The Crowley's

Tooth Number 3

2012-01-12T22:14:00.000-08:00

No Naomi has not lost a tooth yet, Jaxon has his third tooth! Two on bottom and now one on top. I think number 4 is not far behind. For future purpose I felt his third tooth yesterday (1/11/12).

Sorry the short post but one with pictures is coming soon!

Christmas and 5 Months

2012-01-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

I know it is the new year, but here is my Christmas post. The New Year will post will come soon.

December was a fun month, too bad I didn't take more pictures. We won't dwell on that.

I took pictures of Naomi and Jaxon.

Here is our Christmas card.

I also made Jaxon's birth announcement, it only took me 5 months but I got it done.

These pajamas that Jaxon is wearing are the same ones Naomi wore for her first Christmas. The difference is Naomi was 9 months old and Jaxon is 5 months old (as soon as I find the picture of Naomi I'll show you a comparison).

We had our ward Christmas party. The primary helped put on the Nativity story. Naomi was the cutest little angel.

This year we had my older sister's family for our family gift exchange. I didn't just want to give them a gift card. So I got busy with a couple projects. I made my nieces a fort kit, an idea from pinterest. And I made my newest nephew a monster doll, I got the idea from a friend that gave one to Jaxon for a baby gift.

I also worked on presents for the grandparents. Pictures will come soon.

We finally decorated our Christmas tree 4 days before Christmas.

We made a gingerbread house. And as soon as we finished Naomi ate the gingerbread man, guess he wasn't that fast.

This is a side story, but Naomi and I were playing where she was the mom and I was the daughter. She told me we were moving and I started acting sad and said, "But mom my friends are going to miss me." Then Naomi/Mom said, "But honey you don't have any friends." I didn't know what to say, so I just laughed. Definitely not what I expected her to say, but everything she says is usually unexpected. Side story over.

Christmas eve. We watched the Luke 2 video. And then opened up our pajama present. Jaxon was so tired he fell asleep before he could open his present. Naomi didn't mind helping him out.

This year was our very first in our whole marriage where we were at our home on Christmas morning. We woke up around 7:30ish and went down. Naomi was so excited and Jaxon kind of enjoyed it to. Naomi was spoiled, Jaxon was too. I didn't get much for Cory because I was planning on us going shopping for clothes and shoes for him. I told Cory I wanted an apron and an apple slicer. Well he did even better, he got me a Kindle. Love it!

For lunch we went to my sister-in-laws house to eat and open some presents from Cory's family. Then we came home to feed the missionaries and let them skype their families. We spent the day after shopping for Cory's present-new clothes.

5 Months

Jaxon turned 5 months on Christmas day. He is getting so big.

This is what Jaxon is doing and loving at 5 months.

Talks and coos a ton, he says mama and dada
He rolls around, have to keep a real close eye on him
Loves drinking water out of my cup
Laughs a ton, especially at Naomi
Smiles all the time
Teething :( he has his 2 bottom teeth, the first on 12/18/11 and the second on 12/30/11
He loves to chew.on anything. especially his toes
Loves baby cereal and sweet potatoes
He wears 9-12 month clothes, my chunky monkey

He's growing so fast, it's so fun to see how curious he is getting. I can definitely tell he's a little boy because he bangs on everything, he'll bang so hard that it makes him jump but he keeps doing it.

Thanksgiving and 4 Month Stats

2011-12-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

We had a very happy Thanksgiving. It was nice to visit my family in Utah. We got to visit with some friends too but we didn't get to see everyone, maybe next time. Anyway, here are some pictures from our trip.

Jaxon meeting Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Thomsen for the first time.

Naomi making and decorating cookies with Grandma Dorie.

Of course, Jaxon napping with Daddy.

Jaxon and cousin Gage hanging out. Gage is 5 months older than Jaxon, but he's just barely bigger.

Jaxon rolled over from back to tummy on 11/25/11, first time. He did it and I ran to get my camera so I could record it, took about 5 minutes for him to do it again but I got it.

Other highlights of our Utah trip (sorry no pictures of these):

Eating Zupas, if you don't know what it is you're missing out
Eating Los Hermanos, yummy mexican food
Eating J Dawgs, anyone who has ever gone to BYU knows what I'm talking about
Hanging with my little sister, too bad my big sister wasn't there
Playing games with fam
Hanging with Kelly and fam, Naomi had so much fun playing with Faith and Kira, too bad Adalynn was born after we left
Meeting my Daniell's baby boy, he's so cute
Black Friday shopping
Seeing my cousins, met my cousin Gichin's new baby girl
Visiting ex co workers and bosses from our BYU days, Naomi was very shy at first (it kind of surprised because she isn't usually shy)

Next time I'll be better about taking pictures.

And now on to Jaxon's 4 month stats.

Wt: 16lbs 10oz (between 60th and 70th percentile)

Ht: 25.5 inches (between 60th and 70th percentile)

Head: 17.75 inches (90th percentile)

This is what's going on with Jax at 4 months:

Teething=lots and lots of drool, but no teeth yet
Can stick his whole fist in his mouth, picture coming soon
Loves Naomi and thinks she's the funniest person ever (I think so too)
Rolling over-back to tummy and then back to his back again
Loves loves loves baby cereal, he tries to help me feed him
Loves to be held, but he is heavy

And here is a preview of our Christmas Card Picture. I took pictures of the kids the other day, so I could have a cute picture for our Christmas card. I didn't use this picture but maybe I should have. Naomi's expression is hilarious.

Just to let you know...

2011-11-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

Jaxon rolled over yesterday (Sunday November 13, 2011) from stomach to back! We were doing tummy time and all of a sudden he rolled over. I went to get my camera but he wouldn't do it again. Next time I will have my camera on hand.

I just wanted to document this before I forgot. Sorry no pictures, coming soon.

Hope you have a great day!

Halloween

2011-11-10T19:16:00.001-08:00

I know I may be a little late, but at least I am getting to this before Thanksgiving.

We had a fun Halloween. Started with a preschool party at our house the Thursday before Halloween.

The Friday before Halloween was our ward Halloween party. There was good chili, good treats, and some fun trunk or treating. We dressed up our truck as Mater for the trunk or treat, we even had Mater quotes playing. Our Mater truck got us 3rd place. Naomi had lots of fun, especially with her friends Caleb and Novely. Jaxon slept during most of it.

Papa Buzz came down for the weekend. So we hung out with Cory's family a lot. Sunday night before Halloween we ate Navajo Tacos and Aunt Sondra's and carved pumpkins.

Halloween day was full of fun and full of surprises. We headed to Aunt Sondra's to go to their block party. Before we could leave Jaxon had a mini blowout, luckily it was before I put on his costume and luckily I got a picture in his "First Halloween" onesie. We got all ready; Naomi was a mermaid, Jaxon was Squirt from Finding Nemo, I was Wenda from Where's Waldo, and Aunt Sondra and Riley were Alice and the Mad Hatter. We had fun at the block party. It was really warm so I took off Jaxon's costume not long after we arrived. Naomi got to play lots of games and she did pretty good. We ate hot dogs and chili and ate some super yummy dessert. Jaxon had been hanging out in his stroller so I decided to pick him up only to find that he had exploded out the sides and front and back. I went to one of the neighbors house and cleaned him up. I think he was in the last outfit I had for him. After the block party we went back to Aunt Sondra's passed out some candy then Naomi went trick or treating. Daddy, aka Where's Waldo, joined up with Naomi while she was out with Uncle Eric, Naomi's cousins and her friend Caleb Cope and his dad.

We had a fun Halloween with family and friends!

Quick Update

2011-11-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

So I was going to post about Halloween but I am too tired. So here is a video, a picture, and some quotes to get you through until I post about Halloween.

Jaxon is giggling with Aunt Sondra. It was so funny. (Ignore Cory in the background, he didn't know he was in the shot)

Jaxon just hanging out in his car seat.

Naomi has been saying some of the funniest and most random things lately. We were driving back to Aunt Sondra's house after having lunch with Aunt Sondra and Papa Buzz when Naomi starts telling Daddy to hurry up.

Naomi: Daddy you got to beat them.

Cory: (as we pass them) We're ahead of them now.

Naomi: Oh good you got to win so I can give you this invisible trophy.

Me: (now we're being passed) Oh no Sondra is passing us, will you give her the trophy if she wins?

Naomi: No.

Didn't really know what to say after that.

Today my friend challenged me to a race, but I was on foot pushing the stroller with Naomi and Jaxon in it and she was in her car. So I declined, but this is what Naomi had to say, "Mom, you can beat her. I won't let you down." I just laughed.

Naomi's new tagline is "Oh come on." She says it when Jaxon poops or spits up, if she drops something or spills something. It's really cute and funny. Cory and I were trying to figure out where she got it from, don't tell Cory but I secretly heard him say it. I'm not pointing any fingers.

So that should do until next time.

3 Months and other stuff

2011-10-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

My baby is getting so big. He is changing so much.

Just thought I would throw in a comparison picture of my kids. I'd ask who is who, but Jaxon's onesie gives it away. But can you believe how much my kids look alike? And yes they look just like their daddy.

This is what Jaxon is doing at 3 months:

coos and talks a lot
laughs and giggles
slobbers a ton (soaks his clothes and mine)
has started teething (just like Naomi did)
scoots around on his back and his tummy
grabs at things, starting to poke at his toys
weighs about 15lbs and wears 6 month clothes
pretty sure he knows his name because he turns his head when I say it
loves being outside

Proof of his scooting.

