definitely wore her out! She was ready to go after an hour and fell asleep in the car on the way home.She was excited to "bring Della next time". We got a free pass so I hope we'll go back before it gets too cold. It really was so fun for her and I was glad I was able to be there to share this experience with her.

26.2 in 4:16

2011-10-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Well he did it again. Ryan ran 26.2 miles, this time- in 4 hours and 16 minutes! So he didn't reach his goal of under 4 hours, but this was his best time out of the 4 marathons he's run. My brother Ty ran it with him and did amazing for his first marathon. Actually, I think anyone would be proud to have his time no matter what number marathon it was. He finished about a half hour before Ryan. I know Whitney was pretty excited to see him run by- she was nervous for him.
After Ty finished he got the kids some popsicles and was able to come back to the sidelines to watch Ryan finish with us. Ryan didn't even see us 'til the last second- I pretty much had to scream his name to get him to realize we were there. He said everyone was cheering so loud he didn't think it was for him! Kyle also ran the race. He and Ryan stayed together for most of it, and Kyle finished about five minutes after Ryan. I sure am proud of all three of them! Now I'm hearing talk about doing the Grand Slam next year!?! Makes me tired just thinking about it.Ty and Ryan with their medals after the race. I really can't believe Ryan has run four marathons. I honestly thought it was going to be a one time deal. Ya know, someone who wanted to run a marathon at least once in their lifetime- not Ryan. I guess he really just has a love for running. I have a feeling we'll be watching him cross many more finish lines.

what we've been up to

2011-10-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted for a couple weeks and feel like I have some catching up to do. So I thought I'd post a couple pics of what we've been up to in the last month or two.
Since Sara and Della started sharing a room, I really wanted to re-do it so it wasn't just "Sara's room" but more of a "sister's room". How do you think we did?
BEFORE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - AFTER

So- we thought we'd add some color by painting one wall blue, then we moved Sara's name to another wall, added Della's name to another wall and blew up a big picture of each girl. Then we finished it off with some vinyl lettering that reads "Sisters make the best of friends" I was really, really happy with how it turned out!

We also went to see the witches before it got too cold and too crowded. My sister Teneil invited everyone to Gardner Village to eat dinner at Archibald's and go on the Witch Scavenger Hunt. Only Ty and I were able to go with our kids but it still ended up being really fun!Of course Lia wasn't cooperating, so I had to hold her the whole time, so Ty was nice enough to hold Della and Sara held Teneil's hand the whole time. It was so cute how much Della was loving her Uncle Ty and Sar was loving her Aunt Nilly.My good friend Lisa (who lives in Seattle) is in town and we were able to get together for a girls night out at the Gateway! I was a little disappointed at first because she didn't bring her new baby to dinner and I haven't even met him yet! But, we already have a play date planned for next week and I'm sure we'll get together before then so I can see little Jack.Don't mind that it took about 7 attempts to get this picture, done by the timer on some stranger's car.

Oh! And Ryan just ran his 4th marathon last weekend in St. George. No biggie. Are you kidding me? These were his exact words after running his first marathon over a year ago "That was my first and my last marathon, I'm never doing that again" Three marathons later and he's still wanting to do more! He really is amazing. It was a fun weekend in St. George and he did awesome (as usual) but I'll be posting more about that later.

We've also decorated the house for Halloween, as well as made some fun Halloween crafts. Lia had her 4 month well check-up. Ryan's been to some football games including BYU vs. UTAH which was awesome. And have just been enjoying everything else that comes with fall, our favorite season.

sad weekend

2011-09-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend wasn't a very happy one for us. We took a trip to St. George, not for fun, but for a funeral. My cousin Whitni passed away the Sunday before and had her viewing on Friday and the funeral on Saturday. So we dropped the older girls off at Grammy and Papas and headed down with Lia and the rest of my side of the family. It was really really sad. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer nine months ago and they gave her six months to live with treatments. Even though we knew it was coming, I don't think you can ever be 100% prepared to lose someone. She had it really rough the last couple months, so it was somewhat bittersweet because we now know she's pain free and happy.

After her battle with cancer, Whitni Nisson Reese passed away on September 4, 2011. Whitni was born June 11, 1981, in St. George, Utah, to Bruce and Laurie Christensen Nisson. She was the only daughter among 5 brothers.

Whitni enjoyed her childhood growing up in Washington, Utah. She attended Washington Elementary, Pine View Middle School and graduated from Pine View High School. Whitni excelled academically and musically during those years. It was also during this time when she started to establish a group of friends who remain close even to this day. She also gained a strong testimony of the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Whitni went on to graduate from Dixie State College and attend massage therapy school, becoming a nationally certified Massage Therapist. She then served in the Zurich, Switzerland Mission where she learned to speak the German language fluently. Upon her return, she delayed her schooling to assist her brother, Blake, in his rehabilitation after a serious accident. This experience helped to direct her interests toward physical therapy and she pursued this career at BYU. However, she became more interested in nutrition and as a result attended Utah State University to complete her B.S. Degree, graduating Summa Cum Laude, in Food and Nutrition, becoming a Certified Registered Dietitian

Shortly after graduation, Whitni married Jared R. Reese on May 16, 2009, in the St. George LDS Temple. Jared’s employment took them to Roswell, NM, where Whitni became employed at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center as a Registered Dietician. During this time Whitni enriched the lives of many by serving as a Ward Missionary and early morning Seminary Teacher for her church.

Whitni loved to learn, travel and serve in the Church. She had a great appreciation of the Gospel, life, family, friends, music, nutrition and science.

Whitni is survived by her spouse, Jared R. Reese of Roswell, NM; father, and mother, Bruce B. and Laurie Nisson; brothers, Neils Nisson (Holly), Nickolas Nisson, Kael Nisson, Blake Nisson (Missionary in Washington D.C. North) and Breyden “Gump” Nisson, all of Washington, UT.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at the Washington Stake Center, 446 Mangum Rd., Washington, UT. Whitni elected not to have a viewing, but an open house will be held on Friday, September 9, 2011, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the same location. Interment will take place in the Washington City Cemetery.

The family requests in lieu of flowers that monetary remembrances be made at any Mountain America Credit Union under Whitni Nisson Reese.

Whitni and family wish to thank Dr. Derrick Haslem and staff, Dr. Edgard Badine and staff, and Southern Utah Hospice for their special care and concern during her illness

(Terra, Whitney, Teneil, Mom, me, Tawnya)
I love being able to see all my sisters and people from my extended family, I just wish it wish it was under better circumstances. It was a hard funeral to go to. Everyone in her family spoke as well as her husband, her mother-in-law and father-in-law. It was sad because she was the only girl in her family and her husband is an only child. She pretty much planned her whole funeral, from the program to the casket. She had some of her friends make her casket. It was really pretty. Two funerals in one year is two too many. Let's hope it will be a few years before the next one, and I really hope I'm done going to funerals for anyone under the age of 80.

It also didn't help that this weekend was the 10 year anniversary of 9/11/01. I know everyone remembers where they were that day. I remember being at my friend Laura Baggaley's house waiting for our ride to school when she told me a plane had crashed into a twin tower. We thought it was just an accident 'til her little brother came running upstairs and said "another plane just hit the second tower!" and that's when I heard their mom say "this is no accident, this is war" My heart sank when I heard her say those words. I went downstairs to watch what I could on TV before we had to head to school. That's when our teacher Mr. Burton announced what was happening and our class headed to the library to watch. I feel bad now looking back because I know I was old enough to understand what was happening but I guess it just didn't seem real. We all went about our days like nothing happened. I went to my 7th period class and Mr. Browning gave our whole class a huge lecture. He couldn't believe we were acting the way we were. It made him sick to see us laughing in the halls and just happily continuing through our day like nothing happened. I felt really bad and look back now and still feel horrible. Watching all the specials that were on TV this weekend really brought me to tears, especially because I think I know now the seriousness of it all. All I know is how extremely grateful I am for our country and the men who fight every day for it. I know there's been a debate whether or not we should be happy about the death of Osama Bin Laden, but I'm actually grateful we won't ever have to worry about him attempting to destroy us again. God Bless America.
picture by Butterfly Love Photography

Our Baby's Blessing

2011-09-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we blessed Lia, and Ryan gave her the most beautiful blessing! It really was such a special day and she looked so pretty in her first white dress.We feel so incredibly blessed to have this little girl in our lives. Even though she is definitely our hardest baby, we wouldn't trade her for the world. We love every minute we get to spend with this precious little one and are so grateful we were chosen to be her parents. love you Lia!

look who started preschool

2011-08-25T14:02:00.001-07:00

This cute girl had her first day of preschool last Monday. And as you can tell by her face, she was pretty excited. Sara has been talking about going to preschool forever, and I was so excited to tell her this month she's finally going to go! Her Grammy Good took her school shopping and Sara picked out this zebra shirt that she was so excited about. She couldn't stop talking about wearing it on her first day of preschool, so that's what she did!

Of course I had to get the classic "first day of school" pic by the front door, and a couple with her backpack on. I've been taking her and picking her up each time, and yesterday when Della saw Sara come out of her classroom she ran up and gave her the biggest hug! It was so cute, she definitely misses her big sister when she's gone... well, sometimes.
We love this girl so much! I hope she'll always be this enthusiastic about her first day of school. Love you Sar!

fun weekends away

2011-08-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Bear LakeA couple weekends ago my niece, Amiya, who lives in Bear Lake got baptised. It also happened to be the same weekend as Raspberry Days so we thought we'd take a couple days off and make a trip out of it. We got up there Thursday night and went on a fourwheel ride with my Dad, Grandma Betty, her husband Gene, Terra and Marc first thing Friday morning.
Ryan and I used to love going on fourwheeler rides when we were dating and before we had kids. Now we're usually take the girls for rides, so it was fun to go with everyone just us two. We took the boat out the next day and did some tubing and swimming in Bear Lake.We also went to the Raspberry Days Rodeo which is always a fun one! I love watching the kids chase the cow and ride the sheep.It was also fun because my sister Terra and her daughter Amiya were both apart of the rodeo. Terra was apart of the opening ceremony with the American flags and Amiya competed in the PeeWee barrel racing. I tried getting pictures but they didn't turn out.Saturday was Amiya's baptism. She looked so pretty in her white dress. I forgot to get a picture so this is one my dad took after she was baptised with her cousin Savannah.We all met at Lakeside Pizza after to celebrate! It was fun because all the sisters were there which is really rare!Another fun weekend at Sara's favorite place! Hopefully we can make a few more visits before summer is over.

YellowstoneThis trip really was a blast! I've never been to Yellowstone in the summer (at least not that I can remember, maybe when I was little) My family usually goes in the winter to go snowmobiling. But it was a lot of fun to see what it's like during the summer. Ryan's Uncle Brent plans a trip every year and we were invited to join them. They planned plenty of hikes for us to go one which were really fun. I feel like I haven't been on a hike forever. I loved seeing all the different hot springs. Sara was really into it too. We took this first hike over to Old Faithful and were able to see it go off right from the trail. (That's Sara with Old Faithful just getting done.)
We were all starving after our first hike so we headed over to this shallow river to eat our lunch. All the older girls were getting in so of course Sara and Della wanted to. They were loving it.
It really was so pretty everywhere we went.
Brent wanted to take us on one last hike before we headed back to the cabin, and I'm glad he did. I've seen pictures of this one but I've always wanted to see it in person and we were able to hike up high enough to get the perfect view. The picture doesn't do it justice. It really was awesome! The next day Brent scheduled a river rafting trip on the Snake River in Jackson Hole. I wasn't able to leave Lia since I am still nursing, so Ryan and I stayed back with the girls while they went. We thought it'd be fun to check out the live habitat of the bears and wolves, so we did! Here are Ry and the girls waiting for the bears to come out.
And here are the bears. The girls thought it was pretty cool at first, but were over it after a few minutes. Our last full day there we decided to tackle Uncle Tom's Trail. A hike 300 and some odd stairs down to these pretty waterfalls. If you're wondering how the girls did it, they didn't. We did it for them. Mark carried Sara, I carried Lia, and Ryan carried Della.
This is pretty much how each of us looked most of the time. I had Lia in that front pack the whole time, but nothin' I'm not used to after being pregnant. Here is the whole clan after we made it back up the stairs and to the top of Uncle Tom's. We were pooped!(left to right, top to bottom) Me & Lia, Ryan, Hanna, Nik, Savannah, Lexi, Emery, Rachel, Jesse, Della, Sara, TJ, Ashlee, Cathie, JuJu, Kent, Mark, Brent and Shaaron
Thanks again to Brent and Shaaron for such a fun trip!

