Friday, February 27, 2009

The O List




Often getting into some trouble..


Loves lately to kiss and pat her Mama's belly..


Inside is her least favorite, she loves the great outdoors..please hurry Spring!


Very strong willed and independent, traits that will take her far in life..


I couldn't imagine any job better than being her mommy..


A smile and laugh that will melt your heart..


I love you Livi!!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Woo Hoo...WALMART!

Ok, I'll admit it, I'm a Wal-Mart shopper. And I'm downright giddy that they'll be in my neck of the woods! In my former city girl life, I absolutely loathed the mega chain and turned my nose up at its big box reputation, but who am I kidding now? As a mom and a now saavy-er consumer I do notice that their prices are pretty rock bottom. Everything from baby stuff to groceries to household fixtures pretty much trounce their competitors. My neighbor recently filled her optical Rx there and said her experience was more than pleasant. She had to go back the next day to request another kind of contact lens and they gladly exchanged the two.

So to all you nay sayers of Wal Mart, I say shame shame! They're mainly all-American and employ more than 2 million workers. Of course I'll still support my local mom-and-pops, but sometimes you can't always get what you want at these places and with such low prices. So get ready Yakima, here comes another Wal-Mart!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!



Last night Brian and I celebrated Valentine's Day at a fantastic event put on by my MOPS group. It was a yummy dinner and silent auction held at the church where we meet for MOPS and they had everything decorated beautifully (shout out to Jen S!). I won a basket of Arbonne Baby stuff (prob worth at least 80) and I only paid $15..what a deal! David and Kelly Pritchard spoke on the importance of marriage, family and the differences between men and women. It was a good reminder to Brian and I of how important our relationship is to each other, it is the foundation for our family and takes a lot of work (and humility) to make it strong. I appreciated the Pritchard's honesty about their own struggles in raising eight (plus numerous foster children and children of single parents)kids while still maintaining a godly marriage. Check them out here.

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Take some time today to love the ones your with. We're headed over to Seattle for some city fun! Oh and a big Happy Birthday to my brother in law Bill!!

Friday, February 13, 2009

4x4 Challenge

Ok, I was tagged by Andrea. I had to go through my photos and go to my 4th folder and post the 4th picture.




I organize my pics by date, this one was taken on May 5th of last year which means Liv was just over seven months old!

Ok, consider yourselves tagged - Michelle, Hollie, Shannon H., Julie D., Abby, Sara, Laura!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Our Olivia

I've always heard parents say how fast time flies when you're raising your kids, well just a mere 16 months into it I believe that is true. I'll admit there are days and sometimes weeks where life as a wife and mother feel loooooooong, but then I look back and it seems like I was just nursing a new infant! I am truly loving this age even though it is stretching me more than ever...I know, I know, wait til the teenage years, right? As a newer mom I am just loving and enjoying my daughter, trying to teach her right from wrong, be consistent as much as possible and praying along the way! whew...and who says this isn't a full time job!?

Here are some fairly recent photos of Liv that my friend and photographer Danny took last time we were down in LA. He has photographed some of my major life events (our wedding!) - I love his work and would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone. Here are a few of my favorites (it was hard to narrow it down!!)











Saturday, February 7, 2009

Top Ten

I got this entry idea from Laura at Three Times A Mom. Here are the rules: If you want to play, leave a comment on this post letting me know and I’ll assign you a letter. You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it at your place. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain will continue.

So here are my 10 favorite "T"s, in no particular order:

1. Two Kids - I love my girls, and am thrilled at the thought of watching two little sisters (less than TWO years apart!) grow up together. My nieces Morgan and Kendall are 18 months apart and I've enjoyed watching them be best friends. Poor Brian, he's outnumbered...at least for now.

2. Tulips - Here in Washington they are a sure sign that Spring is here! When I see them pop up I know that dreaded winter is behind us and brighter (longer) days are ahead!

3. Taco Bell - I recently introduced Liv to the Bean n Cheese burrito (no onions), she loves them as do I. How can you go wrong? 89 cent goodness!

4. Talking - Big surprise. I love to talk - on the phone, on the computer, face to face, it really doesn't matter. I am a big talker and sometimes probably need to learn to be quiet. When I worked at The WB, I would constantly get caught in Andrea's office TALKING on her couch! What can I say? I am a people person!

5. Tazo Tea - This is my favorite warm weather (or whenever, especially during cold months of pregnancy) drink from Starbucks. An iced venti Passion tea lemonade, it's the perfect blend of tart and sweet. Ooooh I think I know where I'm headed after I type this!

6. Toshiba laptap - I love my laptop, even though she has some flaws (don't we all?), she is my connection to the outside world! I've especially learned to love her as a stay at home mom far away from friends and family, I know I'm only a mouse click away from many of them.

7. TUMS - Never too far out of my reach. It quickly chases that nasty pregnancy heartburn away...hooray!

8. Travel - Now that I live in a smaller town it's even more exciting than ever to get out of town! Even a trip over to Seattle is a thrill! Today Brian told me that he wants to plan a weekend away to Portland before the baby comes. We've traveled a lot in 2 years of marriage...twice to Hawaii, Mexico, several cities along the West Coast. Of course I'm always up for trip to LA, hopefully one more before June!

9. Television - It really is my guilty pleasure. I should probably try to live on less. I even made a career out of it!

10. Timing - God's timing is perfect and out of our control. I love to look back on how the events of our lives have been perfectly orchestrated by Him! For me, all in one year I got married, moved to a new state, bought a house and had a baby. Would that have been my plan or timing? Probably not, but I can't imagine it being any other way.

Now it's your turn!!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Liv's Little Sis!

Here are pics from our ultrasound today! It's a GIRL! She is very healthy and structurally sound...we are so thankful to the Lord for that. We got to see her in 4-D which was REALLY cool. Anyway, here are the pics, some of them are hard to tell so I'll caption where I can.


This was the shot that told us it was not a boy!



Profile



Crossing her ankles in 4D



Another profile, her arm or leg is up by her face



More of her face, she wouldn't give us a full frontal tho'!



Feet



Face again...see her cheeks??



Thumbs up!!


Her first video