This is what else we've been up to.

I won a beanie from a blog giveaway, the blog is Get Your Craft On. I was so excited to get a new beanie for Jaxon. It looks so cute on him. Naomi likes to wear it too.

Taking naps with daddy.

Going for walks in the double jogging stroller (yay for cooler weather).

Playing with friends.

Doing housework of course. Naomi loves clearing the dishwasher. She has now started sorting the silverware before putting it away. It's cute...and a little OCD. Love my Naomi!

And of course getting ready for Halloween.

More Halloween Pictures to come after this weekend.

Happy Halloween!!

P.S. Here are my Win It Forward Winners:

Kelly Quilter
Kristina Miller
Emily Pearson

I've decided what I'm making for all of you. But I have a question for you ladies if you could respond in the comments section. What is the color scheme in your home? This will help me to complete the project.

Win It Forward

2011-10-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

It was over a year ago that I got lucky and won something on a friend's blog, but I totally forgot to pass it forward with moving around and all. So after a lovely reminder email, I am now going to pass on my good fortune. As she (my gift giver Michelle) stated that this good fortune included some of her favorite things, they are mine too and include: handmade goods, creativity, and gift-giving.

Here are the tagging instructions: The first 3 people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done by February 2012 {this is because I'm a busy mom, you understand ;) }
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something unusual.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. OR, since I know there are some people who read my blog who don't have a blog of their own, you can win if you are willing to make something for three random people. The first 3 people to leave a comment telling me they will win it forward get a fabulous homemade gift by me! Oh, and if you have a blog, be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it (by the end of the year my picture will be up.)

2 Months Old

2011-09-26T10:44:00.001-07:00

Look at this cute, happy boy, he is 2 months old. Where has the time gone?

Today he had his 2 month check up, so here are his stats:

Height: 24in

Weight: 13lbs 12oz

Head: 16 1/4in

Percentile: 85th

He is one big baby, he has been in his 3month clothes for a little while now.

This is what he is doing at 2 months:

smiles and coos a lot
sleeps through the night (7:30pm-6:30am)
loves bath time
loves watching Naomi - who doesn't ;)
loves dancing
only cries when really hungry or really tired
likes to be held
loves eating his hands which equals lots of drool
loves kicking his legs - maybe a soccer player like daddy

Nursery Update

2011-09-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

You know that fabric I showed you for Jaxon's room (well if you don't it's the one I posted here) well I finally did something with it. And when I say I, I mean my mom. I was going to make bedding before Jaxon was born, but with my energy level when I was pregnant and my very basic sewing skills my mom offered to make it for me. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. When she came to visit for Jaxon's baby blessing finishing the bedding was at the top of her to-do list. And if you didn't know, my mom is an amazing seamstress and she did an amazing job on the bedding. I'm so happy with how it turned out. Thanks mom, you're the best!

The front side (the guitar is a made of minky fabric)

The back side (made of flannel)

The bumper

I linked up with Crystal B. Check her out!

My Sweet Angels

2011-09-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

We've been busy. Family was in town for Jaxon's baby blessing, preschool, adjusting to life with two kids. You know, the normal stuff and I've been so tired that blogging has been the last thing on my to-do list. It still is but I wanted to post a couple pictures of my sweet angels.

Jaxon at 7 weeks.

They are so sweet. Naomi is an awesome big sister and is a big help to me. Some days she pushes all the right buttons and I just have to walk away and on nights like tonight I just want to cuddle with her.

Daddy was putting her to bed tonight because Jaxon was hungry. So we said prayers and Naomi blew me a kiss, so I blew one back.

Then I said to Naomi, "I caught your kiss on my forehead." She giggled and then I asked, "where did you catch my kiss?"

So she started moving her hand around like it was a tough one to catch. Then she caught it, slapped her chest, and said, "on my heart."

I got a little teary-eyed because she touched my heart. I love being a mom!

1 Month Old and Other Stuff

2011-08-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Jaxon is 1 month old today. I can't believe it's already been a month. He is getting so big. He sleeps so well during the night; he sleeps 5 hours, feeds, then 3 hours and another feed. He is a good baby. I'm so lucky. We went to the doctor's today and these are his stats:

Weight - 11 lbs 15.5 oz (80th %tile)

Height - 22.5 inches (80th %tile)

Head Circumference - 15.5 inches (80th %tile)

He's my little Big man. And Naomi loves him so much still. She wants to hold him all the time and loves playing with him. I wasn't sure how she would react to him and the change but she's been great.

And here is the "other stuff". And this time it's what is going on with my Naomi.

Naomi started a jazz/ballet dance class at the beginning of the month and she loves it. She dances around the house everyday showing me new things she has learned.

She also started preschool last week and she's loving that too.

Life is starting to feel a little normal again. I do love my kids.

2 Weeks Old and From the Mouth of Naomi

2011-08-08T21:09:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it? My little, big man is already 2 weeks old. Well we went to the doctor on Friday and he now weighs.....(drum roll please)......10lbs 7oz. He has gained more than a pound since coming home from the hospital. The doctor said, "Normally, the baby is up to birth weight by 2 weeks." Not my boy, go big or go home is his motto.

Look at those cute chubby cheeks and his facial expressions, makes you think of Naomi huh?!

Well Naomi also had her 4 year check up. Yes I know she is almost 4 1/2, but I figured I'd just wait til Jaxon was born. Her stats are 37lbs, 38 inches tall. She is in the 50th percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height, this is how it has always been for her. She's doomed to be a shorty like me. During any meal, I tell her that if she eats all her food she'll grow to be taller then mommy. And she likes that idea so she digs right in. Also, she would want me to mention that she got 4 shots: 1 on her finger, 1 on one leg, and 2 on the other leg. She did not enjoy them, but she had to get them. It was sad to hear her say, "mom, they hurt so bad" :(

Naomi always wants to take pictures with Jaxon, so here are some cute ones.

And the other night Naomi made the funniest comment. Cory and I just looked at each other and wondered where that came from.

Naomi had just come from playing upstairs and started asking Cory what he was doing.

Naomi: Dad, what are you watching?

Cory: A spy show, it's called Covert Affairs.

N: What's it called?

C: (enunciated a little clearer this time) Covert Affairs.

N: Conquer the ferrets? (I started laughing once she said this)

C: No, Covert Affairs.

N: (imagine the sassiness that came with this comment)But Daddy, I don't speak Spanish.

Yes, this came from the mouth of Naomi, and I have no idea where she got it from. But I love listening to her because she says the funniest things.

Oh, how I love my kids!

1 Week Old and the Birth Story

2011-08-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is already 1 week old. He is so much fun! Naomi loves him to death! And it is so nice being able to trust her with him when I leave the room to get a diaper or something like that. When he left the hospital he was down 5 oz and Friday at his check up he had gained 2 oz back. Friday is his next check up and I'm pretty sure he'll be back to birth weight if not more by then.

Thought I'd start with a picture of my handsome Sleeping Jaxon.

Today Naomi helped me give Jaxon a bath. She loved it, if I let her she would have bathed him all by herself. He didn't mind the bath at all.

Before we got him dressed he made the funniest face.

I love this outfit! Guitar camo, can't get any better than that. Perfect for 1 week old pictures! If you look closely I got a partial smile. It looked like he was going to start giggling.

The Birth Story

(sorry if this is TMI but I wanted to write it down so I wouldn't forget anything)

At my last doctor's appointment, which was the day before my due date, I decided that I did not want to go a week over due so we scheduled the induction. My doctor was out of town for the weekend so we scheduled it for 3am on Monday July 25th (only 5 days over due).

Side note: before I get too far into this story I should tell you that my goal was to have a natural birth. And continue.

Sunday July 24th we dropped off Naomi at my sister-in-law's house so that we wouldn't have to get her up in the middle of the night to leave. Cory and I were too excited to sleep, but we did take short naps. At 2:15am I called the hospital and they said be here at 3am because they weren't busy. We get to the hospital at 3, get all the paperwork in order and get set up in a room.