The Birthday Girl

2011-08-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Sara Emily Goodrich turned 3 years old on July 23, 2011. There is something so fun about celebrating the birth of your child. We started her birthday off right by waking up and opening her presents from us first thing in the morning. She got a play tent, a kite, a play tea set, some squinkies and a scooter. She was pretty excited! Then we headed to Jungle Jim's for some rides. Both girls were pooped and we headed home to give them a nap before her birthday barbecue.
We invited the family up for a bbq, presents, and cake & ice cream. Sara would open a present and Della would get excited and play with it, she'd open another one, and Della would do the same thing. It was pretty cute.Sara was pretty excited about her flower birthday cake. After blowing out the candles she followed me over and started taking finger fulls of frosting off and eating it. Della thought the cake was pretty yummy too... Sara is our little go getter who isn't afraid to get dirty, pick up spiders and bugs, or help daddy's black toes. She loves scary things like monsters, snakes, spiders, ghosts, and skeletons. She also loves watching shows like trauma in the ER and 48 hours mystery with us. She's the girl who laughs instead of cries when we have to put drops in her eyes, and the girl who'd rather drink water than juice. She's the girl who actually wants to take naps and go to bed and asks us to wipe the boogers from her nose. Her favorite food is toaster strudels, Her favorite colors are pink and green, her favorite holiday is Halloween. She's always telling me she loves daddy and Kyle and will randomly come up to me and say "I'm so happy Mom" and give me a hug.We have been so blessed to have this little girl in our lives these past three years. Even though she can be a little different at times... that's what makes her Sara! I am so glad I had her first 'cause I know she will be the best big sister. We love you Sar! Have fun being 3!

holiday weekends

2011-07-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's so fun having two holidays in July just because we live in Utah. That's not the only perk. If the 4th or 24th happen to land on a Sunday, those who work get the following Monday off! Then we get to celebrate Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Utah's awesome! We started off the 4th of July weekend up at Bear Lake. My extended family has their reunion and my side of the family usually gets together at my parents cabin. So it was fun to see some of my aunts, uncles and cousins this trip.
My dad took us boating which is always fun. We let the girls go on the tube with their cousins Savannah and Amiya. I was a little worried how they would react, but apparantly they both loved it 'cause they both fell fast asleep. So cute!
Of course we had to let Lia wear her patriotic swim suit boating and again swimming in Salt Lake. We came back Sunday night and were able to make it to the parade and breakfast on Monday morning. My girls sure looked cute in their 4th of July attire.

The 24th was a pretty fun busy day. We started it by meeting Ryan (after) he crossed the finish line of the Desseret News Marathon. (don't ask about the "after") This is his second marathon this year, and not his last! He's crazy. But I sure am proud of him!After Ryan's races, we have a little tradition of going to Over the Counter Cafe for breakfast. It's always something fun to look forward to.After breakfast we took a dip in my mom and dad's hot tub then headed home for naps. That night Great Grandma Good had a BBQ at her house. We all pitched in for some fireworks and Ryan's cousins put on their own little firework show. Sara and Della were loving it.July is always a fun month for us. Two holidays, plus Ryan and Sara's birthdays, it's a party all month long!

fun summer days (and nights)

2011-07-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Isn't summer so much fun? I just love being able to go outside without a jacket or coat, setting up the pool for my girls to play in, making a fire to roast some hot dogs, or just sitting outside to soak up some rays. We love summer!
On the first day of summer we got together with Ryan's family to make these sweet tie dye shirts. It was our first time, so we were all kind of clueless, but I thought they turned out kind of cute! Ryan got work off for his birthday and we celebrated by going to the Roy Aquatic center. It was our first time and it turned out to be a really fun pool. They have two fun water slides, and Sara and Della loved going down this one with us! We've also gone up the canyon a couple times for a fire, some dinner and some s'mores!

Ryan is always thinking of fun ideas to do with the girls this summer. Besides, going to the pool and going up the canyon he thought it'd be fun to set up the tent in the backyard and have a sleepover outside. So he invited TJ, and they all snuggled up in the tent to watch a movie and sleep out.It's always fun setting up our little pool in our backyard, but Grammy Good thought it'd be fun to throw a little pool party at her house and set up her pool that's much bigger.These two were lovin' it. We set up the slip n slide and did the sprinkler under the tramp. They weren't too sure exactly how to slide but they tried...

Even Lia made an appearance in her new swim suit. So cute!

Summer has been a blast so far. Love that we're able to enjoy all these fun these for a couple months out of the year. Even though fall is my favorite season, let's hope it doesn't come too soon this year.

sleeping babes

2011-07-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

I was going through my pictures and realized I have a picture of Ryan sleeping with each of the girls when they were babies. To me, there's nothing cuter. I seriously love these... Can you tell who's who out of the three girls? I know they look nothing alike and their hair kind of gives it away- but my sister did this on her blog, so I thought it'd be kind of fun to see if anyone could tell them apart.

I love those sleeping babes!

The First 5 Years

2011-06-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked mine and Ryan's 5 year Anniversary. It's funny how as time goes by, 5 years seems like nothing! Remember how long a year seemed when we were little? The month of December seemed like the longest month of my life and now, I swear, a month seems like nothing- even a year doesn't sound long to me. When Ryan and I got married, our 5 year Anniversary seemed ages away, and now I feel like our 10 year isn't far! All I know is these past 5 years have been the best 5 years of my life. I love my husband so much and I don't know what I'd do without him! It seems like we've already been through so much together the first 5 years of our marriage.

We have...

moved 7 timesthis is our house before we moved in- I need to take a picture now with the yard in

owned 2 dogs Our second dog, Chief was a much better dog than our first one, Milly

been on 3 cruises This is us on our first cruise, the Norweigan Dream.
been to 5 concertsI surprised Ryan with George Straight tickets, on his birthday.

had 3 kids Here we're on a Vegas trip when I was about 6 months pregnant with Sara.
We have also been snowmobiling in Yellowstone, snorkeling and kayaking in the Carribean, and jetskiing in the pacific ocean. (to name a few) I know these first 5 years are only the beginning of a fun filled, lifelong journey with the love of my life. We've already done so much, and I'm excited to continue making more memories like these.

June 24, 2011
Happy Anniversary Ryan! I love you!

The Funny Things I Find Cute

2011-06-22T12:42:00.001-07:00

I don't think anyone will really appreciate this like Ryan and I do, but this blog is more for us anyway- so I had to document these random things I thought were cute.Here are Sara and Della "stretching" with dad. Ryan always stretches before he runs and both Sara and Della copy his every move.

And here are the squinks... These things may or may not drive me crazy. Anyone ever heard of squinkies? They're these little tiny squishy characters that Sara just loves! I don't know why, 'cause all she really does is line them all up like that, then gather them all in her purse and go line them all up somewhere else, along with a few other toys you can see. She has this weird attachment to these things and keeps them all in a little purse that she loves to carry around and take everywhere. I know it's a little strange, but I also find it kind of cute too.

She also has this thing for forts, or "huts" as she and ryan likes to call them.Ryan and I were working outside one day and she was whining to go inside. So, Ryan made her this little hut, complete with her water bottle, chips, blanky, and our portable DVD player playing "Tangled". She soon fell fast asleep.

Fun in the sandbox...Watch out for that crack Sar, don't want any sand getting down there!

Playing outside...So last year I got this little mini pool for Sar since she was just little and the only one who could really enjoy the water, so I got it out this year and I guess I forgot how small it was. These two were both trying to swim in it and even though they barely fit, they were loving it. Don't worry, we bought a bigger one that they can both fit in.

Sara loves putting things "night night"Here she has all the monkeys she could find in the house laying on her blanky, covered with Della blanky and Lia's blanky. Is that weird I find that cute?
Cute sistersWell, I thought the love Sara had for Lia would wear off a little once we were home, but 3 and a half weeks later and she's still crazy about her. Always wanting to hold, kiss and hug her. I thought this was cute of Sara and Lia laying in my bed watching a show.

Queen SaraEw. Is that sick enough? She really does think she's a queen, and a rad one. Look how cool she thinks she is watching a show, eating some popcorn in our bed. Legs crossed and all.

It's funny the things your kids do that you think are so cute. I'm sure I'm the only one who thinks these pictures are even worth posting, but if you're a mother, I'm sure your kids do their own strange little things that you've taken pictures of and think are cute. 'Cause I know I do!

3 under 3

2011-06-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have 3 girls under the age of 3. It's been crazy, but it's been fun! Good thing they're cute, seems to make them a little easier to handle... Cute Sara has been our easiest child. She is seriously an angel compared to these other two! She's always so sweet and polite, well- almost always. She definitely has her moments of terrible twos, but for the most part she's such a good girl! She loves her little sisters so much and is always wanting to hold and kiss Lia and play with Della. So glad we had her first 'cause she's an amazing older sister and such a great helper!
Then there's Della. Oh boy. This ones a different story. She can definitely be sweet, when she wants to be- but man is she a hand full!! She's very clingy and whiny and knows how to throw a fit. She likes to bite and pinch her big sister when/if Sara's bugging her but is pretty quick to say sorry. She's also our most dramatic. She'll cry and cry if she gets hurt or in trouble 'til we make her feel better. She has her happy moments too though, she loves to cheer when she's happy or excited and is our little dancer. ...and here's little miss Lia. Doesn't she look so peaceful in this picture? Not so much the case 24-7. She's pretty fussy, definitely our fussiest baby. She really likes to be held and I'm trying to get her to like her binky 'cause I know everyone will be a lot happier if she does. But even though she cries a lot, she sure brings a sweet spirit into our home, and we love having her apart of our lives.

Even though having 3 under 3 isn't the easiest... I wouldn't trade them for the world. We love these girls more than anything and are so grateful we get to be their parents.

see you on the other side

2011-06-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

This past week has been hard for me. For the first 20 years of my life I had never experienced death. I had never been to a funeral and never known anyone who has died. Then in 2006 my Grandpa Walker passed away, the following year we lost my Grandpa Ash, and in 2009 my Great Grandma Borgquist left us. It was hard going from never experiencing the death of a loved one to losing three people who had been there my whole life. I was just glad that they had lived a long healthy life. Never did I think I would lose someone who had only been on Earth as long as I have, with their whole life ahead of them, who was my friend.

Erica Brynn Barton "Sista" Erica Brynn Barton tragically left us on June 7, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born on November 8, 1986 in St. Louis, Missouri to Jeff and Debbie Barton. Currently, she was working as a RN at University of Utah Medical Center in maternity and Newborn Care, and before that as an HCA in the OR. She loved her work in the health field and had many great friends and experiences there. She was also currently enrolled at the University of Utah pursuing her BSN. She was an adventurous and creative person. She had a passion for life and truly lived it to the fullest. She traveled the world with her friends and also did humanitarian work in Kenya, India, and Peru. She loved art and music, and played the harp beautifully. Brynn had many, many wonderful friends whom she adored. Many lives were touched in all that she did. Her contagious smile and infectious laugh spread happiness to those around her. She loved her family and inspired us to gather often and enjoyed her "sista"hood. She lived to inspire us all. Brynn will be sorely missed by all who loved her. Brynn is survived by her parents; siblings: Brooke (David) Gatti, Emilee (Brandon) Shafizadeh, Erin, and Jeffrey; nephews Hunter and Noah Gatti, niece Grace Gatti; grandparents David and Judy Fox, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. We as her family express our deepest gratitude for all the many kindnesses and acts of love given at this time of grief. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 12:00 noon at the Murray Utah South Stake Center at 5735 South Fashion Boulevard in Murray, Utah. A viewing will be held Saturday morning, from 9:30 until 11:30 a.m. prior to the funeral. Interment at Wasatch Lawn Cemetary, 3401 South Highland Drive in Salt Lake City, Utah. Online condolences at www.larkinmortuary.com, or on Facebook.

Mine and Amanda's 13th birthday slumber party in Park City

Murray High Senior Prom

Senior Trip at Lake PowellI love and miss you Brynn.
see you on the other side

2011-06-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

May 27, 2011 * Lia Lyn Goodrich * 8 lbs. 1 oz.She's here! Baby Lia is finally here and has made us a proud family of five! She decided she was ready to join us and put me into labor while we were at the play Les Mis in Salt Lake. I distinctly remember my contractions started during the song "Master of the House" They were moderately strong so I decided to start timing them. They were only about 8-10 minutes apart and not too too painful, so I assumed it was just false labor and enjoyed the rest of the play. Well, we stood up to give a standing ovation and I had a hard time standing. Once that contraction was over I was able to make it outside and walk to the car, but was still having a hard time during each contraction. We got to the car and I thought maybe once I sat down again I'd be okay, but boy was I wrong. They started coming on strong and hard every four minutes. We really didn't want to drive all the way to Ogden and leave our girls in Salt Lake just to have them tell us it was false labor and send us home. So, after a call to my sister Tawnya (who's a labor and delivery nurse) and a little prayer to see if I was in true labor, we knew it was time to go.
My last labor with Della was so fast that we were a little worried about getting to the hospital in time and of course we were driving north during rush hour traffic, so Ryan drove on the shoulder a couple times so we weren't stuck for too long. I was hating it the whole way up, my contractions kept getting worse and worse. We got to the hospital got checked in, and I was surprised when they told me I was only a three! But, that was also good news 'cause it meant I'd get the medicine in time. It was the weirdest thing, 'cause as soon as I got in a gown and in a bed, my contractions slowed way down and didn't hurt bad at all! So, they called the doctor and he admitted me. They got the antibiotics started and got me settled in a room and it was time to wait. Luckily we got the full dose of antibiotics, got the epidural and it was time to deliver!Just a push or two and she was here! Our precious baby Lia. She was so perfect! We were in love the minute we laid eyes on her. By that time it was 1:30 in the morning, so we spent a little alone time just me, Ryan and Lia before we headed into recovery. We watched her get her first bath and by that time, all three of us were pooped and ready for bed. The next morning Ryan brought the girls up to meet their sister for the first time. Sara couldn't get the smile off her face. She was so SO excited and wanted to hold Lia the whole time. Della on the other hand... didn't really care. She'd look at her for a minute and say "baby" but seemed more confused than anything. It really was so fun and exciting to bring this little girl into the world. I can't believe we have three girls! We love them all so so much and are so grateful they were sent to us. I don't know what I'd do without them, and am so grateful for such a loving and supporting husband. He really is the best Dad to our girls, no wonder they're all Daddy's girls. Maybe, just maybe Lia will be a Mommy's girl?? Yeah right, he'll have her sucked in as soon as she's done nursing,but I'm glad they love their dad as much as I do

Welcome to the world baby Lia! We sure are glad you're here!

How do elephants do it?!?!

2011-05-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Did you know elephants are pregnant for 2 years?! I honestly don't get how they do it. I feel like I have the easiest pregnancies, but I can not imagine being pregnant that long. I really shouldn't complain but I just feel like this last month drags on, and on, and on... and yes, my pregnancies are easy... at the beginning. I don't get sick or anything and feel pretty good, but for some reason- this one has been really different towards the end. There are some days I just sit here and ask myself...

