Too Cute...

So I called my friend, and she was nice enough to help me attempt to get a good picture of Ella. It's been a long time since we've given one to the grandparents, great grandparents, and so on. And my living room needs another one. You should check her out. Very talented. I had a lot of fun talking with her about lenses and all the fun photography stuff. I am in a little bit of a hurry, but I will make another post with a link to her work. But in the meantime, here is the beautiful Miss Ella Bean.

It's a girl!

Phil was right, once again. I think he has a sixth sense. He knew both times when I was pregnant, and that they were both girls, when I didn't.
We are excited. It will be fun to have two girls together. I don't have to buy anything, they can share the little kitchen, but we'll have to get this one their own doll because I don't think Ella will be so generous. I was kind of hoping it was a girl for these reasons, and the fact that we didn't have a single boy name that we liked. We did have a girl name or two, but we are kind of stuck on one in particular. It just feels right and I think she is meant to be named this name. But I'm not telling everyone yet, because what fun would that be when she is born? I'd have nothing new to tell other than the day she comes, so you will all have to wait.

Thankful...

For a lot of things this year. It was this time last year and that Phil was told he was out of a job. We are so blessed to have had that job restored. But I remember thinking last year how much I took for granted. I probably still do take them for granted, but I feel like they all mean a little more to me. So, here is what I'm thankful for, in random order.

I am thankful for a healthy, smart, and curious two year old that keeps me on my toes. Phil and I love her so much and can't imagine life without her. I love that she yells for the 'Silly goose', aka 'Mom' in the morning when she is ready to get out of bed. I am thankful for the Spirit that she brings to our home.

Phil, the love of my life, my other half, the better half, my rock, I am so thankful for you! I can't even tell you what my life would be like without you and the joy that you have brought to my life and the joy that you ARE in my life. I am thankful for his positive attitude, his hard working self, his creativeness, his ambition, and for loving my chubby, ornery self, even when I don't deserve it. I love him.

I am thankful for the Gospel. To know that there is a God that knows and loves each one of us and wants the best for us, and wants to give us everything, I'm thankful. I don't know how people without it survive this crazy world. So wonderful is the peace that I receive from the Church and the knowledge I have of why I am here.

I am thankful for beauty in simple things and the opportunity to see new things. Our summer trip to Washington was probably one of the coolest things to me. I am fascinated by the different things even in our own country, let alone the world that was created for us. I will always remember standing on the balcony of the hotel on the beach, or on the beach and listening to the ocean while we fell asleep. What a beautiful world we live in and how often I take it for granted. The beautiful colors that I can see, the sounds I can hear, the things I can touch, I am thankful for. What an awesome thing to be able to teach children to love those things.

I am thankful for family. Where would I be without them? I am fairly certain that I would have died this year without my husband that picked up the slack, my dad that gave me IVs, my mom who fed my family and canned my garden, and weeded it, my sister who came and watched Ella so I could throw up in peace, and also who weeded my garden, and my younger siblings that put up with me and Ella sleeping over when I couldn't make myself sit up long enough to drive home. Like I said, I would be dead.
There are a million more things, but I won't bore you with them. I'm sure you all have your own lists. Happy Thanksgiving.

Can't Wait

So, I was thinking, the other night as I sat at women's conference. The lady in front of us had a fairly newborn baby with her. A little girl. It took me back to this.



It's a good think I'm already pregnant because I wanted to take that baby and told her the.whole.time. I could almost smell her sweet new baby skin and breath, and feel her littleness in my arms again. But alas, I have to wait for five more months. But that's ok. Knowing that it is coming is enough. I am officially excited!