My first nurse of the day, Stefanie, got the pitocin started by 4. I was still only dilated to a 3, kind of frustrating, but I decided that I would be happy as long as when the doctor checked me I was at least a 4. Nurse change came and Cherie was my nurse for the day. She was awesome, she got me an exercise ball that I sat on for most of the day. I hardly felt my contractions when I sat on the ball, so I was pretty happy. Doctor came and checked on me at 9am and yes I was dilated to a 4. He asked me if I wanted him to break my water and I stupidly decided to wait and see if it'd break on its own (next time I won't wait). So he said he'd come back around noon. Well at 2pm he came and broke my water, that was probably the most pain I had felt so far that day. The contractions really started going and moaning through them really helped. Cory was so awesome, he helped me to focus and was so encouraging. He was ready to help me get through all the contractions and he was my rock. Around 4pm I asked my nurse for an IV drug to help with the pain. And that helped, so much that I got a nap. I woke up from my nap probably around 5pm and the contractions were even stronger. My doctor and the med student, Jenni, came in to see how I was doing. I was okay, Cory was so encouraging and was awesome but I was staring to get exhausted. He kept me going. But by 6:30pm I was dying and had no energy left; I was dilated to a 9 but it didn't seem like Jaxon was in a hurry to come out and I didn't think I had the energy to push him out so I asked for the epidural. My doctor hustled out of the room to get the anesthesiologist. While I was waiting for the epidural I threw up (luckily I had only eaten popsicles all day so it wasn't too bad). The anesthesiologist came in and wasted no time. She gave me a dose and came back to see if I needed more which I did because the epidural wasn't quite having an effect on the left side of my abdomen because I could still feel the painful contractions. It was shift change for her, so she introduced me to the new anesthesiologist but she stayed till I delivered anyway. Nurse shift change came so Mary Kay came in getting ready to deliver baby. My nurse Cherie was so awesome that she didn't leave until after Jaxon was born. So my epidural had kicked in by 7pm and it was time to start pushing. My doctor did an episiotomy to help get Jaxon's head out. But once his head was out his shoulders were stuck, so nurse Mary Kay pushed on my belly to help him pop out. After 33 minutes of pushing (7:33pm) Jaxon was here, all 9lbs 4oz of him. My doctor was really glad that I had decided to get the epidural when I did. They showed me my boy and then took him over to nurse Merrie Kay (yes a different nurse who had been in the room during delivery too) to have him checked. They said that Jaxon grabbed on to his umbilical cord for dear life and that he had a good grip on it. They called him my gerber baby because of his big cheeks. That's what they said about Naomi too, must be brother and sister. We called Naomi and told her Jaxon was born and she was so excited. It was her bedtime so we told her we'd see her in the morning.

It was a long day. Good day, but long. And I was so happy Jaxon was finally here. I went about 14 hours without an epidural and had an epidural for the last half hour or so. I may not have gone completely natural but I definitely don't feel like a failure.

So does Jaxon look like Naomi? I think so, what do you think. (Naomi on left and Jaxon on right)

We'd like you to meet...

2011-07-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

Jaxon William Crowley, born on July 25 at 7:33pm weighing in at 9lbs 4oz and 21 1/2 inches long. I'll share the labor story with you in another post but I wanted to get some pictures up of him because he is so dang cute. Enjoy!

The proud big sister, she couldn't hold him for very long because he is "so heavy."

The nurse weighing Jaxon and getting him all cleaned up.

Jaxon's going home outfit.

The yummy chocolate cake my sister-in-law got for me, I mean us.

Daddy and Jaxon just resting at home.

Belly Shot and Nursery Construction Update

2011-07-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

So I only have 4 days left. Wahoo! Hopefully he decides to come by then. And just when you thought I couldn't get any bigger here is another belly shot.

Well most everything is put together now and we actually have things on the wall. Cory put some things together and hung stuff for me today because this is the first Saturday in a while that he hasn't had to do some kind of work or calling stuff.

(The crib and Jaxon's name sign made by my sis in law)

(My awesome chair and one of Cory's guitars)

(The changing table and mirror with hooks and fingerprints all over it)

We still need to put together a bookshelf and hang these cute canvases my friend made and other minor details. But we're almost completely done.

And sorry, I haven't done the bedding yet. But someday you will see pictures of that finished project.

Oh and I got this super cute book off of Amazon. I felt it went perfect with the theme of his room. Naomi loves when I read it to her.

Of course we had to take a break today and let Naomi have some fun (especially since we spend a lot of time inside because it is too hot to play outside).

She's getting so big, I can hardly believe it.

Hopefully the next time I post it will be the big announcement. I guess we'll see.

Almost There!

2011-07-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have 16 days to go. Two weeks ago the doctor checked me and I was dilated to a 1 1/2. Last week I was dilated to a 2 1/2, so we'll see what the doctor has to say this week. I've been feeling lots of strong contractions lately, so I definitely feel like he will be here soon.

So here is my belly with 16 days to go.

I've been super tired and uncomfortable lately, so luckily Naomi doesn't mind me sitting while we play. Her new favorite game is beauty salon. We pull out the water bottle, combs, blow dryer and curling iron (not plugged in of course) and we take turns doing each other's hair. We even pretend to cut each other's hair, but the only scissors we're allowed to use are our fingers.

Naomi is such a cutie, she is going to be such a good big sister.

Swimming, Showers, and Belly Shots, Oh My

2011-06-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

The last couple weeks have been super busy, but I have lots of pictures so here goes.

Two weeks ago Naomi started swim lessons. She did great last summer, but she had regressed a little since so I wasn't sure how it would go. But she picked up where she left off. She was swimming under water and learning to take breaths while swimming. She can jump in to the pool, turn around, and swim back to the side. She can float by herself for 7 seconds (but she doesn't quite enjoy it). She even loved going down the slide (which she hated last year). She did great! I'm so proud of my little fish!

(In the pic on the right Naomi's teacher is just out of the shot but yes she went down the slide, under water, and popped back up all by herself)

Naomi hates to get her hair combed almost as much as I hate combing it. I have threatened to chop it off if she doesn't let me comb it and that always works. But I decided it was time she got her haircut, since she hasn't had one since she was 2. She was actually really excited, she wanted her hair to be short like Penny's (the girl on the movie Bolt). And she loves her new cut.

This last week I had a couple baby showers. My sis-in-law, Amy and friend Kristina Miller threw one for our ward friends. The dessert was delicious, especially since it was my favorite white texas sheet cake. It was fun chatting with friends, getting cute things for Jaxon and we even played a Michael Jackson dance game on the Kinect. It was way fun!

(The sign on the stand is part of some wall art my friend Kristina made, and it's awesome, once the nursery is done you'll get to see the entire thing)

(This sign my sis-in-law Amy made. I love it and it will go on the wall over the crib)

Then a couple days later my sis-in-law, Sondra and friend Nicole Cope threw me shower for family and friends up more in the Mesa area. The food was yummy; there was cheese fondue and chocolate fondue and lots of stuff to dip with. We had fun eating, chatting, playing shower games, and getting some more cute things for Jaxon. It was way fun too!

(Isn't the diaper cake super cute, Sondra and Nicole did an awesome job)

And now for the belly shot. This is me at 34 1/2 weeks. If you look closely you can see my belly button sticking out.

Did you know?

2011-06-09T21:23:00.001-07:00

Naomi is hilarious some of the funniest things come out of her mouth. I wish I wrote them all down, but I never have a pen on me.

Anyway, Naomi was "reading" this book about bug habitats and there was a picture of an ant hill. Naomi puts her book down and says, "did you know that ants live in Volcanoes."

I said, " wow, but I think you mean ant hills."

Then Naomi says, "No. Ant volcanoes."

And I left it at that. What a funny girl.

Don't worry next post will have lots of pictures :)

Nursery Construction Update

2011-05-25T23:31:00.000-07:00

So we are finally finished with the walls of the nursery (minus decor). Cory with the help of a friend put up the chair rail on Monday. I painted the chair rail Tuesday, and did a little touch up today. Hurray! We're done and I love it! And this is how it looks.

The fabric is for my next nursery project.

I don't have belly shots right now, but they will be coming soon.

Happy Mother's Day!! and Other Stuff

2011-05-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all! Hope you all had a good day. I did. I got to take a super long nap and eat yummy food at my Grandma's. Cory and Naomi gave me my gift a week early, a recliner for the nursery. I love it!

Today Naomi let me curl her hair, which is the first time I've ever done it. And she loved her curly hair.

Here's an update on the nursery construction. Friday we finished painting (bottom part is Ultra Pure White). Well someday I plan on repainting the baseboards and closet doors, but for now I consider it finished. The line the runs between the two colors, will soon be covered by a chair rail. So the nursery is coming along, hopefully I can get everything done I want to before he comes.

Also here is another belly picture (29 weeks and 4 days).

Nursery Under Construction

2011-05-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

This week I started work on Jaxon's nursery. I first had to clear out all of my craft room stuff (not sure where the before picture is but I'll find it). Then took a trip to home depot with my sis-in-law to pick out paint. This is the color we chose.

Distant Thunder

It matches the guitar fabric I bought to make his quilt. And we love it!

Today we started painting. Thanks to Karen and Caleb we got half the room painted. Tomorrow we finish painting. Here's how it looks so far.

Easter and Belly Shot

2011-04-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter this year! We started off the festivities the Thursday before. Karen and Caleb came over in the afternoon to have a little egg hunt and dye eggs. The kids had fun with the egg hunt, which was in our front yard because there are more places to hide eggs. Then when they found all the eggs they came in and checked out their loot then we dyed eggs with a kit that Karen brought. I think one of their favorite parts of dyeing the eggs was putting the sticker faces on. They also enjoyed the story of Humpty Dumpty. Thanks for the fun Karen and Caleb!

(The smashed egg is Humpty Dumpty, and the eggs Naomi dyed she called the Humpty Dumpty Family)

On Saturday morning we went over to my Sister-in-law's, Amy, parents' house for an Easter egg hunt and breakfast. Sadly my camera batteries died so I only got a couple pictures, but Naomi and all of the other kids had fun. Then we had a delicious breakfast of French Toast, sausage, and fruit. Yummy!

(Naomi found lots of eggs, the picture of the right is right before we set them loose)

Sunday, Naomi woke up and was so excited to see what they Easter bunny brought. She got coloring books, a play doh set, chalk, and her favorite, chocolate eggs. She was most excited about the chocolate eggs. After church, we went over to Cory's mom's house for dinner. There was quite the crowd there. And the food was delicious! There were other little kids there too and the grandmas set up another Easter egg hunt, which the kids loved.