Will I ever know what it's like to have energy again? - Every day I feel like the laziest lug, I literally have to force myself to get up, make breakfast, do the dishes, clean the kitchen, then I sit on my butt 'til I force myself to get up and get me and the girls ready for the day

Will I ever want to get ready again? - I used to like getting ready. Is that weird? I always have, and have never really despised it...'til now. Oh, how I don't look forward to getting ready, but at least I do! Even if it isn't 'til 11:00 or 12:00.

Will I ever be able to sleep without having to get up 4-7 times to go pee? - This is especially difficult for me, because I'm used to going pee two to three times a day. I can't believe how much I have to go being pregnant. And the worst part is there are times I'm laying in bed, so comfortable, almost asleep and there she goes, maneuvers into a position that is pushing right on my bladder. So I hoist myself up, waddle into the bathroom, sit on the toilet to let nothing out but a little trickle.

Will my hands and feet ever return to their normal size? - My hands and feet never got swollen with my other two pregnancies I wore my wedding ring the whole time and could wear all my shoes, but for some reason, this time my feet are big and my hands are swollen and actually really hurt. Is that normal? That they hurt?

Will I ever experience a good nights sleep again? - I don't understand how this can be so different than the other two pregnancies. But- boy it is! I get the worst aches and pains at night, then I can't sleep on my back because I feel like I can't breath, then there are times where I wake myself up snoring! Then Lia is keeping me up half the night kicking and moving, then plus getting up every other hour to pee. I just feel like I haven't had a good nights sleep in forever.

Will I ever be skinny again? - I know what everyone is thinking. "you're tiny" and really, I can't complain too much about my appearance, but I'm to the point where my maternity garments ride half way up my belly as well as half my maternity tops. And my maternity pants are so skin tight I can barely move in them. I remember trying on some of my maternity pants when I was just a few weeks pregnant thinking "will I ever grow into these?" they were practically falling off me and SO baggy. And now... just suctioned to my butt and legs. I seriously don't get how some women can wear their original pants and jeans their entire pregnancy and just do the belly band or elastic trick. I really don't think my calf would fit into a pant leg of my regular jeans.

Then after asking myself all these questions I remind myself that I only have three weeks left and it really isn't that bad. It could be a lot worse right? I had my 26 week appt. last week and apparently tested positive for Group B Strep. I didn't have it with my other two, but this time I do and I just hope I get to the hospital far enough in advance that I can get the full dose of antibiotics before I deliver. I just wish there was an easier way to tell if you're in labor. They say to wait 'til your contractions are so bad you can't speak or walk through them, and 4 minutes apart lasting at least 1 minute each. Well, Ryan and I zoomed to the hospital last time this happened and barely had enough time to get in there and get the epidural before I pushed Della out. So, I'm hoping I'll recognize the labor sooner than that, but it's been hard. Especially since yesterday I woke up with pretty strong contractions, but they only lasted an hour. Then last night I was having the same thing and they were pretty regular for over an hour, I just didn't know if I should go in and try and get the medicine in time, or if it was just false labor or what! Obviously it wasn't the real thing, because I'm still sitting here today with a baby in my belly, I just wish there was an easier way to tell without having to wait so long! So... that's my pregnancy update (or vent.) I really shouldn't be too antsy to have this baby, because I still want to see Ryan run the Ogden marathon on Saturday, and we have tickets to see my cousin Jenny in the play Les Mis next Thursday. I'm just so ready to have energy again, and I want to want to get ready. I'm ready to be able to sleep longer than 2 hours without having to pee and ready to wear my rings and regular shoes. I'm ready to be skinny again so I'll be able to breath when I sleep and stop snoring. I feel like I'll never get there, but I know I'll be back to my old self one day. It's only a matter of weeks now, and I can't wait!!!

feeding the ducks

2011-05-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

For our Monday night family home evening activity we thought it'd be fun to take the girls to the park to feed the ducks. We stopped by Maverick and bought a loaf of bread on the way, and it was a good thing we bought a new loaf instead of just using our bread, 'cause the whole thing was gone in about 5 minutes!I loved watching Della crouch down. She didn't really understand the "throwing" part 'til later and just kept trying to feed them right out of her hand.After watching her big sister a few times she finally got it...As you can see, this is her face after a duck ate her piece. She was so proud of herself.It really was a neat park. There were a lot of ducks and you could fish the pond too. They also had a little walking path around the whole lake/pond, and some fun waterfalls.This was the only picture Sara would let me take of her and it was because she was sitting with Daddy. I feel so bad because I really do try to take pictures of my kids but it is probably one of the hardest things EVER!! I can't get a good picture of them to save my life, and just forget about getting a cute one of them together! ...Unless they're sitting on Daddy's lap.

Our Easter

2011-04-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or are holidays much more fun and exciting when you have kids. At least that's how I feel about holidays at our house. I really do get the biggest kick out of watching my girls color eggs for the first time, and watching them run around trying to find them. Then it might sound sick but I was actually excited to hide their baskets and couldn't wait for them to find them in the morning.

We started our Easter weekend on Saturday with an Easter party at Grammy and Papa Good's house. They always do an Easter egg hunt in their backyard and each grandkid gets their own little Easter bucket filled with goodies. The kids love it!That night our little family colored Easter eggs. Sara thought it was so cool that each egg had a name on it. We did one for Dad, Mom, Sara, Della and even one for Lia. She really loved coloring each egg and grew a little attachment to the one with her name on it. The next morning she was so excited to find the eggs and see what the Easter bunny brought her. Since they were given their Easter outfits a little early for their Easter pictures, the Easter Bunny thought it'd be fun to get them matching swimming suits and swim suit cover ups. Sara also got some arm bands and chalk and Della got bubbles. They were pretty excited! The rest of the day was spent going to church and visiting family. I must say it turned out to be another successful holiday for the Goodrich family. And they're only going to get more fun once Lia joins our family.

two weekends in vegas

2011-04-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

So I've spent my last two weekends in Las Vegas and I must say, it has been so nice getting a little taste of sun! The first weekend I went down with my little family of four and stayed with my in-laws at Dustin and Stacie's house. Ryan and his brother signed up for a half marathon so we wanted to be there to support them.This was Dustin's first half marathon and let's just say- he rocked! Ryan finished at 1:54:54 just 50 seconds after Dustin who crossed the finish line at 1:54:04. I told them it would have been cool if they'd crossed together! Poor Ryan had to run his first half marathon of the year after a night of no sleep. No, really- we literally got like 2-3 hours of sleep thanks to this little girl...(Della playing dress up for the first time and absolutely loving it! Even though it looks like a crabby face, she is in fact smiling- or saying "cheese")

I don't know WHAT her deal was, but she could not sleep all night, and we were all sharing a room together, so... yeah- we were up pretty much the whole night. Way fun.

Last weekend my sisters planned a girls trip to Vegas, and it was SO fun! We used to do it every year during spring break but, it kind of got put aside because it was so hard to find a date where someone wasn't having a baby, or nursing, or whatever. The last one we went on was over 3 years ago! So it was so much fun to finally be able to get together to do it again.(Terra, Tawnya, me, Mom and Whitney at the Ceasers Palace Aquarium. Teneil and Brenna couldn't get off work...maybe next time!)

These last two weekends really were a blast! But I think I probably won't be down for a while now.

2011-04-04T14:06:00.001-07:00

The girls shared a bed for the first time last night...

...I think it went well.

2011-03-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day!!

Nothing too exciting has been going on around here, just thought it was time for an update and thought St. Patricks Day was a good excuse to take some cute pics of the girls and post them.
Although, I don't know how cute that cheesy smile is of Della's. That's the face she pulls when I tell her to say "cheese"
I also thought I'd post a pic of my belly at 28 weeks. It's funny 'cause looking at that pic I don't think my belly looks as big as it feels. But then again, my face also doesn't feel as fat as it looks either... (especially in that first picture. What the?) Apparantly we're not a big "green" family 'cause these girls didn't have too many shirts with green, so I just thought I'd make them some matching bows and call it good.
Hope everyone has a Happy St. Patricks Day!

fish face? or kiss face?

2011-02-11T08:24:00.000-08:00

Look at that face! Is that not the cutest? Now originally you'd think she's doing the fish face- but this is actually her kiss face. And I can't get enough of it. I love asking her for kisses and watching her take a moment to get her lips puckered up just right for a big smooch. She loves giving kisses- especially to her sister...There has never been a time where we say "give Sara kisses" where she doesn't stop everything she's doing to lay one on her.

We love it!

I also had to post these pics of Della wearing my heels. Della has always been a huge fan of shoes. Ever since she learned to walk she'd always get so excited to put her shoes on and go and walk on the hardwood floors. She loves showing them off and looking at her feet as she walks.I couldn't believe it when she tried on my heels and could actually walk in them! She's pretty coordinated for a little chubby thing, she can walk up and down the hall over and over without falling. She's going to be a pro when she really starts wearing heels.

These two always know how to put the biggest smile on my face. Is there really anything better than being a Mom? It's going to be so crazy when there are three of these little rats running around, but it's going to be fun!

warm weather weekend

2011-02-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

This last weekend Ryan had a closing in St. George on Friday, so we thought we'd make a weekend of it and packed up the girls to take a trip down south for some warmer weather. We had originally planned on staying in Mesquite for the free massage and golf deal. We were going to meet our friends Kelly, Melissa and their baby girl Sophia down there, but Sophia got sick so they didn't end up making it. So- we cancelled the Mesquite plan and made up our own! After Ryan's closing we hung out in St. George and stayed the night there. We woke up and did some swimming (in the hot tub) and shopping, then headed to Vegas to visit Ryan's mom, our sister-in-law, and our nieces and nephew.

...but not before we made a couple stops on the strip to show Sar and Del some of the fun things Vegas has to offer. Not that our 2 year old and 1 year old cared all that much- but we thought it'd be fun!

...and Della thought she was really cool walking down the strip. She's on this new kick where she thinks she needs to walk everywhere!! Which is great- I guess. It will be nice when baby number three comes along 'cause I won't be able to hold both of them, but still- she's only 1 (even though she thinks she's 12) and she's not the fastest walker around.

(don't mind the closeup of me and Sar at the habitat, Ryan took it with his phone and with all the people it was kind of hard to get a good pic)

We first stopped at MGM 'cause we thought the girls would like to see the live lion habitat. They actually thought it was pretty cool, if we could hold them high enough to see over all the rest of the tourists. I really can't believe how 95% of the people with their noses pressed up against the glass to see the lions were grown adults. I mean, I guess it's cool to see a lion, but I'm not kidding- people just sat there forever staring at these lions like they'd never seen one before in their life. Then again-- maybe they haven't. I don't know.

After seeing what we could of the lions, we walked down to the M&M Factory. Della was loving these M&M guys that were just her size. She'd go up and give them all a kiss, it was so cute!

Then we drove home that night so the girls could sleep the whole way home. It was a short but fun trip! Very nice to get away from this frigid weather and enjoy some warmth!

another girl

2011-01-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

Can you believe we're having another girl! So crazy! But I really am so excited! As most of you know, we didn't find out what we were having with our first two which is actually really fun. There's nothing like delivering your first baby and just waiting to hear if it's a boy or girl! However, it was really fun finding out too! Ryan was convinced it was a boy and thought we better find out so we can prepare by buying clothes and blankets and whatever else we may need. Well, was he in for a shock! It was so funny 'cause the ultrasound tech knew we already have two girls, so when she went to look she just looked at us and I just knew. I said "is it a girl?" and she said "it's a girl!" And after a split second of wishing we would have just waited I started to feel a connection, one thing I never really felt with Sara or Della during my pregnancies with them. Which is kind of sad. But- when I thought Sara was a boy for the majority of my pregnancy, then I was sure Della was a boy the entire time, always referring to the baby as a "him" I just never felt that great of a connection just 'cause you never know. But with this baby it was the craziest thing, during the whole ultrasound she was saying "there's her leg" and "these are her hands" and I had to try really hard to hold back the tears. I could just picture her in my arms the day she was born, and see her big sisters wanting to hold and kiss her. I just imagined three girls crammed in the back of our car, three sisters playing in the tub. I already started thinking of her as our little Lia. (Which is the name we've chosen for her.) So, as much as I love waiting 'til the birth to find out what it is, I can't deny how special it is to find out during your pregnancy. I'm guessing Ryan and I will find out with our next one as well, and maybe have our last one be another surprise at birth.

. . . 19 weeks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 21 weeks

This pregnancy hasn't been much different than the others. Pretty easy, besides the fact that my tummy has gotten bigger faster. It's funny, now that I know what I'm having, all I want to do is prep and plan. I'm already looking for an outfit to take her home in, and I want to make her a baby blanket, I also want girl crib bedding then I just can't stop thinking about that box of baby girl clothes downstairs that I want to wash and have ready for little Lia. I need to remind myself that I'm only half way and I still have a lot of time to prep and plan. Especially because Della is still using the baby room so I can't really do anything 'til we move her. I'm hoping she and Sara can share Sara's bed, but...we'll see how that goes!

I really can't wait 'til we get to meet our precious baby girl. Right now it seems like forever away but I know it will be here before we know it. We love you already baby Lia!

friends

2011-01-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

I've had some time to spend with a few friends this last month. Here are some fun times I want to remember...After Christmas I got together with my friends Lindsey, Lisa and Teisha from high school for a little Christmas get together and gift exchange. It was a lot of fun 'cause Lisa was in town from Washington and I haven't seen her since September. It was even more fun 'cause she and I are both preg- so our whole conversation at dinner pretty much consisted of baby talk. I'm due in June and she's due in July so they'll be close. So fun! Then we celebrated the New Year with our friends Kelly, Melissa, Craig and Nekell. They all came up to our house for some dinner, games, and bubbly!Craig's wife Nekell, who has become a really good friend, is also pregnant. She's due next month so that will be fun to have kids together that will be in the same grade.