I like This

So, I'm not a huge jewelry person. Never really have been. I wear my wedding ring, and no others. If I am feeling very pretty, I'll put in earrings and maybe a necklace to go with them. This doesn't happen very often. But sometimes, I find things I like, and that I think I would make more of an effort to wear if I had them.
I love this lady's jewelry. She makes it all by hand and the one I am currently trying to win, I want to put Ella's name on it, or something. I'll decide when I win it. But seriously-I think it's cute. I read her blog all the time. I hope she doesn't read this and think that I am a stalker. I promise I'm not. Her husband did our engagements/wedding pictures and I followed the link from their business website. But I love her perspective on life, and the way she takes the time to notice the funny things her kids do, and the importance of family and friends. She is always making dinner to feed her family, and someone else's. I love it, and wish I were brave enough to do that. That is my goal after this baby is born. I want to be more outgoing and friendly. Anywho- here is a link to her jewelry shop. Check it out.

Our big News...

Anyone that ever looks at this blog probably knows this already, but what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't blog about it, right? We are expecting baby #2! We are excited. After a total of eight IV's, we decided it was time to try something else. Thank Heavens for modern medicine. I have been puke free for a week now. Still feel pretty gross most days, but have a few good days between them. Now to explain to Ella why Mom is getting fat. ...

I've been Informed...

That I needed to update the blog. It's only been a month, I don't see why. But in all reality, I do have things to post about.
First of all, we went on our first ever official family vacation. It was wonderful. We had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures, but without captions. We started out in Seattle, then traveled to the coast, to La Push and went to a bunch of beaches there. We also went to the Hoh Rainforest, which was fun. We hiked to the Hall of Mosses. It was fun to see some things that just do not exist in Utah. Then we traveled down the coast to Oregon and went some beaches there, and hit Multnomah Falls on the way home. That is a VERY brief overview. We did something every day, but I won't bore you with all of that, just look at the pictures.

On the final stretch of the countdown...

Finally! After five months of planning, we are finally going out of town, out of state, away from work. Five days and counting. This bag has been out and had things put in it daily now for over a week. So excited. Look out West coast. We are coming!!

I, for one, am very excited. One of the hotels we are staying at on the coast informed me when I called that we will not have a television, DVD, VCR, internet, room service, or phone service, no matter who our provider is. I'm excited for that. How often are you in a place where that is the case, eh? Nothing but the beach.

The 4th

Our 4th was fun. We went to the local fireworks show and then went to a carnival. Great fun...Ella had her first carnival hot dog, cotton candy, and went fishing in the kiddie pond and got a candy necklace. Then we went and played guitar hero with the siblings, ate lots of watermelon and watched Nacho Libre outside. Great weekend.

What an eventful summer...thus far

This summer started off great. The garden was growing, the yard was getting cleaned up, life was good. Still is, but holy smokes, I think we'll be grateful for things to slow down, but it doesn't look like it will for a while.
But, we went camping for a weekend with my family. Great fun. Three little monkeys, sitting in a tub....


Then after an entire night, literally, in the Primary Children's ER, we discovered that our poor little B-Ella got the swine flu. And after a good 10 days of quarantine, she then got the pukes, then a bad spider bite on her leg.

We think she's ready for a break.

Spring has sprung..or is it really summer already???

Ahhhh....some warm weather finally. Some days I love it and others I wonder why I wanted it so bad. So funny. Why does grass always look greener, but it is always an optical illusion? Uh.
We have kept busy lately. We are having fun seeing what is popping up in our yard. It varies from day to day. Ella is loving, loving being able to go outside EVERY day. We don't have much of a choice these days. Here's what we've been up to...

Playing outside in the water, and the DIRT....
Welcome to Mar and Phil's yard of PAIN!!!
We owe Hil and Hon the biggest favor in history. They came and saved our butts. We'd been working in the yard for six hours when they came and they worked for another six helping us get our garden spot ready. Lifesavers--really. We truly would have died!





The kids were sick of us, I'm sure....





But now....look at what I see in the morning. Loveliness.....

Love this...you must watch...and listen...

Having a lot of fun...

This is my new nephew. So cute... And I LOVE this picture!

Going backwards

We have one year old now! Phil and I can't believe how fast the last year has gone by. Here are some pictures from her birthday party.

Ella and her new kitchen...which the cousins all seemed to like as well.



The AMAZING cake that my sister made. She is incredible! I so wish I could do this!






One happy girl...