All in all, we had a great Easter!

Now for the belly shot. Here I am at 28 weeks.

Belly Shot at 25 weeks and 4 days

2011-04-12T09:18:00.001-07:00

I haven't taken very many pictures lately and I have been sick a lot so that is why my posts have been sparse lately. The other night I think I had food poisoning, which I think is pure torture for a pregnant woman. Anyway, here is a belly shot.

I know it's not the best picture ever. Jaxon is pretty active now, not quite as much as Naomi was. Cory has finally got to feel him. (Naomi felt him twice before Cory felt him once.)

It was also that time during pregnancy where I needed some kind of change (those who have been pregnant know what I'm talking about). So I decided to go dark. I really like it!! And I'm glad I didn't chop my hair which is what I did when I was pregnant with Naomi. Naomi was so sweet, she told me it was pretty and that she wanted to go dark too. I of course told her not until she was lots bigger. But it was sweet of her to want to be like her momma.

Naomi's Birthday

2011-04-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

My baby (she reminds me that she's not a baby) turned 4 last week. I can't believe it. She's grown up so much.

So this year for her birthday party we had it at her cousin's house with the family. She wanted a Tangled party. So I made Pascal cupcakes, played "Pin the Frying Pan on Flynn Rider's Nose", and had a Maximus pinata (it was really a unicorn pinata but I cut off the horn). She had so much fun!!!

On the day of Naomi's birthday we had fun! She painted her own nails, went and got Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, played with the toys she got for her birthday, watched Strawberry Shortcake (a movie she bought with some of her birthday money, watched Tangled, played soccer with Daddy, and had a donut for dessert with candles on it. We had lots of fun! I can't believe she's already 4.

Caleb's Birthday and Quilter's Visiting

2011-04-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

Sadly I forgot to get my camera out and take pictures while my best friend and her family were visiting but we had lots of fun! The Saturday they were here Kelly took her husband out for the afternoon, so I took her adorable girls Faith and Kira with Naomi and me to Caleb Collinwood's birthday party. Her some fun pictures from the party. Karen, my good friend and Caleb's mommy, did an awesome job on his party. The pictures don't do it justice. It was a dragon master training party. They got swords, shot water at dragons, colored pictures, decorated cookies, shot snakes at dragons, and more. The girls had so much.

The cute sleeping girl on the couch is Kira, she slept the entire party.

We had so much fun hanging out with the Quilter's, we love when they come to visit us!!!

20 Weeks and 5 Days

2011-03-06T21:13:00.001-08:00

Here's my baby bump picture at 20 weeks and 5 days. I'm half way there.

Here are a couple of the Ultrasound pictures we got. This one definitely shows he is all boy :)

This next one shows our little guy waving to the camera. We're so excited for him to be a part of our family. Naomi is very excited to be a big sister.

Our Anniversary and Valentine's Day Recap

2011-03-06T20:42:00.001-08:00

So uploading pictures is way more complicated then before, I'll figure it out eventually. Anyway, Our 5 year anniversary was the 2nd of March. I didn't get any pictures this time, so I thought I'd share a picture of us from 5 years ago. That was one of the best day our lives.

Since our anniversary was in the middle of the week we decided to plan a stay-cation for the weekend. My awesome friend Karen offered to watch Naomi on Wednesday (the actual day), so I surprised Cory with dinner at Texas Roadhouse. He was very surprised. And dinner was delicious (of course I didn't bring the camera). Thanks Karen!

Then on Friday we dropped Naomi off at her cousins' house for a sleepover. And this was the start of our celebrations. First, Cory and I went to Olive Garden. (Side note-they have this new appetizer called Lasagna Fritta, amazing) Then we came home and just hung out, you know talk and cuddle (something we don't get to do very often). On Saturday morning we woke up and hiked the Peralta Trail in Gold Canyon. Then we went to lunch at Steve's Crazy Subs and finally we went and saw Unknown (awesome movie). Then we picked up Naomi. She had so much fun with her Aunt Sondra, cousins, and Uncle Eric that she hardly noticed us when we picked her up. Even though it made me a little sad, I was more happy knowing that she was loved and well cared for.

It was an awesome anniversary. I can't believe it's been 5 years. I love Cory so much, I can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring.

So a recap of our Valentine's Day. First off Naomi and I were pretty sick so it was very low key. Also with our anniversary so close we decided to do most of our celebrating then.

First Naomi woke up and got a present from us. I made her a couple flower headbands (only one is pictured and I know the picture is a little blurry but that was the best one I could get). Then we made Daddy a Valentine's Day card, Naomi made sure we didn't forget the glitter. And for lunch we ate heart-shaped sandwiches. When daddy got home from work we went and got some Little Caesar's Pizza. Then we had an FHE on love. It was a pretty good day considering how we felt.

On Wednesday (after V-day) Naomi's preschool had a Valentine's Day party at the park. Sorry no pictures, but the kids had a lot of fun. They played, passed out their Valentine's and ate cupcakes.

It's a...

2011-02-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

BOY!!!

(Pictures to come.)

16 Weeks and 5 Days

2011-02-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going. In a little over 2 weeks we will find out what we're having!

Naomi thinks she's going to get a little sister, what do you think?

How We Spent Our Christmas Vacation

2011-01-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

I know this is long overdue, but better late than never, right?! I haven't been feeling well, which I'll explain later, but here is what we did for Christmas. **Warning this will be super long, but there will be lots of pictures and some video.

Two Saturdays before Christmas we went to two ward Christmas parties. In the morning, we went with Karen and Caleb to their ward party. They had lots of fun games: hula hoop toss, potato sack race but with a huge stocking, fishing, train ride. And they got to meet Santa.

The red golf cart may seem a little random but that is how Santa travels in AZ. That night Karen and Caleb joined us at our ward Christmas party because Santa was going to be there too. Who wouldn't want to see Santa twice in one day? We had dinner, a musical talent show, and then Santa came. The kids had fun.

The week before Christmas Naomi had her first dance recital in her dance/gymnastics class. It was super cute.

The weekend before Christmas we headed up to Colorado to visit Cory's grandparents, sister, brother, and Dad. We had a lot of fun! We ate good food, played in the snow, and played with cousins. Here are some pictures from our Snowman making adventures.

Aunt Amy, Uncle Craig, and Daddy helped Naomi build a little snowgirl (if you look closely her eyes are a plant that looks like eyelashes) and a big snowman. My nephew, Brennan, and I took pictures while they worked.

Before we left we played a game of Canasta with Great Grandma and then took lots of pictures with Great Grandma and Great Papa. It was so nice seeing them.

The Monday before Christmas we headed to Utah to spend Christmas with my family. We got to my parents in the afternoon just before a big storm hit. We were happy to have snow because Naomi wanted to build another snow man. So the next day Daddy, Uncle Brad and Naomi went to work building a snowman.

After they were done building their anorexic snowman they decided to have a snowball fight. Naomi loved throwing snowballs at Daddy.

Some other fun things we did before Christmas was play with Scout (my little sister's dog), visited with my cousin Gichin and his family, ate Pizza Factory breadtwists with my pregnant little sister, mommy and daddy played a couple games of Risk with Uncle Brett and Aunt Hope, play with Faith and Kira and Kelly (Mommy's best friend), visit BYU and get some fudge, eat at J-Dawgs with Dale (Daddy's friend) while Dane (another one of Daddy's friends) was working, eat at Zupas (our favorite Provo restaurant), went to dinner at cousin Courtney and her husband Eric's house, and saw the lights at Temple Square with Faith and Kira.

The girls had fun seeing all the lights and the big Jesus statue in the visitor's center. We're glad Kelly and Joey invited us to come with them!

The day before Christmas we went to the mall and then Daddy and Uncle Brett went and did some last minute shopping on their own. That night we read Luke 2 and then Naomi opened her present of pajamas.

Christmas morning Naomi woke up at 7:20, which is late for her, and was so excited to open presents. But we told her she needed to first wake up everyone else. After waking everyone up, she helped pass everyone their stocking. Then when that was empty she began opening all the rest of her presents under the tree.

I'm kinda shocked I didn't get any pictures of Naomi opening her presents. But she was happy with all she got: Disney Princess Barbies and Barbie clothes, baby doll accessories, dishes, Polly Pockets, and more.

The day before we left Utah we got to visit with mommy's friend, Danielle, and her husband.

We had so much fun spending Christmas in Utah! It was nice to play in the snow, but I was glad to be leaving it.

So on to why I've been so sick lately.

I'm pregnant!! I'm 14 weeks today! Next month we'll be finding out the gender.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2010-12-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, so there isn't much of a Winter Wonderland here in AZ but we can pretend.

Thanks Kristina for letting us borrow the snow clothes.

Halloween, Crafts, and Tap Dancing

2010-11-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

I know, it's about time, but this is how we celebrated Halloween all month long.
(Warning-This post will be a little long, but there will be lots of pictures and a video at the end)

Naomi's cousins were in town the week of Halloween, so we thought it would be fun to go to the zoo. The kids had so much fun!