So, technically this is my cousin, Heather- but we're so close I feel more like friends. She just had her second baby in December and after seeing her cute pics on facebook, I just had to go and see her in person. Her baby Natalie is the cutest little thing ever!
Then I feel so bad I missed Nekell's baby shower because of one of our winter storms. She lives in Riverton so there was just no way I was making it- people were struggling to even make it out of our street! So, Melissa and I thought we'd take her out for a little baby dinner instead. It was fun to just go out with the girls even though it became quite the ordeal with the guys- lol We went back to her house to see her cute baby room and all her fun baby stuff. Then I just had to post this pic of Sara with her friends. Some YW advisors came over to my house in December so we could all plan a good, fun Christmas lesson for the girls. Well they both have girls around Sara's age and Sara just loves them. They all snuggled up on this bean bag together and I thought it was so cute. The one in the middle- her name is Brielle, and her mom, Melissa, is actually pregnant too! We were due a day apart- but her doctor keeps switching up the date on her so who knows! I guess I should have titled this post "friends and babies"! It's fun 'cause I've never been pregnant alone. It's either been with a friend, cousin, sister, sister-in-law or all four at the same time! I guess I get pregnant so often I'm just bound to be pregnant with someone!

...and since we're on the subject of babies. Ryan and I are going to find out what we're having on Tuesday! I'm actually really excited- it will be fun since we didn't find out with the first two to kind of change it up and find out early with this one. What do you think?? Boy or Girl?

Goodbye 2010 Hello 2011

2011-01-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

2010 was pretty laid back. We had finally settled into our new house, had a new baby and just kind of took it easy.
Here are are a few of the bigger events that happened in 2010..

last year....

Ryan...

ran the Top of Utah Marathon (and a lot of half marathons)

went the whole year without carbination

lost 40-45 pounds and looks awesome!

I...

took a trip to Seattle to visit my friend Lisa

went to St. George with my mom and mother-in-law to see Tarzan

went to YW girls camp as a leader instead of a young woman

(which was so weird, but so fun!)

Sara...

turned 2

went down the Murray pool waterslide by herself!

went on the Alpine slide for the first time

(it was actually my first time too :)

Della...

learned to crawl then walk

turned 1

swam in Bear Lake for the first time

we...
got our yard done
took a couple trips to Vegas
went to Bear Lake a few times
found out we're pregnant with our third child

this year....
Ryan will run the Ogden Marathon and the RAGNAR (and some more half marathons)
we hope to finish our basement
and potty train Sara
we'll have a baby
celebrate mine and Ryan's 5 year anniversary
go to disneyland

I am so excited to go to Disneyland. I haven't been there since I was 7 or 8 and now that I'm older, I'm so glad I'm going to have 3 kids to share it with! Sara and Della are going to be the perfect age and I can't wait for them to experience the place "where dreams come true" So, this trip alone and the fact that we're adding another member to our family makes 2011 look a little more exciting and a lot more eventful than 2010. Look out 2011! Here we come!!!

crazy CHRISTMAS week

2010-12-29T08:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

Wow, I feel like all we do is go go go the month of December and the week of Christmas was pretty crazy...but fun!! The parties started Wednesday and continued on through Christmas day. First one was our annual Walker Christmas party where my Mom's whole side of the family gets together. I personally love this tradition just because it's been going on ever since I can remember and it always seems like as the family grows bigger it slowly grows apart, so there are years where this is really the only time I see most of my extended family. It was still a lot of fun though!

Walker Christmas Party

Then there was my family's Christmas party on Thursday where all the adults went to "A Christmas Carol" at Hale Center Theater then back to my parents house for dinner, games, and presents! I didn't get any pics of Dell because she was running around naked half the time then went to bed before we opened presents. But here's Sara showing off her new doll from her aunt Terra... Christmas Eve is when the Goodrich's have their party. We always have dinner with Ryan's extended family then go to his parents house to open Christmas jammies. The girls were pretty pooped by the time we actually opened them but I still managed to snap a pic of T, Della, Tyler and Sar.Christmas day is always crazy 'cause we try and visit everyone! And it doesn't make it easy when the girls don't wake up 'til 9:00 so we can't start our day 'til later. It was nice to sleep in though and really fun watching them open all their presents.

Christmas Morning

After presents we all got ready, got the girls in their Christmas dresses and headed to Grammy and Papa's house to open more presents from them. We usually visit my parents next but they were out of town, so we went to Grandma and Grandpa Goodrich's after that. Then we head out to Grandma and Grandpa Garretts who live in Riverton for some more presents, then to my Grandma Walker's house in Orem for a little something to eat. Then back to Ryan's parents to load up our gifts and head back home.

Then we all got sick the day after Christmas. I don't know if it was perfect timing or horrible timing, 'cause our house was still a mess from Christmas morning, all the decorations are still up and I just barely got all their toys and gifts put away yesterday. We all made a trip to the doctor and got some meds so we're all feeling much better now, but we had a rough couple days. Now we're all better and can finally enjoy all our Christmas goodies! It's always a sad day when Christmas is over. There is just such a happy spirit in the air during the month of December and I know most think it's because of the excitement of the kids, the giving of gifts, and the snow, lights and beautiful decorations, but I know it's because of the reason we're celebrating. I know it's the spirit we're feeling is the spirit of our Savior and it's so much stronger during the month of December because we're celebrating his birth. It was my Mom's birthday on the 16th and we kept trying to explain that to Sara but she just kept saying "No, it's Jesus' birthday!" If a 2-year-old can remember it, we all should be able to. I hope everyone had a very very Merry Christmas!!! I know we sure did!

For all those who didn't get a Christmas card...

2010-12-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

...Merry Christmas!

This little one...

2010-12-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

...turned one last month.
I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing this little girl has been in our lives. All of our lives. Mine, Ryan's and Sara's. She is such an incredible baby to have in our home. Yes, I know she's not really a baby anymore. But I feel like my kids are always my babies, at least 'til the next one comes. One of mine and Ryan's favorite things to do on our kids birthdays is reflect back and think about the day they were born. It honestly feels like Della was just born. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I can still remember the feeling I got when I first held her, trying to hold back the tears. It really is one of the most incredible feelings in the world. The first time you hold your baby. Some may think the first is always the most special, but I beg to differ. Holding Della was just as amazing as holding Sara, but different in its own special way because it was a different child. I could feel the bond from the moment we met. There was even something in the hospital that was a little different than Sara that I could feel with Della and I think it shows now that she's such a Mommy's girl. That was such an incredible day, and I know I'll never forget it. This was definitely the fastest year of my life, if anyone knows a way of slowing down time just a little, please let me know!! It felt like one day she was a newborn baby not capable of anything but eating, sleeping, and pooping, then she was sitting up, and crawling, then she was walking and now she's trying to talk. Yes, our little Della does struggle just a little. But that's okay! She really does try. Oh I love her! Our precious baby Della. We love you more than you'll ever know! And we always will.

(pictures 1 & 2 by Tim & Kim Photography

picture 3 by Sharon Johnson Photography)

Classic

2010-12-06T10:04:00.001-08:00

Thankful.

2010-12-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder if I'm one of those people other people get annoyed of, always talking about how happy I am and how much I have to be thankful for- thinking to themselves "No one's life is that perfect" Well, I'm sorry but I honestly haven't been able to find anything to complain about lately. Days go by where I really don't know if I could be happier. Then a new week comes and I feel even more happy and more content than I did the week before. I really feel so incredibly blessed and I have so so much to be thankful for, and I really am. Thankful.

I'm thankful for my family. For our health and hapiness.

For the love that we all have for each other.

For the home we have to live in.

For the food we have to eat.

For the love and support we have from extended family.

For the gospel we have to live in.

For the covenants that seal us for eternity.

This Thanksgiving Ryan and I packed up the girls and headed to Vegas to spend Thanksgiving with his entire family. This has never happened before that I know of, so we didn't want to miss out! It was so fun having the whole family there and I must say they all did a fabulous job of cooking up the Thanksgiving meal. Here they are slaving away in the kitchen...

It really was so delish! As we all sat around the table stuffing our faces there was more than one comment about how it was the best Thanksgiving meal ever! I must say, Ryan and I couldn't disagree. It really was SO good! So, good that I made myself another plate just a few hours later. Here we are, just missing Ryan and Riley (who were still dishing up) Stacie (who was taking the picture) and the kids of course are at the kids table. I really do look forward to Thanksgiving so much because I love eating such a delicious meal. If only we could eat like this all the time, it's the best! I also love it 'cause it really makes me reflect and think of all the things I have to be thankful for. I really could go on and on and on but I know no one wants to hear it. So, I just mentioned a few at the beginning of the post.

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving 'cause we sure did! Now, on to Christmas!

opposites attract

2010-11-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

So, here's another post about my kids that's more for my records than anything. Just some things I want to remember...I can not believe how different these two are. Did I really give birth to two such opposite girls? It really is too funny and Ryan and I talk about it all the time. I just have to jot down a few of their differences 'cause it really is so crazy!

-I mean, even my pregnancies with each one was so different. I was convinced Della was a boy just 'cause it was nothing like my pregnancy with Sara.
-Sara's heart beat was always in the 160s and Della's was in the 140s.

-Della was a good newborn but hard older baby, Sara was a harder newborn and a great older baby.

-Ever since Sara was little when she'd cry she never had tears, Della's tears are always streaming down her face when she cries.

-Sara used to let these high pitched ear piercing screams when she was happy when she was about 7-8 months old, Della lets high pitched ear piercing screams when she's upset.

-Sara has always been so little and usually below average with her weight, Della has always been way above average with her weight.

-Sara has blond hair, blue eyes and fair skin, Della has brown hair, brown eyes, and dark skin.

-Sara's a total Daddy's girl, Della's a total Mommy's girl.

-Sara was saying a bunch of words and knew what all the animals said when she turned one, the only word Della knows how to say is num num (aka food).

-Sara didn't learn how to crawl 'til she was 9-10 months, Della learned at 7-8 months.

-Sara didn't learn how to walk 'til after she was a year, Della learned at 10 months.

-Sara hates to be tickled, Della loves to be tickled.

-Sara looks like Ryan's mom, and Della looks like Ryan's dad.

-Sara never liked baby food, pretty much went from bottles to regular food, Della was on baby food forever, took us a while to transition her over.

-Sara loves sweet stuff and treats. Della never eats anything sweet, she just likes the real food.

-Sara is so smiley and is easy to make laugh, it takes a lot to get Della to laugh.

-Della is terrified of strangers, Sara is not afraid to go wander around in a place full of them.

-Della is a morning person, Sara is not!

-Sara could play by herself for hours upon hours, Della usually comes dragging a book or something to me after a while.

-Sara loves movies and shows, could watch them all day every day, Della's good for about one then she's done.

-Sara has quite a bit of patience, Della...not so much.

I guess one thing they both do have in common is how much they love each other. I mean these two really rarely fight. Sara loves loves LOVES her little sister, and Della loves Sara too but I think Sara can sometimes be a little overbearing for Dell.

Not a day goes by I don't thank my Father in Heaven for these two incredible little girls. They're a lot of work, but oh so worth it. It's funny how you can love two things that are so incredibly different, but I love one just as much as I love the other. I love them both more than words can describe!

Halloweekend

2010-11-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

It was a pretty crazy busy weekend celebrating Halloween, but a lot of fun too! We started off our "Halloweekend" by going to TJ's Halloween school parade Thursday morning. The girls couldn't stop bee boppin around to the Halloween music they were playing and held perfectly still while all the kids in their costumes went by.

Cathie and I hit up Gardner Village to get some lunch at Archibald's and buy our Halloween t-shirt. I tried so hard to get a picture of the girls but it was dang near impossible! You should have seen me and Cathie pulling faces, yelling their names and saying some of the most ridiculous stuff to get both of them to look. Everyone passing us were laughing 'cause these two would not look! Out of about 40 shots of this same pose, this was the best I got...The next night was our ward Trunk or Treat Halloween party. I got Sara all dressed up so I could get a few pictures of her before in her cute witch costume. It took a lot of convincing to get her to be a witch. She wanted to be a monster so bad, but I didn't have a monster costume and didn't really want her to be a monster anyway. So we finally talked her into being a witch. But she didn't want to be a cute witch, she wanted to be a scary witch! Even though she thought she was scary, I sure thought she was cute!I wanted to get a picture of the girls together. But I guess after my Gardner Village experience I just didn't think it was worth it. So, here's Della the Spider marching around the Trunk or Treat like she owned the place.
It was really fun taking Sara Trick or Treating to all the different trunks. Much easier way to introduce her to it, and the weather was way nicer Friday than it was Saturday.
Then Saturday morning was Ryan's Halloween Half Marathon in Provo. Runners could dress up if they wanted to, so Ryan's buddy was Napoleon and Ryan was Pedro, it was really funny. The costume didn't last long though. Too hot to run in.
Here are the runners Superwoman (Lee), Pedro (Ryan) and Napoleon (Kyle.
The girls and I were waiting at the finish line, as usual! Ryan came across at 1:53. Both girls were very excited to see him.

After the marathon we had TJ's football game to go to. Then had to go get ready for the Goodrich Halloween party that night. Everyone is supposed to dress up then we all vote for the best costume and the winner gets a prize. Here are a Witch, Frankenstein, Vampire, and a Spider.