Naomi's preschool had a Halloween party. They loved wearing their costumes, playing duck duck goose, decorating cookies, and eating yummy treats.
This year we decided to go to Mother Nature's Farm with Caleb and Karen. I think the kids would have spent the whole time in the bounce house if we let them. But we made them feed the animals, pose behind the wood stand up, and pick a pumpkin.
The top left and middle pictures are from our ward trunk or treat. The The top middle picture is of the bed of our truck which won first prize for Best Trunk. Naomi had so much fun, she especially loved the train ride. The other pictures are of activities we did on Halloween. Naomi and I went over the Karen and Caleb's house to paint pumpkins and make spider cupcakes. We had so much fun. At home Naomi finished our Monster bags.

I now think that Halloween is tied for first with Christmas when it comes to Naomi's favorite holidays.

I've been wanting to make a Christmas wreath for my door for a while now but wasn't sure which one I wanted to do, so I found this site: http://eoberrys.blogspot.com/2009/11/easy-pottery-barn-inspired-christmas.html and knew that I could do this wreath. So here is my finished product.
I mostly followed the blog, but since I couldn't find the twisty tie stuff I used hemp thread that I had on hand and tied it on and I got all the ball decorations from the dollar spot at Target. I am very happy with the how it turned out.

I also made my own ring. Got the idea from this site: http://thecreativecrate.blogspot.com/2010/04/easy-diy-rings.html I like how it turned out but I think if I use some other buttons I might like them better.

And now for my favorite. Today Abbey, Jack's older sister who I babysit once in a while, gave Naomi her old shoes she had grown out of and one of the pairs was her old tap shoes. She helped Naomi put them on and Naomi fell in love. She even created her own dance. Enjoy!

Once Upon a Time...I Ate a Monster

2010-10-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Naomi loves when I tell her stories. I usually tell her the story about Little Red Riding Hood, but Naomi decided she had a story for me and this is how it goes.

Once upon a time there was a little boy, he was a monster. He had little legs and little arms, and red eyes. One day he grabbed my arm. And then he grabbed my hair. And then I ate him. And he was delicious. And he said, "get me out of your tummy." The end.

October Fun

2010-10-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

We've been busy doing lots of fun stuff. Here are some of the things we've been doing lately.

Coloring.

Naomi was coloring this cute monkey and I look over and a marker is missing from the table. I walk up to her and she shows me what else she's been coloring.

Gymnastics.

Naomi started a new dance/gymnastics class. She loves it. She also loves her teacher's pet turtles. (Notice the super cute boots, they were on sale and we couldn't resist.)

Playing at the park.

Okay so this actually isn't a picture of us at the park, because I usually forget my camera, but I just thought it was super cute. This last week was fall break and we went to the park almost everyday.

Play Dress Up

We had fun playing dress up with Jack and his big sister.

We also went to Peter Piper Pizza, played playdoh, went to the library, and many other things.

Oh and I can't forget the show Naomi put on for me.

What We've Been Up To Lately

2010-09-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while, part of that was because I had basically no internet for 2 weeks. So now I'm going to catch you all up. Brace yourself for a long post, but I will make it exciting with pictures and movies.

Naomi has been busy with preschool, she loves it. She also just started gymnastics, it's once a week for 45 minutes. But she loves it and she loves her teachers.

We've also been playing with Jack again. Naomi and Jack have lots of fun together and fight like brother and sister. One day they laid down on the carpet and said they were making carpet angels.

Naomi is going through a fun make believe stage. She likes to pretend she's grandma and I'm Naomi. She also likes to pretend she's one of the characters on Phineas and Ferb. She's usually Candace or Isabella. Sometimes she likes to be Perry and she'll make me sing the "Perry Come Home" song.

The weather has been a little cooler lately so we've gone to the park more, played with Caleb and Karen, visited cousins, and worked on some crafts.

A week ago we went out to celebrate Cory's birthday and we ate some pretty amazing cupcakes, wish I took a picture because they were pretty looking too.

I finally painted Naomi's room (pictures to come soon).

This past week at scouts, I got a spider bite and tons of mosquito bites. The spider bite got pretty bad on Friday, but it's looking a lot better, still not great but definitely better.

That's just some of the things we've been up to lately, hopefully I'll be better about posting.

Our Disney Vacation

2010-08-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

So I started writing my Disney post before my Preschool post but I didn't finish it until after I published the preschool post. For some reason the post shows up underneath the preschool post.

So if you want to check out the Disney Post, scroll down, it's just under the preschool post.

Enjoy!

First Day of Preschool

2010-08-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

This year I decided it would be good for Naomi to go to preschool but I didn't want to pay the money. So with a group of my friends, we formed a preschool co-op. It's great, there are 6 kids and each mommy takes a turn teaching. Tuesday was Naomi's first day of preschool. She was so excited! I think she was more excited about getting to wear her backpack. And yes her backpack is as big as she is. I tried to find a smaller one for her, but they didn't have any at the store where we were. I figure she'll be able to use it for a long time.

She had so much fun! She wanted to go today, but I told her we only go 2 days a week.

I'm glad Naomi likes it so much!

Here's a little humor for the day. Today we were playing at Nicole and Caleb's house. Naomi and Caleb decided to play dress-up. Naomi puts on this cute Butterfly costume from Old Navy. She comes out and models it for Nicole and me. And then she asks us, "Does this make my butt look big?" Nicole and I couldn't believe what she said, we just laughed. I soon realized that she got that from Phineas and Ferb. Gotta love her!

How I Spent My Disney Vacation

2010-08-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, we went to Disneyland with my family. It was so fun to see everyone, especially since it had been a year since we were all together. Naomi had so much fun with her cousins, and of course she just loved Disneyland. She still talks about Disneyland. Everyday since we've been back she says, "I want to go to Disneyland again."

So this is how we spent our vacation.

Day 1 (Tuesday)
We drove over to California, it was a quick 6 hour trip. I know 6 hours seems long in the car, but it really wasn't too bad. We got there and hung out in our rooms. Then we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was fun, the food was good, and the cheesecake was delicious. We tried not to stay up too late because we planned on getting into Disneyland when it opened.

Day2 (Wednesday)
The next morning we woke up. Everyone was excited. We walked across the street and waited in line to get into the park (yes I said across the street, our hotel was across the street, it was awesome).

Here are Elise and Naomi as we wait in line.

Once we got in we raced to hit the rides we wanted to before they got too busy. Of course we rode Indiana Jones, and my oldest niece was just barely tall enough to ride. We rode Pirates, Dumbo, the Carousel, the Teacups, Buzz Blasters, Winnie the Pooh, Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Space Mountain, and so many other rides I can't even remember. Here are some pictures from some of the rides we rode.

We also went to Mickey's Toontown. We walked through some of the houses. The kids met Mickey and Goofy. The kids spent some time in jail, it's probably because they tried setting fireworks off in one of the buildings (okay so the jail and the fireworks thing is all part of the fun of Toontown).

They met Mickey and Minnie again later. They met Fairy Godmother, Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter. They also met a lot of princesses. They even met Silvermist, Tinkerbell and Terrence, there was a little drama while waiting in line but we survived.

We had so much fun in Disneyland! We were very tired, but it was worth it.

Day 3 (Thursday)
We spent Thursday in California Adventure. Most of us had never been there, needless to say we were all really excited. The girls were especially excited since we had reservations to eat at Ariel's Grotto and meet all the princesses. It's a little pricey, but totally worth it. The food was great and the time the girls had with the princesses was awesome. They had all the kids get up from all the surrounding tables and learn a princess dance. Then the princesses came out and stopped by every table to talk to the kids, take pictures and sign autographs. The girls loved every minute.

After eating, we headed straight to Califoria Screamin, which was awesome. Then over to Toy Story Mania (which is similar to Buzz Blasters in Disneyland), which was also awesome. The kids rode the carousel. We rode Soarin' Over California, Monsters' Inc. and tons of other rides that I can't remember. But my very favorite ride of the whole trip was The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It was so awesome, I screamed like a maniac but it was worth it.

We played in A Bug's Land. The kids loved it. They spent the whole time playing in the splash pad area. Then we moved farther into Bug's Land to ride some rides, but we found another splash pad area and spent the rest of the time there. No rides, we'll just have to ride them next time.

The kids met more characters: Jessie and an Army guy, Pluto, Chip'N'Dale, Mr. Incredible, Lightning McQueen, and Mator.

That night we quickly spent some time in one of the gift shops. Naomi used her money she had been earning from doing chores and got a deluxe Princess and the Frog figurine set. I got the Mr. Potatohead Disney accessories. I think this will be my new tradition when we visit Disneyland, to get more Mr. Potatohead pieces. They are super cute and Naomi loves them too. After a little shopping we quickly got dinner then headed back for the "World of Color" show. It was amazing. The water, the images, the music was spectacular. The kids loved it, we loved it. It was a great way to end a great day.

Day 4 (Friday)
Friday was our beach day. We all woke up got ready to take family pictures at Huntington Beach. We found some lady on the pier to take our picture. We chose her because she was holding a huge camera and taking pictures herself, we figured she knew what she was doing. And she did a great job, we found out she was there taking pictures of her son doing a Triathlon and that she was LDS.

After pictures, we hurry and got lunch and headed to Bolsa Chica beach because Huntington Beach was too crowded. It was windy and chilly, but that didn't stop Cory or my brother-in-law Brett from jumping into the ocean. They convinced my little brother and me to jump in to. It was so cold it took my breath away, so I decided I would play in the sand with Naomi and my nieces. I tried to help my niece, Maddie, build a sandcastle but I found out I'm not very good at it. Later Cory and Brett came up and made sandcastles with the girls.