Now of course there were more costumes at the party like the grim reaper, a penguin, a mouse, a hippie, a mexican, Harry Potter, a Buckeye, Snow White, and Minnie Mouse. But out of all of the costumes guess who won best costume... Ryan as Frankenstein! I swear he always wins everything!Here's Frank helping our little witch carve her first pumpkin. She thought she had it after a while and tried doing it herself.

Then I felt like I was snapping pics of Sara all night, so I had to get one of our little Della in her Halloween jammies out by all the pumpkins. It was her first Halloween after all!

Halloween at Bear

2010-10-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

I love our "Halloween at Bear" tradition. It's been going on for about six years now and is always such a fun weekend to look forward to because it's one of the few times all of our friends can all get together for a little trip. The only time all of us could go was the weekend of my birthday, so the girls got together and bought me my favorite halloween treat and made me blow out the candles. It was really nice, but kind of embarrassing.

We did our usual pumpkin carving, which is always fun!

Pumpkins carved by (left to right, top to bottom): Tori, Nekell, Melissa, Dave&Deb, Ryan, Craig and Kelly

Here are the girls... Nekell, me, Melissa and Deb

Ryan and I are both pretty traditional and like thinking up of our own ideas for pumpkins instead of using the stencils.

They may not be the most creative pumpkins, but we like them!

So, until next year! Happy Halloween!

i love weddings

2010-10-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

...especially when they take place here

...or any LDS temple for that matter. I have always loved going to weddings. They're just so full of happiness and love (<-ew! could I sound cheesier) but it's true! You should see me at them, I just sit there with the biggest smile on my face the whole time with my camera in hand. I really have always looked forward to them. Even when I was younger I always loved going and dreaming of my own wedding some day. Then there came a time after I graduated high school, where, I'll admit, I was a little more bitter going to weddings, just 'cause if it was in the temple I couldn't attend, and I wanted it to be me. Then once I had my own and I was finally the married one, I just loved going to enjoy the temple ceremony, the food, the wedding video, the dress, the music, the dancing, the kissing, just everything! I really do love them! Lucky for us, we were able to attend three weddings in the last two months! And the best part is, we were invited to everything for all three which I loved even more! Ryan isn't your typical guy and actually enjoys weddings for the most part as well, so I'm glad I have someone I can enjoy them with.First we had my cousin Kristin's wedding September 2nd.Kristin & Cameron

I really loved going to her wedding just because I got to see a lot of extended family that I usually only see once or twice a year. She had a wedding dinner the night before at Brick Oven -

Then the ceremony and reception were the following day and night. Her reception was in her parents backyard and it was so pretty and fun! I was so happy my family could go.

It really was so fun to see her get married just 'cause Kristin, her sister Heather, and I had all talked about our wedding days ever since we were little. She looked so pretty!

Then we had our friend Dave's wedding September 25th.

Deb & Dave
These two are such a good looking couple! She is seriously so pretty and I loved everything about her wedding. Her dress, colors, flowers, decorations, even the weather was perfect! I really was a little jealous, if I could go back- I'd probably copy everything about her wedding. Loved it!

We had the ceremony that morning, then a wedding brunch at Little America. It was really fun 'cause all the friends were invited. Later that night is when the party started! It really was the funnest reception. They had dancing and both my girls were loving it. I took a few videos but I tried to find just one that showed how much my girls loved dancing. You'll have to notice Della bouncing away and Sara thinking she's so cool with absolutely no rythm.

We wanted to stay and see Dave and Deb leave in the helicopter but the girls were ready to go. (Now do you see why I was jealous?) It really was one awesome wedding!Then we had our friend Jordan's wedding October 9th.Jordan & Kayla
These two got married on one of the busiest days of the year! I guess there were 70 weddings scheduled at the Salt Lake Temple that day. Their ceremony was in the afternoon, followed by a dinner and the reception at the Joseph Smith Memorial building.

I really did love going to all these weddings and am kind of sad 'cause I can't think of any other ones coming up. At least I got a good dose of them this year!

Proclamations for Sale!

2010-10-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

So, let me explain..... when I got married, my good friend Melissa gave me a customized Proclamation to the Family with mine and Ryan's picture behind it. I loved it! I thought it was so cute I asked her to make me another one, and then I wanted to give them as gifts also, so I asked her again and again to make me these proclamations. However, she wasn't exactly the one who made them, it was her friend, so I'd have to ask her to ask her friend to make me one and I'd have to send a picture to her to send to her friend as well as a check to pay her for it. Anyway, it got kind of hectic at times, but I still loved the idea and wanted to keep giving them as wedding/Christmas gifts so- I really studied it and after studying my photoshop element for a while, I realized I could probably figure it out myself if I tried. Well, I finally did it! I was so excited when I finally figured it out and have been giving them as wedding/bridal shower gifts. Well, when I was at my cousin Kristin's shower, her mom mentioned the idea of selling them. I never really thought about it before but it made sense since I used to pay Melissa's friend for mine, and I thought why should I keep this cute idea all to myself, why not offer it to everyone and make a little money on the side while doing it? So, I thought I'd charge $10 for a customized Proclamation to the Family. You figure that's for the paper, (which is actually nice, thick paper) my time (which really takes me a while to complete one proclamation) and shipping/traveling to deliver it (you can have me ship it to you since I don't live very close, or I'd be happy to hand deliver it to you) and it's the same price I used to pay for my proclamations I used to buy from Melissa's friend. These really do turn out super cute and make the best wedding gifts. I also thought they'd make a great Christmas gift which is coming up soon! You can also inquire about a frame, and for a little extra I'll be happy to frame it for you!

I guess I should thank Melissa and her friend for letting me steal their idea (I hope you don't mind!) and thank my Aunt Cindy for giving me the idea to sell them. So, Thank You!

please comment if you're interested, thanks

Marathon Man

2010-09-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here he is! Our very own "Marathon Man". I really do think it's incredible that Ryan has never been a runner his whole life. He just started running the end of spring and ended up running a full marathon in September. It's always been kind of a goal/dream of his it just took a little inspiration to get him to do it. We love watching biggest loser, and this last season there was Mike, the biggest guy ever to be on the show who ended up running a marathon at the end. Mike said "If I can run a marathon, you can run a marathon" and I guess that's all it took to finally inspire Ryan to start training. He is so crazy though! I told him to start out slow, maybe with a 5 or 10k but no, he wanted to go big and started out with a half marathon. Never even run a race before and he starts out by running the Hobbler Half Marathon in Springville.

Kyle, Lee, Ryan, and Candace after the Hobbler Half Marathon.

This was his first half marathon and his time was 2:04 which I thought was great for his first time. I was really surprised to learn he didn't stop to take a break once the whole time. He never stopped running which I thought was amazing!

He ran the Hobbler Half in July and was ready to run the Provo Half in August. He finished this one in an hour and 54 minutes. Here he is after the race with Kyle and Lee.

He also ran the Hobble Creek Half Marathon in August but I don't have any pictures. He finished that one in an hour and 49 minutes.

Then he was ready to run The Top of Utah Full Marathon in September.
Ryan's Mom rode up to Logan with the girls and me to see Ryan finish. Lee also met us up there to see Kyle and Ryan run the race. Here we are waiting for them to cross the finish line.
Here he comes!He made it!Here are the finishers...

Kyle and Ryan

He finished in 4 hours and 19 minutes! I thought that was so great! I think the first thing he said to me after he finished is "Finished my first and last marathon! I'll never do that again." I knew he'd change his mind after a couple days once the marathon wasn't so fresh on his memory, and sure enough he just told me this week he wants to do The Top of Utah Marathon every year!Della fell asleep on the walk back to the car, I don't know who was more pooped, her or Ryan. I wanted to post a picture of Ryan's poor feet 'cause a few of his toes are black. Maybe I'll take one later today and post it. Congrats Ryan and Kyle. That really is an amazing accomplishment that I can't really say I'd ever want to achieve.... but good for you guys!

it's crazy to think...

2010-09-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

This was Sara about a year ago.

(end of August)......... . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . ..................................(beginning of October)

Now look at her....I'm sure people get sick of hearing about "how fast my kids grow" so I guess this is more for me. But I really can't believe how little she was just a year ago! Look at those pictures! She seems so little- and now looking at this most recent picture, she could pass for a 3 or 4 year old! I mean, her hair alone has grown a ton! I trimmed it once when she was about Della's age and haven't touched it since. I really do love it. I always used to have long hair when I was little and I hate to say it, but I think Sara will too.

Then how weird is it to think this was Della a year ago....

and now...

Just the cutest little thing ever!

Then, just for fun....
....look how much Ryan has changed in the last 6 months!

He's lost like 35-40 pounds and looks so good! I didn't even think he was chubby at the time, then I look back at pictures and realize- maybe....a little. He started up running and has run a few 1/2 marathons. His first full marathon is this Saturday! I'm so proud of him!

So, I just couldn't get over how crazy it is to think how much my kids and even my husband have changed in such a short amount of time. Just had to post so I don't forget!

SO much FUN!

2010-09-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

So some of you may know one of my best friends Lisa moved to Seattle in February for a great job opportunity her husband had. Well, I was missing her and thought since Della was now old enough to leave I'd make a trip out to visit her in Seattle. It was so much fun!! I had a blast!

This was us my first night there. I made this book for Lisa that's filled with all of my favorite memories and pictures of us. We were dying as we flipped through the pages and couldn't stop laughing. Poor Oliver felt a little left out.
That's me getting a little taste of my first Gelato! I guess it's Italian ice cream or something. It was very tasty!We went down to Pike's Market one day which was really cool! I loved all the fresh flowers, fish and fruit they had. Lisa picked herself up this beautiful bouquet. It was so pretty and made her house smell so good!We figured since Seattle is like the Starbucks capitol of the world we may as well get a picture of us there. Not that we even drink coffee, Oliver just had to use their wifi so we thought we'd have him snap a quick pic.Here are the two lovebirds themselves. I swear these two kept me laughing the whole time! I can't decide who was funnier, Oliver and his funny voices and jokes or Lisa and her reaction to all of them. Lisa and I couldn't figure out why we kept getting headaches but I really think it may have been from all the laughing. I really never stopped!Thanks again Lisa for such a fun labor day weekend! I'm so so glad I came to visit. Next time Ryan will have to come for sure!

can't get enough

2010-08-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

I seriously can't get enough of these girls. They probably get so sick of me hugging and kissing them and telling them how much I love them! I could really just squeeze 'em and kiss 'em all day!

They had their well appointments this week and I was smart enough to schedule them at the same time so that was nice. Sara's was for her two year check up and Della had her nine month. They are getting too big too fast and I just want time to slow down a little! Here are the stats!

Sara
Weight: 23 lbs 7%

Height: 35.3 inches 80%

Head: 19 inches 75%

I promise I'm not starving my child. I felt bad when I found out her weight percentile but the doc said he thinks she looks great and he's not worried a bit. Told me to just keep doing what I'm doing. I guess she's tall for her age so it actually makes her look skinnier than she really is.

Here are a few fun facts about Sara. More for me- so I can remember this age.

- She still loves movies and TV shows and still loves scary things. She always wants to watch monster house or movies or shows that have spiders and snakes.

- She's really into pirates for some reason. It's pretty funny, she likes to pull her headband over her eye and call herself a pirate!

- There have been a few times where she'll be bugging Della and making Della fuss, so I say "Sara, don't bug her, or stop bugging Della" and she picked up on it like that! So now- every time Ryan is teasing her or something she'll come tattle to me. "Mom! Dad's buggin me!"

- When it's time for Della to go to bed Sara likes to say "night night Della! Seat deems! (sweet dreams)" I actually don't know where she got that 'cause I've never said it before. Probably from one of her shows.

- Every time she leaves to go somewhere with Ryan she says the following: "Bye mom! Love you! Have fun! See you soon!" It's pretty cute.

-There are definitely times when Sara isn't the most well behaved child, and when she's not, she gets in trouble and then sent to her room. She loves telling dad all about it when he gets home.

-Every time we sing patty cake to Della and end with "and throw it in the oven for Della and Mommy!" we always hear a little voice say "and Saywa (Sara)" I guess she doesn't want to be left out!

- She still doesn't have all her teeth, but I think the last few are popping through this week!

Sara really is such a joy to have in our house. She's always cracking us up. She is also such a good big sister to Della, you can just tell she loves her so much. She's going to be so good to all of her younger siblings. We love her so much!

Della

Weight: 20 lbs 80%
Height: 28.2 inches 75%
Head: 18 inches 90%

My doctor was a little concerned when he saw how big Della's head was. Until I explained that her dad also has a big head, that made him feel alot better. Let's just hope it slows down a little.

- Della is crawling and cruising everywhere! She learned at about 8 months which is sooner than Sara did. She has a lot of determination.
- She loves playing pat a cake and is always clapping her hands.
- She's always giving kisses. Especially to her big sister.
- She's now starting to pull her self up on things.
- She loves to dance. Every time a song with a good beat comes on she starts bouncing up and down with a big smile on her face.
- She loves her blankies. She likes to suck on the silky corner.

- She loves baby dolls. It's so cute 'cause Sara liked them once she turned a year but never really got into them, where Della just loves them! She gets so excited every time she sees one and is always kissing it. It really is so cute!

- Her favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. It is probably the sickest show I've ever seen, but hey- whatever makes her happy right?

- Della's first word was num num. (nummy num AKA food) At first I just thought it was a coincidence that she was saying it while I was getting them lunch. Then she did it a few more times when she'd see food. I can't believe she said that before Mama or Dada! It fits her perfect though with that chubby body of hers!

We love little Della so much! She loves her big sister and is more a Mommy's girl than Dad's. Nothing is better than walking into her room and seeing her standing up in her crib with the biggest smile on her face. Or seeing her crawl around a corner to be in the same room with us. It really is the best. Her little smile just melts our hearts.

Then I just HAD to post this adorable picture of these two cute bums!

Please look at the rolls on Della's legs! Really... can't get enough!

Beach and Derby Weekend

2010-08-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a last minute trip to Bear Lake to go to the beach and the demolition derby. It really ended up being a lot of fun and the girls loved it!

Ryan buried their legs in the sand and they just laughed and played thinking they were pretty cool.Della got worn out pretty quick since we went during her nap time so she took a little cat nap in her carseat.And then there was sand girl...She was being so goofy and kept sticking her face in the sand and getting the biggest kick out of it. Then here are two of the biggest beach buddies ever! You should all know by now what a Daddy's Girl Sara is. She has been, since the day she was born and it really is so cute. Okay- I sometimes which she loved me as much as him, but I just don't see that ever happening. They were both loving the beach and I was loving taking pictures...We packed up and headed home after a couple hours and Sara ended up falling asleep in the car while kneeling on the seat holding on...

She was one tired girl!

That night was the demolition derby! We were a little worried how these two would act but they were both really good!It was a good one! A couple cars got pushed on top of the bails of hay, one car seriously flew like six feet in the air- instead of ramming the car, it made like a ramp and flew the car up off the ground into the air! It was crazy! Then two different cars lit on fire!
Pretty crazy but lots of fun!!!

Goofy Girls!

2010-08-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

I swear, these girls are always making me laugh! The other night I got them out of the bath and into their jammies and laid them in my bed to watch a show to kind of calm them down before bed time. Sara was being silly and kept climbing up on my pillows and jumping off onto the bed barely missing Della. After asking her to stop and her not listening the first few times she got in trouble and was told she needed to stop or else she was going in her own bed. So that seemed to work and she laid down next to Della. A little later I heard her laughing and I went in there and told her she needs to be quiet and watch the show. I went back to folding laundry and heard her giggling again, as I walked up to the door and before I opened it I heard Della giggle too. I peeked in and sure enough Sara and Della were loving each other just laughing and giggling back and forth. I couldn't help but smile as I saw these two girls who can't even understand each other laughing at one another. It just makes me so excited for their relationship to develop even more, they're already so close and I know they're going to be the best of friends.These two get a long so well but they are so different. Maybe that's why! They always say opposites attract! I just had to document this little stuffed animal phase Sara went through. About a month ago Sara went through this phase of always having to have at least three stuffed animals with her at all times. I can't decide if it was cute or annoying. Seriously! She would get so frustrated if she couldn't carry them all and then if she saw another one she'd want to add it to her collection. She always had to bring them everywhere and couldn't go to bed without them. So, not only was she dragging her queen size blanket she had to had 3-5 stuffed animals too! Please look at how she placed them on the bed and couch with her. If you're wondering if I did that, I didn't! She honestly places them like that next to her. It was actually pretty funny looking back now, I'm just glad it didn't last forever!

And then there's Della! This cute little thing is one wild sleeper! That's one big difference between these two girls. I would lay Sara down at night and in the morning she would be in the exact same position as when I laid her down. People always ask when they started rolling over in her crib, well- Sara never did... EVER! She would stay in the exact same position. I thought that was just how all babies were 'til this girl....This is her after waking up from a nap, up on all fours just hanging out with the biggest smile on her face waiting for me to come get her. It was just barely that I went in and found her hanging onto the side on her knees, just lowered the crib this week.Look at her! She is always so happy when she wakes up and so excited to see me. I love it! It is just so funny how she's usually always on her tummy and trying to move around. This has got to be my favorite though. When I went in her room and saw her little foot hanging out of her crib. I loved it! She is too funny! Now I don't know if you'll find this funny or strange- but Sara is on this new little kick of liking to hide. One day I laid her down for a nap and after 4 hours figured she was probably awake so I peeked in to see and she wasn't in her bed. I figured she had probably fallen asleep on the floor and after looking in the usual spots got a little nervous 'cause she was no where to be found (p.s. she doesn't know how to open our doors yet so I knew she hadn't gone out) Realizing there was no where else she could be I looked in the closet and sure enough, there she was curled up by her toy box just sitting there awake! Ummm.... I thought it was a little weird, but whatever! Then the other day I was getting ready and we have a closet in my bathroom where we put the bath toys that Sara sometimes likes to play with while I get read. Well, she was in there whining so I opened it and asked her "what?" "Mom, close door." She really wanted me to close her in there?? This closet isn't like regular ones. It's very small, I don't think I could close myself in there that's how small it is. But she wanted the door closed, and that's what I did.I mean it really is too small to do anything, even sit down. There isn't even a light in there. So, after I closed it she just hung out in the dark for a minute, 'til I opened it back up. I didn't feel right leaving her in there for too long. There have been many times when Ryan and I just turn to each other and say "She sure is a weird little thing" but we sure do love her!!! I just had to post about my goofy girls 'cause they always keep me laughing, and I love it!

24th at Bear Lake

2010-08-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

I think Bear Lake is Sara's new favorite place. She is always talking aboug going there. The other day we asked her about it and this was her reply "Bear Lake? Mimi's Cabet (cabin) Pop's boat? And Fire and Miya and Kasin?" She was having a rough night the other night when it was bed time and she usually cries for Mommy or Daddy but instead she was crying for "Bear Lake! Mimi's Cabet! Pop's Boat! Hunter!" LoL it was pretty funny. We're actually going today for Raspberry days and she's been marching around the house with her fist in the air chanting "Bear Lake! Bear Lake! Bear Lake!" It really is so cute how much she loves it. This is a picture of Sara on her actual Birthday on our way to breakfast. As you can tell by her face she was thinking she's pretty cool 'cause she didn't have to be buckled. I know, we're bad- but that's one nice thing about Bear Lake, the chances of getting in a car accident are slim to none.

If any of you have ever been in Bear Lake you know it's one of the coldest lakes in Utah. Which is why I was so surprised when Della was loving it!! I thought this was the cutest video of her laughing so hard when she was playing in the water! She liked it so much we thought she'd like to get all the way in and sure enough, she loved it! The next day was the 24th and we started it off with the Laketown breakfast, then enjoyed the parade! All the kids grabbed their bags or big gulp cups and went to catch some candy. I thought this was cute of Sara and Gwen holding hands waiting for the parade.
Della just sat on the sidelines playing with some toys on a blanket on the grass.
Then this is a picture of all the kids with their candy after the parade.
After the parade and some lunch we all packed up to go to the beach. I couldn't believe how much these two loved it. We really need to go more!After the beach we went back and that's when we had a little birthday celebration for Amiya and Sara. Then Ryan and Sara went to Marc's softball game while I layed Della down. Now every game we go to, Sara thinks she needs to cheer for Marc and is always yelling "Go Marc!" We also had a fire one of the nights and roasted some marshmallows. After the celebration we finished off the night with some sparklers and fireworks. Sara wasn't quite sure what to think at first but got used to it after a minute.It's kind of fun how Sara gets fireworks every year for her birthday- and this year Della will get a big feast! Gotta love the holiday babies, hopefully we can keep up the tradition ;)

Sara's Birthday Celebrations!

2010-08-01T07:59:00.001-07:00

This month as been quite crazy with two holidays, two birthdays, YW girls camp anda ll the other fun things that come with summer; like swimming, Lagoon, rodeos and more birthdays! So, I want to try andblog it all- but it might take more than a few posts.I can't believe Sara is 2!! I honestly feel like we were celebrating her first birthday yesterday. So crazy!!! So, since her birthday falls the day before pioneer day we always seem to be out of town for the 23rd. So, this year we had a little birthday celebration for Sara with Ryan's family before we left for Bear Lake.She was so excited for her birthday. Most 2 year olds don't really understand, and she probably wouldn't have if I hadn't been having her watch her favorite TV shows that kind of explained birthdays. It was pretty cute though 'cause we'd say "Happy Birthday Sara!" and she'd respond with "Happy door-day Daddy! She loved openening her presents from Grammy and Papa and she definitely got spoiled! She got lots of coloring books, crayons, stickers, and toys. She couldn't wait two seconds before opening a book to start coloring. I really do love this girl so much!! She is such a little sweet heart......most of the time! She definitely has her moments of terrible twos! But overall she really is quite an easy child. So is this cute little thing!I know I'm posting about Sara's birthday celebrations, but we can't very well have a post without a cute picture of her little sister! Della was loving the wrapping paper and ribbon.

So, we always go to Bear Lake for the 24th and since my niece Amiya's birthday was on the 22nd and Sara's was on the 23rd we thought we'd celebrate both of theirs on the 24th together!We made them a little cake to share and had them open presents. Sara got spoiled once again with lots of presents from Mimi and Pop and her aunts, uncles, and cousins. Then we also let her open her gifts from us as well. It really is so much fun having this girl around. I love her more than words can describe. She is such a sweet heart to her little sister and loves her family so much. Hope you had a Happy Birthday Sara! We love you!!!

Family Pictures

2010-07-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

The middle of June we got our first family pictures since we've had Della. My friend Kim and her husband Tim took them and I thought they turned out SO good! I'm really excited about them!

Thanks again Kim and Tim!

Find their link under "photographers" on my blog.

Our lives these past few months..

2010-07-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Where to begin!? I feel like so much has happened in our lives these past few months and there's no record of it. So, I'm going to try my best to sum it all up in one post. Here goes nothin!

APRIL

So, we all know it wasn't a great Spring this year and it took FOREVER for Summer to come- well, we tried to take advantage of every day it was warm so the first warm day we had, Ryan and I took the girls to Hogle Zoo.

It was actually really nice and so good to get out. They both loved it!

MAY

For Mother's Day Ryan spoiled me with tons of awesome gifts. One of which was a couple tickets to Sugarland!

I absolutely love Sugarland! Definitely my favorite country duo, so I was ecstatic when we got to see them in concert...

It was a lot of fun! They put on a good show!

JUNE

It finally started warming up more in June, so we thought it'd be fun to take the girls to Murray Pool. It was a lot of fun and Sara loved it, she even loved going down the slide with Ryan, then Ryan had TJ send her down the slide by herself! Ryan was there to catch her at the bottom, but still! She's not even 2 yet and there she was tumbling down the slide backwards. She didn't like it too much. LoL

This was Della's first time in a pool and she was absolutely loving life. She was totally drenched from splashing so much. So cute! We also went on a little weekend trip to Bear Lake towards the end of June...

Sara had a lot of fun in the treehouse Mimi and Pop built for the Grandkids-

-and she loved playing with her cousins Amiya, Malia and Kasin.

Pop took us out on his boat Saturday and made us some hot dogs for lunch...

...Sara thought she was pretty cool eating her dog with the cousins.
It was a fun trip at Bear and we're excited to go more this summer!

JULY

There's no better way to start off a new month than with some 4th of July celebrations! We went to the Oakley Rodeo Friday night, the parade and carnival Saturday morning, Great Grandma and Grandpa Goodrich's BBQ Saturday evening, Holladay Fireworks Saturday night, Grammy and Papa Good's BBQ Sunday evening and fireworks in front of their house Sunday night.

It really was a fun weekend being able to celebrate the 4th three different nights.

These past few months also consisted of...

TJ's baseball games-

Nights up the canyon-The Alpine Slide in Park City- More Swimming- Terrible Twos! Which equaled a lot of time out time for Sara- and Ryan running a half marathon-

He did SO good and finished in 2 hours and 4 minutes which I think is awesome! Especially for his first time! I was so proud of him- he's now training to hopefully run a marathon in the fall. Good for him!

So, that pretty much sums up these last few months. Originally I would have been updating about once a week with a lot more description and pictures, but our computer broke and I wasn't able to update at all. Now that we got a new one, hopefully I'll get back into the groove of blogging at least once a week!

no more blogging for me :(

2010-05-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well, our computer has been broken for what seems like FOREVER now, and I feel like I might go crazy! My blog is like my journal and not being able to upload photos and write about our lives is so frustrating! I've been able to do very little on my phone but not near like I want/need to. I'm on my parents computer now and if anyone knows how to fix our computer please let me know!

It's a laptop and something is wrong with the outlet we plug our charger into to charge it, so it can't charge. Any advice?? Please let me know! Thanks!

Sara's new favorite Blanky!

2010-04-16T13:20:00.001-07:00

Well, Sara has found herself a new favorite blanky, and as much as I'd like to tell you how cute it is-- it can actually be kind of annoying. She's always liked to sleep with a blanky and has never really been too picky as to which one it was out of the 5 or 6 she has, that is... until now. For some strange reason she's grown a fond attachment to this huge queen size blanket Ryan actually made for me while we were dating. ... and that's why it can be annoying. Because it's not the easiest blanket to lug around if she doesn't want to leave the house without it, or if she has to have it while she's eating at the table, or when she tries to drag it around the house wherever she goes, it sometimes gets stuck around the corner and she gets all frustrated and starts crying "buygee tuck!" (blanky stuck)So when she wakes up in the morning, she's so excited about breakfast and seeing Della she usually forgets about it for a few seconds and I fold it up and put it in a corner in her room hoping she won't remember it. Well this morning we were just hanging out in the front room when I heard her exclaim "buygee!" and off she ran. I didn't see her for like the next 15-20 minutes so I peeked in her room to see what was up and all I could see was this...I looked around the corner and there she was, legs kicked up, laying on her blanky just as pleased as punch. I guess it can be cute.... sometimes!

Just call me the Worst Mom Ever!

2010-04-15T11:50:00.001-07:00

Please don't call child protective services on me...