After sandcastle building and destroying, they decided they should jump back in the ocean one more time. Maybe not the best idea, since Cory came out of the water bleeding and thinking a fish bit him. It wasn't too bad but my dad and I decided to go to the lifeguard tower to get a bandaid. Well lifeguard Scott told us it wasn't a fish, it was a sting ray. Yes, you read that right a sting ray. He came over and checked out Cory's foot. Luckily the sting ray only got grazed, so they lifeguard cleaned it off and put a band aid on it.

Cory wasn't in any pain, so they lifeguard told him if it started throbbing to soak it in hot water and left. We cleaned up all of our stuff and left to go see the house where my dad grew up (it was only a mile away from Disneyland and our hotel). We had a half hour drive back and Cory figured he'd be fine so he drove since the sting was in his left foot and not his driving foot. Shortly after leaving, Cory's foot started throbbing. You wouldn't think that a little scratch from a sting ray would be that bad, but oh it was. Cory was in so much pain, I hadn't seen him like that since we were first married and he had to have a minor surgery. He didn't think that a sting from a sting ray was this painful. By the time we got back to the hotel his foot wasn't throbbing as bad (still painful) but it was super swollen. As soon as we got to the hotel, Cory hobbled to the room and filled the tub with super hot water and stuck his foot in. He said the pain immediately went away and the swelling went down.

Even though Cory got injured at the beach we had a fun day!

We had so much fun seeing my sister, Jen, her hubby Ryan, and her 5 daughters, my sister Hope and her hubby Brett, my brother Brad, and my parents.

On the drive home, Naomi said she wanted to visit Grandma Dorie at home. I told her we couldn't go to Utah. And Naomi said, "No, grandma lives in Disneyland." She is so funny. I know Naomi loved it.

Thanks Grandma Dorie and Papa Steve for planning such a fun trip!

Dresser Before and After

2010-07-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

So here is the dresser, in it's original form.

I was really nervous to re-paint this dresser, that I put it off for a couple of weeks. After some research I found the best and fastest way to repaint would be to first use deglosser, then paint a couple of coats. Deglosser worked great and was way easier than having to sand it.

Here is the finished product.

I like how it turned out. But I'm still undecided about the handles. For right now they will stay silver, but maybe I'll paint them black or white or pink. What do you think?

That's Gonna Leave a Mark

2010-07-23T00:32:00.000-07:00

Naomi loves to run, and when she runs she leads with her head. So when she falls guess what hits the ground first?

look at the awful bump, if you look at the bump closely you can see a scar from another time when she fell and hit her head

So this is how it happened. Last night Naomi and her friend Caleb Collinwood were having a pillow fight. Well Naomi came running into the kitchen with a pillow that was taller than she was, she tripped and cracked her head on the tile. It was awful to watch. I just held her while she cried and when she was ready we iced it for a little bit. She doesn't like it at first, but then got to eat some ice too so she was happy.

look at how much it is sticking out

Today it was hardly noticeable, just a bruise mostly. When we were grocery shopping today Naomi was bouncing and skipping around and of course she falls and hits her head again. Luckily it wasn't tile so it wasn't as bad.

I think she got my accident-prone genes.

House Guests

2010-07-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Last week my best friend Kelly and her family came to visit us from Utah. We had a lot of fun, but it was too short. We went swimming in our neighborhood pool, ate good food and good desserts, played at our house, went to Tempe Beach Park, and rode on the carousel.

Naomi playing with Faith.

Here Kelly and I are standing with Naomi and Kira. Kira didn't like the park too much.

Naomi loved riding the hopping bunny.

We had so much fun! The girls played well together. Can't wait until they come visit again.

3rd of July

2010-07-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

I call this post the 3rd of July because that's when we celebrated the 4th, since on the 4th we were driving home. But it was a fun weekend. We spent the weekend in Colorado with Cory's family. We ate Grandma's cookies, ate at good restaurants, played games with Grandma, and hung out with all the cousins. Naomi had so much fun. Here is what we did on the 3rd of July.

We went to the Blanding Parade with the whole Crowley crew (this is everyone minus a few people). We had really good seats and we were near the beginning of the parade, so we didn't have to wait long.

Here's Naomi sitting with her bag waiting for the parade to start so she can get some candy.
These are the F-16s that flew over us, twice.
Here they are collecting the candy. The older cousins were helping the little cousins collect candy.

This tractor thing is called the Big 4. Grandad was excited to see it because last year they couldn't get it started before the parade so it was pulled on a trailer but this year it ran on it's own.

Here Naomi is showing Grandma all the candy she's gotten so far.

We saw lots of horses.

This guys was showing off his whip skills, but he also got the horse next to him.

It was a pretty good parade, and Naomi and all the kids ended up with way too much candy.

It was a fun trip, but too short.

June Recap

2010-07-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

June was a fun month, but it went by so fast. So here is a recap of how June went.

Swimming lessons was fun and Naomi became a little fish. But if you call her that she says, "I'm not a fish, I'm Naomi!"

Naomi floating like Snow White (that's what her swim teacher called it).

Naomi was the example to the other three kids of how to jump in. Naomi is swimming to the steps in the pool, with a little help from her teacher. She did awesome!

Went out to lunch with Daddy.

We've played with my nephew, Brennan.

This is Naomi at 3 months, can't believe she was once as little as Brennan. They don't like identical like their daddy's, but there are some similarities.

We also started a countdown to Disney Trip. I think we started counting down at 36 days.

So on each link is an activity we can do to help us get ready for Disney. Here are some of the activities we've done.

Princess Party (done this one a few times)

In this picture Naomi is fighting the "bad girl" (that's what she called the imaginary bad guy).

Then she died :(

Then Prince Woody saved her.

Painted pictures of Princesses and Tinkerbell

I also worked on a couple projects. I repainted a dresser (pictures coming soon). And I re-finished Naomi's letters'.

So that's what we did in June.

It's for the Koalas

2010-07-01T01:10:00.001-07:00

I love my Naomi! She is so smart and is so curious. She is always asking questions, and usually does NOT agree with my answer.

So today when we were at church Naomi had to go to the bathroom. We get into the big stall, and Naomi stares at the baby changing station on the wall, you know the ones with the koala on them. Anyway, this is how our conversation goes.

Naomi: What is that?
Me: It's where you change a diaper. It's for babies.
Naomi: (thinks about my answer) No mom, it's for the Koalas.
Me: Sweetie, it's for the babies.
Naomi: No, the koala babies.

I left it at that because she would argue with me forever and since she's three there is no reasoning. Maybe she'd make a good lawyer :)

I could see how that would make sense to a three year old though, because it has a picture of a koala on it and not a baby.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has had a good Father's Day! Cory got to go golfing yesterday, but then I got sick so he had to take care of me today. Naomi got out her doctor tools to help take care of me too.

After dinner, we had a squirt gun fight in the backyard. My gun was broken and Cory's was working the best. Once he was out of water, Naomi figured out how to use her gun. So Cory became the target.

How We Beat the Heat

2010-06-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

So far we've been having a fun summer. We go to the movies every Friday for this kid program that Harkins does for the kids. We go to the library, the pool, and the pet store. We saw Shrek Forever After, because Naomi loves the Shrek movies.

We went to Jeepers with a bunch of ward friends.

Naomi's sitting on the back row, far side with her friends.

Last week, Naomi started swim lessons. She's doing so good. The teacher is great with the kids and Naomi loves going under water now.

Her teacher tells her to pretend she's Sleeping Beauty when she wants her to practice floating on her back.

Last week, we also went to Tempe Beach Park with a group of friends. Naomi had so much fun.

That's what we've been up to so far. We look forward to more summer fun!

Change

2010-06-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

So I've been growing out my hair for 4 years now. It was long, dry, stringy, and hard to comb. So I decided it was time for a change.

Before

After

I cut off eight inches and dyed it blonder than it was. I haven't been this blonde since I met Cory. I thought about going shorter, but I'm a ponytail kind of girl, so I needed it long enough that I could still pull it back.

Yakkity Yak

2010-06-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

Naomi has been really funny lately.

The other day I needed to run something over to our next door neighbor. Naomi was busy watching a movie and I asked her if she wanted to come, she said she wanted to watch her movie. So I told her I would be next door and be gone only a minute. As I'm knocking on my neighbor's door I hear Naomi crying in the house, so I go back home to find the door locked. I have no keys, no phone, and the truck so Cory can't even come home and save me. Naomi is panicking and crying, so I'm trying not to panic.

Me: Naomi turn the lock, you need to unlock the door
Naomi: I can't (crying so hard :( )
Me: You have to unlock the door, you need to unlock the door
Naomi: You unlock the door (with attitude)

She's so sassy, I couldn't believe that was her response. So moral of the story, don't leave home without the keys. And yes Naomi finally let me back in.

Last night during dinner, Naomi told me she wanted an popsicle and to play outside. I told her that once she finished her dinner she could.