...that is my cute little Della's burnt foot :( I was cooking myself some lunch in a pan on the stove and she was sitting in the bumbo on the opposite counter. I turned to put the lunch I was cooking on my plate that was next to Della and accidentally touched her bare little foot with my hot pan right off the stove. It was the saddest thing ever! I've heard the best thing to do is just immediately run a burn under cold water so I did just that. I felt so so bad for the poor little thing 'cause I know how bad burns hurt. I mean they are the worst things ever! She actually didn't cry long at all but I called Ryan right after 'cause I didn't know what to do! When he came home he didn't think it was as bad as I was making it sound. Sara had an appt. with the dermatologist that day so while I was there I asked what I should do about Della's burn and he didn't seem too concerned either. He said I shouldn't worry about it and just apply some of this cream on it he prescribed Sara. So, that's what I've been doing, only it looks way worse than the first day. As you can see....I just hope that means its getting better! I really have felt so bad this whole week, I really am the worst Mom. Luckily it hasn't seemed to be bugging her at all! She has been acting like her regular happy self... I really am so sorry Della! I'll try not to be so stupid next time I'm cooking. I really do love you so much!

Easter at Bear

2010-04-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we thought it'd be fun to take a quick trip to Bear Lake to celebrate Easter and watch conference. So that's exactly what we did! (Mimi and Sara)

Sara was pretty excited to be there. She loved all the animals my parents had in their cabin.

(Pop and Della)

Luckily the Easter Bunny didn't forget about us at Bear Lake and made a stop by the cabin to drop of the girls Easter baskets.

It was a fun weekend spent with family. Hope everyone had a Happy Easter! (Is it just me, or does it seem like this little girl always has a little scowl on her face?)

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Ryan's Mom invited us over for a fun Easter dinner and Egg Hunt with the family. It was a lot of fun because Sara had never done an Easter egg hunt before so she was lovin' it. I was busy taking pictures, and Ryan was holding Della, so good thing she had her Uncle T to help her out.After finding all the eggs we came inside and Grandma Good (Ryan's Mom) had made these little Easter buckets for each of the kids. They were so cute!My girls sure did love the early Easter celebration! Especially Sara, I think her favorite part was collecting all the candy out of all the eggs. This weekend we're going to Bear Lake to celebrate Easter and watch conference. What better way to celebrate our Savior's life than being able to listen to our Prophet and Apostles speak. Hope everyone has a good one!

fastest four months of my life

2010-03-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

newborn............1 month............2 months............3 months............4 months

I cannot BELIEVE how fast time flies. I really can't believe Della is already 4 months and ready to start eating rice cereal. SAD! While going through my photos trying to find pictures for each month, I came across this video of Sara at Della's exact age now and it just made me sad. They really grow so fast!

Della's 4 month stats:

Weight 14 lbs 14 oz = 80th percentile

Height 24.6 inches = 70th percentile

Head 16.4 inches = 75th percentile

BIG BABY!

...but I sure do love her!

Just for Fun

2010-03-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

So, I don't really have anything to post about, but I thought I'd post some cute and funny pics of Sara just for fun. So, Sara loves wearing headbands. If she sees one, she wants to wear it and tries to put it on. Well, the other day I saw her walking around with it on the wrong way. I thought it was pretty funny and tried to snap a pic but she kept running away. Once I got a hold of her I fixed it and got a picture of it on right. Then one time she fell asleep in the car on the way to Salt Lake and her headband kept falling in her face.A while ago I was doing some things around the house when I realized it was a little too quiet. I went looking for Sara and found her in her room like this.Sometimes she thinks she is so cool and I think she forgets she's only 1, because 90% of the time she's acting like she's 13.

Then there's cute little Della. Just still so sweet and innocent. I can't wait to see how her little personality turns out. So, even though Sara can be kind of crazy sometimes, we love it. I love her enthusiastic personality and am so glad she isn't shy like me.

March 7, 2010

2010-03-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

We blessed this little girl...

Della May

.It was the perfect way to spend our Sunday

More for Me

2010-02-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

This post is more for me just because it's all about my girls and their stats. I used to keep a written journal, but then I realized once I started blogging I found myself repeating exactly what I wrote in my blog, then I just started to write "see the blog" so... now- I'm just kind of using this blog as my journal, and am sure posts like this don't really interest anyone but me, Ryan and the Grandparents, so don't feel like you have to read :)

The end of January Sara turned 18 months and Della turned 2 months. They had their appointments and these were the stats...

Sara
Weight = 30th percentile
Height = 60th percentile

Head = 85th percentile

Apparently she got more than just Ryan's face, she got his head too! She has always had quite a large noggin. My pediatrician has always said she's perfect, tall and skinny with a big brain.

Then I just wanted to jot down a few things about Sara.

-For some reason she has always loved scary things. Her favorite movie is Monster House. She used to ask us all day every day if she could watch "Mah" and the weird thing about it is she'd try and say "Monster" in a scary voice too. It was so funny! Now she's kind of a wuss, she still loves watching scary shows and movies but she's always saying "Scare me! Get you!" and would rather watch them on Mommy or Daddy's lap.

-She's such a girl and loves things like shoes, pretty clips and headbands for her hair, and jewelry but also isn't afraid to get down and dirty either.

-When she was first starting to talk one of her first phrases was "Ew! Sick!" She used to say it to things like Daddy's armpit hair and Mommy's belly button. Now she just says it to pretty much anything she thinks is sick like bugs, Della's poopy diapers and spit up, or food that looks sick like sushi.

-She has never said the words "yes" or "yeah". Her way of saying "yes" has always been a little different. Up 'til when we'd ask her something like... "You want to hold Della?" She'd say yes by going "Huh?" It was so funny 'cause it took me a couple days to realize it, and other people even longer. When Grandma Good would watch her she'd ask her something and when Sara would say "huh?" Grandma interpreted it as "what?" because that is what "huh?" usually means, and would repeat herself and Sara would just say "huh?" again meaning "yes" so Grandma would ask her again. LoL It was pretty funny. I had to explain to everyone that "huh?" meant "yes" She still doesn't say "yes" or "yeah" but at least she says the more familiar way of saying yes now which is "mmm hmmm!" or "uh huh!"

-She loves her sister Della. I can totally trust to leave them alone in the same room 'cause Sara has never done anything to hurt her or anything. I think the worst she's done is given her a kiss a little too hard.

-She loves her Uncle T and playing with kids around her age. We just wish we lived closer to some of her cousins.

-She's now starting to learn colors and numbers. She's got the color purple down, and is now learning yellow, red, and blue. She knows how many 2 is and tries to count but it sounds more like "one, two, five, six!"

-One of her favorite shows is America's Funniest Home Videos. She really looks forward to watching it with Dad on Sundays.

-And speaking of Dad... She loves Ryan. She always has, ever since she was really really little. I think I hear the word Dada about 50 times a day. Once he gets home she follows him everywhere he goes and copies what he does. If he lays on the bed with his arms behind his head, so does she, if he leans up agains the fridge, she does too. Ryan loves to talk to Della and when he does he's usually saying "Hi Beautiful" or "Hi Sweetie" and Sara puts her head right in front of Della's face and does the same "Hi Boo!" "Hi See!" Once Ryan's home she doesn't want to do anything with me anymore. Ryan loves to rub it in too, and always asks her "Who do you want? Mama or Dada?" She never picks me :(

-She loves movies and would watch them all day every day if I let her. All I ever hear is "Moo? Moo?" But she loves her toys too, so she's pretty good at just playing if I don't want her watching TV.

-She loves to help me do laundry and empty the dishwasher.

-Some of her favorite foods are eggs, pizza and.... treats! She's always asking for treats and guess who always gives in.... No wonder she loves Dada.

Della

Weight: 80th percentile

Height: 30th percentile

Head: 60th percentile

Della is huge! Way different from Sara. Right now she is wearing outfits that Sara was wearing at 7 months! She has been really different than Sara so far. I felt like I was feeding Sara 24-7 and Della doesn't eat very often yet she is still such a chunk! Sara has light skin and bright blue eyes and Della has darker skin and dark eyes. Sara refused to take a bottle 'til I was done nursing and she had to, Della takes them just fine. I could go on and on about how different they are. It will be interesting to see how they are when Della's a little older.

Now a few things just about Della...

-She is now smiling and smiles all the time. Especially at Dad- weird huh? Ryan will just look at her and she will get the biggest smile on her face.

-She loves her baths, she could hang out in there all day.

-She loves to snuggle and cuddle. Most babies aren't supposed to roll 'til they're like what? 4 months or something? If she's laying on the bed next to me, she seriously knows how to maneuver herself and roll so she is right up next to me.

-She loves her big sister. Every time Sara talks to her she gets the biggest smile and starts kicking. It's really cute!

-She's now starting to goo and ga and trying to talk to us.

-She gets scared really easy. The tiniest little noise with make her arms flail out and she'll start screaming! Luckily she's immune to Sara's cry and Sara is immune to her cry so they'll never wake each other up. So nice!

-She hardley ever cries. If she wants something she usually just starts grunting and tries to cry but can't ever really get one going unless she's really upset.

-She is always in such a good mood in the morning, we can't get the smile off her face.

-She's so smiley, there have been times she's trying to cry 'cause she wants something, but she can't seem to stop smiling long enough to muster up a cry. It's so cute!

-She just might be like her big sister and love movies, 'cause she already loves watching Baby Einstein.

I seriously can't believe how much I love these two. I wake up every morning excited to start the day, and am already excited to add more kids to our family. I can't even explain how much joy they bring into our lives. A lot of the marriage advice we got was "enjoy your time together before kids" which we did. Ryan and I were together 5 years before we had Sara (dated 3 and were married for 2) but now that we have kids, don't really understand why. If I had any advice it'd be don't wait. (then again, being a Mom was the only thing I've ever wanted to do) I feel like our lives didn't even really start 'til Sara was born. Our kids have brought Ryan and I closer than we've ever been. We can't wait to start going on family trips together and just making more memories as a family of four.

Visit to Vegas

2010-02-16T12:14:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago Ryan's brother Dustin and our sister-in-law Stacie were up here for a visit with their kids. They have three kids and their youngest, Mary, is Sara's same age. When they came to our house for a day Sara was absolutely loving it. She has always loved playing with kids and she loved playing with Zack, Courtney and especially Mary. She actually started bawling when they had to leave and kept crying "Mahyee! Mahyee!" (<-how she says Mary's name) So, last weekend we thought it'd be fun to make a trip to Vegas to visit them and let Sara see Mary since she couldn't stop talking about her all week. (Mary, Papa and Sara)

We got there Friday night and Sara was super excited, she just kept pointing to Mary and saying her name. Saturday we packed up everyone and headed to see the Belagio Gardens and the new hotel or City Center. After that we went to an outside mall where they had this little grassy area for kids to play, and we hung out there 'til our table was ready to eat some lunch.

It was perfect weather. Not too hot, not too cold, and we could all wear our short sleeves, shorts and flip flops. So nice! Sunday we went to breakfast then took a little stroll to the park and let the kids play for a little bit. Then after a nice Sunday dinner made by Dustin, Stacie and Ryan's Mom, we headed home. It really was so nice to get away from the cold to spend time with family. Thanks for letting us come and stay Dustin and Stacie! It was fun to see you guys!

(Me, Ryan, Della (not shown) Sara, Cathie, Riley, TJ, Mark, Zack, Stacie, Mary, and Courtney. Dustin took the picture.)

Sleeping Girlies

2010-02-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

So, since we've moved, Sara has been sleeping in a big girl bed. So far... so good! She hasn't ever fallen out and usually doesn't have a problem laying down for naps or bedtime, and has always been a little afraid of getting off by herself...'til now. It was nice 'cause we could lay her down and if she wasn't ready for bed she's just play in her bed 'til she fell asleep. Then the other day after I laid her down for a nap, I thought I heard her get down, and sure enough she comes wandering out with the biggest smile on her face. So, I went and put her back in bed and this time I shut the door all the way 'cause she doesn't quite know how to open them yet. Sure enough, I heard her get off the bed again. I heard her struggle with the door knob a little bit and wander around, then it was finally silent. So I didn't really want to go in there in case it woke her up, so I waited about an hour and peeked in to see her dead asleep on the floor, and half way under her bed.

I felt bad seeing her sleep like that, it looked so uncomfortable! So I tried moving her into bed, but of course she woke up and was ready to go for the rest of the day. I was hoping this was a one time deal, but that night she did the same thing. She did not want to go to bed, so we had to shut the door all the way and we just waited and listened. She cried for a while but finally stopped and we assumed she was asleep on the floor again. I went in there and found her all curled up asleep on her pillow.

I really didn't want her to wake up this time, so I gave her another hour or so, and when I went in there to move her she was slowly starting to make her way under the bed.

I successfully moved her from the floor to her bed without her waking up, and I think it's only happened once since then. Pretty funny. She really does love her bed though and usually loves going down for naps- (at least when Daddy's not home) Speaking of naps, Della was taking a little nap in the swing the other day and I always like to try and get some stuff done while she's sleeping. But when I came back from doing the laundry or dishes, I found her like this.

I usually take her bows off while she naps but I guess I forgot this time. She sure didn't seem to mind. While we're on the subject of sleeping girls, I had my nieces Savannah, Chloe and Alyvia up for a sleepover Saturday night because Tawnya and Chaz are in Mexico so we got to have their girls for a night. I let Savannah and Chloe watch a movie in our bed before they had to go to sleep, (and kind of hoping they'd fall asleep while watching the movie). Sure enough, I went in there to find Chloe dead asleep and half way off the bed.

So I had to take a picture and add it along with my sleeping girls. My girls have always been good sleepers and I have always been so grateful, 'cause if you know me, you know I need my sleep. I think my girls may end up being the same way.

Let's Go Bowling!

2010-02-02T07:19:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night we got together with our friends for some dinner and bowling. I've always liked bowling, but never really loved it just because I'm not good at all. I usually get gutter balls, hardly ever get a strike, and don't think I've ever scored above 100. This time was a different story... (scoreboard of our second game)

The first game I scored 136 and beat everyone but Jordan. P.S. Jordan is the best bowler out of everyone. His bowling name is the one you see as "BB" My name is "TT" The rest aren't hard to figure out; R = Ryan, C = Craig, K = Kelly, and M = Melissa.