Naomi: I can't eat this. I want a popsicle.
Me: You can have a popsicle when you finish your chicken.
Naomi: But I want to go outside.
Me: Once you finish your chicken you can go outside.
(This went back and forth for a while, as I was finishing my dinner)
Naomi: I want a popsicle and to play outside.
Me: You can't until your chicken is gone. (I show her my empty plate) I can have a popsicle and go outside because I finished my dinner. But you can't until you've eaten your dinner.
Naomi: Good job Mommy! You ate all your dinner.

Gotta love her!

Dance Recital

2010-05-12T23:37:00.000-07:00

For the past couple months, this sweet lady in my ward, Michelle, taught a dance class to the kids every other week. To show what they learned in class, Michelle held a dance recital on Saturday May 8 so all the dads and other close relatives and friends could come see. It was so cute and so fun! The pictures and movie clips I have speak for themselves. Enjoy!

What We've Been Up To

2010-04-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

***Warning this post will be long, but will have a lot of pictures.

Since Naomi's birthday we've been super busy. We had a fun Easter.
Naomi wanted to be like Daddy, she took off the tie before we left for church though :)

We officially became HOMEOWNERS! We closed on the 8th, it recorded on the 9th, and then we got our keys on the 9th. When we went to the house after we closed, we asked Naomi what she thought of her new backyard, she said "this is for my dogs." Some wishful thinking. We spent the first few days trying to choose a paint color. We tried about 8 different samples , maybe more. Naomi loved helping us paint!

We chose the color on the right, it's called Sharkey Gray. A week after closing we paid to have our house painted. Three workers painted it in 9 hours and they did an awesome job. We spent the rest of the weekend finishing packing and moved on Monday the 19th.
Naomi loved helping us load everything up. She was so excited to get everything into our new house. It took only one trip of a trailer and 5 pickup trucks to get everything over to our house.
The Kitchen

The Dining Room

The Family Room Before

The Family Room After (definitely better without the orange)

The Living Room

The Loft

The Master Bedroom

Naomi's Room

I'll post more on our house when things are organized.

Naomi has also been going to a dance class that a lady in our ward teaches for free at the church. They are getting ready for a recital in May.

This is the kids doing the train. Naomi loves it!

Naomi has also been playing soccer. A friend in my ward and I started a little soccer group. We meet once a week for about 45 minutes. We played a game a couple weeks ago. The kids were funny. They mostly just stood around. Naomi loved kicking the ball around, but once someone took the ball from her she'd start crying. I tried to tell her to get it back and that's what happens, but she was too sad to try. I would also tell her to stop the person from scoring a goal. She would run along side them for a little bit and then stop by them and put her hand up and yell "Stop!"

So that is what we've been up to.

Naomi is 3!!!

2010-03-29T21:33:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my baby is 3. Time has flown by. She is an amazing little girl. I can't believe my baby who was once this little,

is now this big.

She'll still always be my little baby, no matter how grown up she is.

So here are the answers to some questions I asked Naomi over breakfast.
Favorite TV show: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Favorite Movie: The Penguins of Madagascar
Favorite Color: (she looked down at her purple shirt and said) Pink
Favorite Food: Strawberries
Favorite Toy: Stuffed doggy

Birthday Party

2010-03-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Naomi turns 3 tomorrow. I can't believe it, she's growing up so fast. To celebrate we had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party at the park. We played, opened presents, had a pinata, and ate cupcakes. It was a lot of fun! The camera in my battery died, so I only have a few pictures. I'll post more when I get more.

Naomi had so much fun! We hope those who came had fun too!

What we've been up to lately...

2010-03-29T11:06:00.001-07:00

We have been very busy the last couple of months. Here's what we've been up to.

We've gone to the zoo with friends.

Played Daddy's guitar with Caleb

Sang "Happy Birthday" to Grandma Dorie!

Baked cookies and read books with Great Grandma Crowley.

Celebrated St. Patrick's Day!

Celebrated Caleb's Birthday!

And Grandma Sharon's Birthday!

Visited Baby Brennan, Aunt Amy, and Uncle Craig at the hospital!

And played with cousin Zoey (which also involved going to the zoo).

Here Zoey and Naomi are watching the baboons pick the bugs off each other; they were very fascinated.

Naomi is proud to introduce her newest cousin...

2010-03-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

Brennan Edward Crowley
Born on 3/25/10 at 11:58am via C-section
He's a healthy 8 lbs. 6 oz. and both mom and baby are doing well.

Look at those cheeks. He definitely has the Crowley head.

4 Years...

2010-03-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it has been 4 years, since Cory and I went to the temple to become husband and wife for time and all eternity. It feels like so much longer, but yet it only seems like yesterday we were just married. I love Cory more and more everyday. So many things have happened in these past 4 years. We had a beautiful baby girl, graduated from college, moved to a new state, and now we're getting ready to buy a house. I look forward to our future and all that holds. I love you Cory! Happy Anniversary!

My Pretty Princess

2010-03-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

So a last week we thought it'd be fun to make princess crowns. So here is Naomi's in her crown and princess dress. When she was posing she had to pose like the princesses on the cruise.

Here Naomi is doing a pose with her hands like a princess.

Here is Naomi posing with her Minnie doll, just like how the princesses on the cruise posed with her.

Disney Cruise, Going Home

2010-03-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

(I know I've been a slacker lately, but here is how the final day went.)

On our final day, we had to wake up early to eat breakfast at Triton's. As soon as we finished we headed off the ship. We went to the luggage area to get our bags and went through customs. Oh and don't take any pictures in the luggage area because someone will come up to you and tell you to delete the picture before you can go any further. After we got through customs we headed outside and waited for Gene to get the rental (since we rented a van with Nicole, Gene and Caleb). We got in and said goodbye to the Disney Cruise.
Our flight didn't leave until 5, so we headed to the rental home where everyone who was going to Disney World was staying. We hung out there until around 11:45 and we headed to California Pizza Kitchen where we were meeting my Aunt Debbie for lunch. It was good to see her, maybe next time we visit we'll see the whole family.

Then we headed to the airport. We were going through security when the security guy comes up and starts asking him questions about his bag. He asks if he knows the rules about liquids. Cory said yes, but we had no idea what he was trying to get at. He then brought up that snow globes aren't allowed. Still confused, Cory finally realized he meant this tiny snow globe ornament we bought on the ship. We pulled it out of the bag and the guy said we had 3 options: throw it away, mail it to ourselves, or take it back to the Disney shop in the airport. Cory said he'd go take it back. So while he was getting all his shoes and stuff back on, the guy had undone the bubble wrap around it and then came up to us to show us it was broken and leaking. Naomi was ready to go, so we just told him to throw it away. I wish I would have just asked for it since the globe was going to be empty of liquids.

Anyway, we made it home safely and we were glad to be home. But we can't wait to someday go on another Disney Cruise.

I Love Arizona

2010-02-22T06:01:00.000-08:00

This last week was a pretty warm week, during the day we got into the 70's. So Friday Naomi and I decided to go swimming. Our heated pool was perfect with the good weather and it wasn't too hot to enjoy the jacuzzi either.

This is why I love Arizona, because you can go swimming in February.

Disney Cruise, Day 4

2010-02-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

Wednesday (Day 4) was our day at sea. (Sadly I took very few pictures this day.) We woke up a little later and enjoyed a more relaxing day.

Before breakfast we took a picture with Mickey.

After breakfast we walked around the ship for a little bit. Then sat by Goofy's pool and watched Finding Nemo from the Ariel View Television. We sat there and waited until Captain Hook to the gazebo by the pool so we could get his autograph and our pictures taken with him, too bad we didn't pull out our camera. After seeing Captain Hook, we swam in Mickey's Pool. Naomi and Zoey had a lot of fun. After swimming, we got changed so we could eat lunch. They had a sushi bar in Parrot Cay, since sushi is Cory's favorite that is where we ate. They had other foods too so Naomi and I didn't go hungry. After lunch, we took Naomi back to the room for a nap (the only one she took the whole cruise).

Since Naomi hadn't waken up from her nap yet (she had already been asleep for 1 hour) Papa came to our stateroom to watch Naomi, so we could go see the movie Old Dogs. It was very funny! And it was nice to have some time without Naomi. When we got back to our room, Naomi was still sleeping. Papa was a little bummed because he wanted to play with Naomi.

Well Naomi woke up shortly after we got back, so we got ready and headed to our last dinner on the cruise.

We ate in Triton's and they were serving French food. The appetizer I ordered that night was escargot (snail). When I was in 7th grade, my French class went to a French restaurant and I tried snail then, so I thought since it had been so long I would try it again. As awful as it sounds, the escargot wasn't that bad, but I don't think I'll order ever again.

Our servers folded Naomi's menu into a flower.

Here are our waiters in their Triton server clothes.

It was Gene's birthday, and this is the cake the brought him.

After dinner, we went the the John Cassidy show. He's a comedian and he was doing a family show. He was really funny and his whole show revolved around him making different balloon shapes.

After his show we went and saw Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic. It was awesome. Another musical show that featured a couple songs from 5 different disney movies. They had two songs from Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Cinderella. It really was incredible and Naomi loved it. After wards part of the cast was out to sign autographs and take pictures.

Here we are with Peter Pan and AnnMarie.

This is the lady who sang The Circle of Life.

Naomi got to take a picture with Princess Tiana again.
Here with Stitch are Daddy, Naomi, Jessy, Riley, Aunt Sondra, and Cody.

After seeing all the characters we got spots by the top of the stairs above the lobby so we could watch the Til We Meet Again show. Here are some pictures from it.