(Melissa and Kelly)

The second game I scored 150! I still didn't beat Jordan, or Craig,

but I beat everyone else and almost got a turkey! I was seriously lovin' life! It was awesome!(Jordan and Craig)

So, yeah- just had to brag a little 'cause this has seriously never happened to me. We brought the girls bowling and Sara was really good for the first game and most the of the second. Just give her some skittles, sit her next to Jordan and she's good to go!

She seriously loves Jordan. She always has ever since she was little. It is the cutest thing! But- if she had to choose... you know she'd choose her Dada. Such a Daddy's girl!

So that was our fun Friday night! Now if anyone wants to go bowling I won't ever hesitate to say yes! Even though I'm sure that lucky streak was just a one night thing.

Princess Party!

2010-01-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

Well, last Saturday Sara went to her first real Birthday Party. It was Teisha's daughter, Emmy's Birthday and Sara was invited to her Princess Party. She's still a little young to be into princesses but we were glad to be invited and she still had fun.Sleeping Beauty came to sing and dance with the girls. Sara wasn't too sure at first, but we at least got her to sit on her lap for a picture. Here she is with Princess Aurora and Princess Emmy, the Birthday Girl!

I think her favorite part was the dessert! She thought she was pretty cool sitting at this little table that was just her size with the rest of the kids. And she absolutely demolished her cupcake. She was the first one to sit down and the last one to leave, after she finished off the cookie that actually belonged to the kid next to her.

Thanks Teisha and Emmy for inviting Sara to Emmy's party. She had so much fun!

(Teisha has a video of the girls dancing with Sleeping Beauty on her blog http://mattandteisha.blogspot.com/2010/01/princess-party.html if you want to check it out. Sara wasn't too into it, but the other girls sure were, it was so cute!)

love them...

2010-01-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

...so much

'O' TEN

2010-01-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

...As Ryan likes to call our new year. I've been trying to teach him it's twenty ten or just plain ten, but he's so used to saying the 'O' before the number for the last 9 years he says he's going to continue to call it 'O' Ten. (mainly just to bug me) So, we had some friends of ours up to celebrate the new year. We actually had the exact same four people up to our house in Bear Lake for New Year last year too! Then we usually go around the table and all share our New Years Resolutions, and they all sounded very familiar to last years. It's always fun having friends over. I'm glad they'll still come even though we're kind of far now. Here's a recap of our 2009.

January: Went on a snowmobiling trip to West Yellowstone with the Christensen family.February: Went on a Mexican cruise over Valentine's week.March: Found out we were pregnant with our 2nd child.

April: Went on a girls trip with Melissa, Whitney and Molly.

May: Took a family trip to Vegas. June: Went in on a boat with Ryan's Dad and Uncle. July: Went to my first American Idol concert.
August: Sara learned how to walk.

September: Made a new yearly tradition of going to Paint Rocks.

October: Had a pajama party with Lisa, Teisha and Lindsey.

November: Added this cute little ball of chub to our family.

December: Welcomed Brenna to the Christensen family.

We also moved from Bear Lake to Grandma Goodrich's basement, went to Pine View with the Goodrich family, took a couple weekend trips to Bear, bought and moved into a new house, and Sara turned one. 2009 was one great year and we hope 2010 will be just as good, if not better!Here's to 'O' Ten!

the most wonderful time of the year

2009-12-28T08:52:00.001-08:00

Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year. I am so grateful I grew up in a family that feels the same way. Even though I'm sure it was stressful for my parents having to plan a Christmas for seven kids, they always made it so fun! They always had something planned to make Christmas memorable and they are still making fun Christmas memories every year. This year everyone went to the 3-D Christmas Carol movie. Ryan and I opted out just because we have a newborn, and didn't know how long Sara would last in the movie, but then met everyone at my parents house for dinner, dessert and presents. This year my parents set up karaoke and made everyone sing! If any of you know my family, you know the majority of us don't sing, because we can't. There are a few that were blessed with a voice, but not many. And... if you any of you know my Dad you will be shocked to know that the picture on the right is him. Yes, that would be my father, dressed up as a girl singing "Santa Baby" It was so great! So This year they gave all the grandkids jammies. It was so cute to see all the kids in them, so we took this cute picture of my Mom and Dad with all fifteen of their grandkids.

My parents always throw their Christmas party on the 23rd so we have all Christmas Eve to spend with Ryan's side of the family. We always go to Ryan's Grandma Goodrich's for dinner then head over to Ryan's parents to open jammies. I've always loved her tradition of letting everyone open one present on Christmas Eve. That's one tradition my family had never done so I was excited to learn that Ryan's family did and I've been getting jammies from Ryan's parents ever since we've been dating. Here's my family, all in our Christmas jammies...

Ryan also always writes a Christmas quiz that we take on Christmas Eve. Ryan's Dad usually always wins just because he knows everything about everyone, oh- and he's the oldest, therefore he's the wisest :) It was kind of a bittersweet moment leaving that Christmas Eve. Every year since we've been married we've slept at Ryan's parents house Christmas Eve and have spent Christmas morning with them. This was our first one just with us at home, and this was Ryan's very first Christmas away from his family. We're his family now and it was actually a lot more fun than we thought it'd be. We woke up Christmas morning and told Sara Santa came and asked if she wanted to open presents she did her little "huh?" (which is her way of saying yes) and ran and knelt in front of the tree ready to open some presents. It really was so cute 'cause she was so excited about everything!

I'm bummed 'cause I didn't get a picture of the girls in their new outfits they wore for Christmas, but they both looked so cute. Our Christmas days have always been so busy trying to visit everyone. Ryan's parents, my parents, Grandma and Grandpa Goodrich, Grandma and Grandpa Garrett, and Grandma Walker. We wanted to visit Grandma Betty too, but she was sick.

We really did have a very Merry Christmas. There is nothing better than spending time with loved ones, and it was so much fun having our first Christmas at home with just the four of us. I hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas, now onto the new year!

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time

2009-12-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

I honestly can't believe Christmas is on Friday!! It's so funny how when you're a kid the month of December just seems to drag on and on, now it's like I blink and December is over! It's been a fun one though! We've had lots of fun Christmas parties. My Grandma Betty had us all to the Little America brunch to celebrate, then threw her traditional sugar cookie party for her great grandkids. Sara didn't do much decorating...Then Ryan and I went to our first Christmas party with Cottonwood Title last week, and I got together with my girlfriends for our little Christmas dinner and gift exchange. I always love seeing these two- it's going to be sad when Lisa moves to Seattle :( I'm going to miss you Lis!

We also had the annual Walker Christmas party on Friday night where Santa comes and hears what all the kids want for Christmas. Sara is always talking about Santa, but apparantly didn't like sitting on his lap too much... We've been meaning to go to the lights at Temple Square, but haven't really gotten around to it. So, the other night we drove through the Layton City Park lights. Sara really loved it, so we'll have to try and get to Temple Square sometime this week. We also have my parents party on Wednesday, Ryan's Grandma's and Mom's on Christmas Eve, then it's Christmas! So crazy! I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas!!

Festival of Trees

2009-12-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

This last weekend Ryan and I thought we'd take one of our first outings as a family of four and go to the Festival of Trees.It's been a tradition of ours for a few years now and we didn't want to skip a year, so we packed up the girls and headed down for our first little Christmas experience with the four of us.So far having two kids has been great! Everyone warned me that it's going to be "a lot harder with two" but when you have two little angels, it's not too hard at all. Della never cries, and Sara has always been such a good girl, sure- she has her moments, but for the most part she's super easy. So just looking forward to celebrating the Christmas season with our family of four.

Meet Della

2009-12-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

Della May Goodrich was born at 7:30 a.m. on November 25th. She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. It all started at about 4:30 in the morning when I felt my first contraction. I definitely knew the feeling, but didn't get my next one 'til 10 minutes later and the doctors always say don't come in 'til they're at 3-5 minutes apart and very consistent, so I thought it was going to be a while. So, they were coming every 10 minutes 'til 5:00 and I thought I'd get up and walk around maybe get something to eat and watch TV to get my mind of them. Well, as soon as I got up and walked to the kitchen then next one was 4 minutes later and strong. I was thinking to myself, "should they hurt this bad this early?" So, I made myself some breakfast while they kept coming strong every 4 minutes. It was only 5:15 but I thought I better pack our last minute things just in case this was it. As I was pulling out our bag, Ryan woke up and asked "is it time?" and I just nodded my head saying "I think so."

So, we got Sara and headed to the hospital. I couldn't believe we were going to the hospital when my contractions had only been regular and 4 minutes apart for like 30 minutes. But they were so bad! They continued the whole way there and just kept getting a little worse, I didn't think we were going to make it to Ryan's parent's to drop of Sara so we had his dad meet us at the hospital. As I was signing in, the nurses were looking at me kind of funny, and asking "has your water broke or anything?" probably because I haven't been having contractions for very long, and labor usually takes hours. (one nurse actually admitted later she thought they were going to send me home 'cause she didn't think I was in true labor)

So, they got me in a room and just kept asking me questions, not really acting too concerned while I was just in this agonizing pain! Finally they checked me and said I was dilated to a 7. As soon as they realized how far I was they called 2 more nurses in the room and got the bed ready, called the doctor and anesthesiologist. I was worried I wasn't going to get the epidural in time, but he showed up pretty quick and gave me the kind that is supposed to work faster. It really started working instantly. I was an 8 by the time I got it, then a 9 the first time the doctor checked me. He said he'd be back in 10 minutes to check me again, and by that time I was ready to go, and it was time to start pushing!

One push later and Della was here. Ryan started saying "It's a girl!" I really didn't believe him I had been so convinced my entire pregnancy that it was a boy. I said "No way." He said, "Look!" So I really had to look and see for myself that we had a girl. I couldn't be more excited about it, even though I was sure it was a boy, I wanted a girl. Just because she and Sara are going to be so close together, I thought it'd be fun if they were both girls. And we also have everything girl, so I can use a lot of Sara's stuff for Della.

We couldn't believe how much Della looked like Sara. She seriously looked just like Sara when she was born. But it's funny, now that she's home and a week older, she doesn't look like Sara quite as much. She kind of has her own little look that I love.

I haven't been real good at taking pictures since she's been home just because she's been in those lights. But, now she's out, so hopefully I'll be better at taking more. I can't even explain how much joy these girls bring to my life. Ryan and I couldn't be happier right now and are loving being parents of two. There really is nothing better than having a newborn in the house. Good thing this isn't my last! 'Cause it's going to be sad when that day comes. So, I'm going to enjoy every minute while I can!

and then there were four...

2009-11-30T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well, it's almost 7:00 a.m. and I've been up since 2:00 just keeping an eye on Della, so I'm gonna make this brief. Just wanted to post a few pics of our newest addition. More pictures and the hospital story to come...The reason I'm up at these hours is not because of a crying baby, but because our baby has to be on the bilirubon lights as much as possible and she can't be in them unless someone is awake and watching her at all times. We want her to get better as soon as possible and the doctor asked that we keep her on them all night, so... here I am. The main reason I need to stay up to watch her is to make sure those little goggles don't come off, it was so sad putting them on her for the first time, but once we got her under the warm lights she didn't seem to mind it at all. And here is the meeting of Sara and Della for the first time...To be honest, I wasn't sure how Sara was going to react- but as you can see in the pictures, she was absolutely ecstatic! She kept giving her kisses and little pats and just saying "Baby? Baby?" over and over. We thought things might change once we got home, but she still loves Della just as much as that first day. If we're ever going anywhere she gets all frantic saying "Baby? Baby?" and we have to show her that the baby is coming with us so she'll relax. Every morning that's usually the first or second word out of her mouth, and she's already learned how to say "hold" or "hoe?" when she wants to hold the baby, and sits down wherever she is with her arms out, 'cause she knows she has to be sitting to hold her. She already knows that Della means the same thing as the Baby, but when we tried to teach her how to say Della it sounded a lot like Dada so... I guess we'll stick with Baby for now.It has been so much fun with these two girlies. I just love them both so much!!! I know they're only 16 months apart but even if I could choose I wouldn't have waited any longer. I know Della was supposed to join our family right now, and not later. So far she's been an angel, lights and all. Let's just hope it stays that way :)

9 MONTHS

2009-11-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

I can't believe 9 months is already here! It does feel like I've been pregnant forever, but it's probably just because I was pregnant with Sara not too long ago. But I must say, this pregnancy has flown by! I mean, everyone keeps asking me, "Are you ready for that baby to come out?" and surprisingly the answer has always been "No, not yet!" Just because I first wanted to make sure we were in a home/house. Now that we're in one, I need to make sure everything is settled and ready for a baby- (just trying to get all the clothes washed and room set up now), then of course I can't have this baby before New Moon! Ha ha just kidding, but I really do have tickets for this weekend and am planning on going to see it Saturday. Then, my Mom is going out of town Thanksgiving weekend and so I either want to have the baby before she goes, or wait 'til she gets back! Then I think it will finally be alright for little Landon or Della to join us :) Although I'll be happy to take him/her whenever! I had a doctor appt. last Thursday and was actually dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced! I was a 3 when I went into labor with Sara- so, I thought that was pretty crazy. My doctor said I definitely won't make it to my due date, which is just fine with me! So that's my little pregnancy update! Ryan and I are finally homeowners, well- I guess technically this is the second time we've owned a home since we bought our condo, but this is the first time we've owned a house! It really is so so crazy! But we are both loving it! I'll try and update again before the new babe gets here, until then I'll just be running around trying to get things done!