After the show Naomi was collecting the Mickey Mouse confetti that came falling from the ceiling during the show.

After the show we headed back to our room and this pig was our last towel animal of the cruise. Naomi thought he was so cute.

We got ready for bed and fell asleep to classic Disney cartoons. It was a very magical evening!

Disney Cruise, Day 3

2010-02-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Tuesday (Day 3) we arrived at Castaway Cay. We woke up early so we could get ready, eat breakfast and head to the beach. This was our view while we ate breakfast at Beach Blanket Restaurant on the ship.

You could see the whole island from the boat. It was beautiful and the weather was great!

This is the Flying Dutchman.

Naomi and Daddy making sand castles. Naomi was loving it!

Naomi loved playing in the ocean. The water was a little chilly but we got used to it.

While playing in the water we saw Captain Jack Sparrow walking the beach, so we went and took pictures with him.

At lunchtime, we got our food from Pop's Props. The food was yummy.

After Naomi finished eating she wanted to sit with Papa. So Papa had a full lap holding Naomi and Zoey.
While Naomi waited for Cory and me to finish our lunch, Naomi decided to make smiley faces in the sand.
After lunch, we headed back to the beach to play in the sand and the water. We got in the tubes we rented and let Cory pull us around. Naomi and I shared a tube; Debra and Zoey shared a tube; and Jessy and Riley shared a tube. Eric, Cody, and Stewart (Eric's brother-in-law) were playing catch with the football Cody brought, but they took a break to act like sea monsters. Naomi didn't like that so much.

After tubing for a while. We decided go try the paddle boats. Well, Naomi, Zoey, and Caleb were too young so Debra and I took them back so Cory and Gene could take Riley and Jessy. But Gene ended up coming with us so Cody could ride on the paddle boats too. Sondra watched Zoey and Naomi so Debra and I could go do the paddle boats. Instead, we rode on the water trikes. It was fun and tough.

After spending the day at the beach, we sadly headed back to the boat. We headed back around 4 because everyone needed to be on the boat by 5.

Once back on the boat, we got all cleaned up and ready for our Pirate Night dinner. Before we were seated we took pictures with Pirate Mickey. If you can't tell Naomi is in her pirate costume, but she refused to wear the pirate hat.

Dinner was at Parrot Cay again and the food was yummy. Here are our servers in their pirate getup.

After dinner, we went and saw the movie Princess and the Frog. Naomi loves this movie so she was so excited to see it again.

After the movie, Naomi was exhausted so we headed back to our room to put her to bed. This was what our stateroom host left us. Naomi loved the monkey.

They had a pirate party later that night, but we were too tired to go, so we fell asleep to a movie in our stateroom.

It was an awesome day! We wished we could have had another day at Castaway Cay.

Disney Cruise, Day 2

2010-02-08T00:18:00.000-08:00

Monday (Day 2) we arrived in Nassau, Bahamas.

First thing in the morning we went to the princess gathering, this means that four princesses would be out to sign autographs and take pictures. Naomi wore her Snow White dress and was so excited to meet the princesses, but she was a little nervous so she made sure to bring her cousin's stuffed cow along with her. First we met Snow White, which Naomi loved that they were wearing the same dress.

Then she met Belle, too bad I didn't bring that dress too.

Then she met Princess Tiana, whom she referred to as "Princess the Frog."

And last she met Cinderella, which I think is her favorite princess movie to watch.

Then we met up with Nicole, Gene, and Caleb for a yummy breakfast in Triton restaurant. After breakfast, Naomi and Caleb met Goofy.

Then we met Lilo and Stitch.

And then we met Daisy (cousin Jessy and cousin Riley joined us in the picture).

After meeting all the characters, we got ready and set out with Debra and Zoey to explore the Bahamas.

We walked around the nearby shops for about an hour and decided to head back to the ship and swim since we weren't close enough to any beach.

Starting from top left: Naomi giving Zoey hugs, a sign I thought was cool, a license plate that had Naomi's name, Naomi with some fake pirate friends, and our huge boat

After about an hour we headed back to the ship to get lunch and swim in the pool.

Naomi and Zoey playing around while we were heading to lunch.

For dinner, we dropped off Naomi in the Oceaneer's Club where they fed her dinner and then had story time with Belle. Once that was over she was ready to be with us again, which meant we were able to enjoy half of our dinner without her. We ate dinner in Parrot Cay and here are the shirts our waiters wore for the night.

After dinner the show we got to see was Toy Story The Musical. It was awesome, they did a really good job. Naomi loved it.

Then we took pictures with Mickey and Minnie and Donald and Daisy.

After that, we headed back to our room to put Naomi down for the night. And this is what our Stateroom Host left us.

We had such a fun day! Well that's the end of Day 2. Coming up, Day 3 on Castaway Cay (pronounced "key")

Disney Cruise, Part 1

2010-01-31T21:41:00.000-08:00

We are back from the cruise. We had so much fun! Naomi loved it! We did so many things that my cruise posts are going to come in parts that way it doesn't have to be one giant post. So we'll start with Saturday and Sunday.

We flew out Saturday January 23 and landed in Florida around 8:30 pm. We got to our hotel around 9:30ish and got settled in and hung out with cousins for about an hour before going to bed.

Sunday January 24 we woke up and while Cory and I got everything out of our hotel room Naomi was running around with her cousins watching the alligator in the pond outside the hotel. So we get to the port around 10:30 so that we can get all registered so we can board early (you board based on your arrival at registration). Well while we were checking in we had to fill out a small questionnaire asking if anyone had been sick at all in the last few days. Naomi had had a runny nose and a slight cough so we answered yes. Yeah for honesty, we had to we 45 minutes to see the doctor, so that Naomi could be cleared to board the ship. And she was cleared since she was basically better. While we waited for the doctor, Naomi got to meet Mickey and see Chip and Dale and I registered her for the kids club.

Naomi and Caleb with Mickey Mouse

Finally we were allowed to board the ship, Naomi was so excited!

Once we boarded the ship we went to the buffet for lunch and then went to our staterooms. Our room was upgraded from the cheapest to the second cheapest room so the were a good size.

The cool thing about the TVs on the boat is that every channel only played Disney shows. They had a Disney classic cartoon channel, new movie channel, classic animated movie channel, Playhouse Disney channel, and so on; I wish that is how my TV could be at home.

After settling in we went to the Oceaneer's Club (the kids' club) so that Naomi could become familiar with the place.

She liked it there (as long as we were close by). It was a really neat place; the play area was like a pirate ship and they had an area for movies and a stage for other activities and the counselors were really nice.

After checking out the club we went to our room to get our life jackets and then headed to our meeting area for the mandatory boat drill.

Naomi fell asleep right before we headed up for the drill so she was really tired.
After the drill was over we went back to our rooms and changed into our bathing suits so we could see the Adventures Away show and then go swimming in the Mickey pool.

Part of the Adventures Away show

Naomi and cousin Zoey had so much fun in the pool.

After swimming, we got ready for dinner at the first restaurant in the rotation of 3 restaurants. Our first dinner was in Animator's Palette. The food was delicious and our servers were awesome. (The cool thing is that our servers rotated with us as we switched from restaurant to restaurant.)

Our servers were Zinzani (on the left) and Chakkapong (on the right)
After dinner we went back to our stateroom to find our room ready for bed, and this cute little bunny (the first of many towel animals)

Naomi fell asleep shortly after, so we hung out in our room and watched "The Golden Mickey's" (that night's show) from our TV.

Before I went to bed, I went to the lobby atrium to get Princess Tiana's and Snow White's autograph for Naomi (even though she was sleeping).

After getting their autopraphs I was ready for bed, especially since Cory and Naomi were already sleeping.

Well that is Day 1 on the cruise ship. Coming up, day 2 in Nassau, Bahamas.

One Week From Today

2010-01-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

One week from today we'll be boarding the Disney Cruise ship. I'm so excited!! But I'm not quite done getting everything ready, luckily we have a whole week left and we only need to buy a couple more things for the trip. I'm pretty sure Naomi is excited for this trip because she tells people she's going on a boat, an airplane, and that she's going to see Mickey and Goofy. She even likes to wear her water shoes almost everywhere we go, she likes to call them her ocean shoes.

I know I haven't posted very many pictures lately (mostly because I forget my camera), but after this trip I'll have many pictures to post.

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-12T00:41:00.000-08:00

2009 was a good and crazy tough year for us. We graduated, we moved, then we moved again, adjusted to drastic climate changes, and adjusted to life changes. I'm so grateful for all that we were blessed with last year, but I am glad that that year is over. 2010 is going to be a great year, full of even more changes. I've been thinking about my personal resolutions and family resolutions and I feel if I don't write them down I may lose sight of my goals. I like how Brian Tracy put it, "Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines." So here goes.

Personal Resolutions
#1 Exercise consistently 5 days a week. And with this goal I plan to train for a half marathon.
#2 Be happier. I'm a happy person, but I feel that I haven't been as happy lately and that I'm more easily irritated. So to help fulfill this goal I'm going to write down 3 things I'm thankful for everyday. So today I'm thankful for Naomi and her lively spirit, I'm thankful that Cory has a secure job, and I'm thankful for the good friends I have.

Family Resolutions
#1 Find the right house for us. We have started house hunting, which is quite the process and we're excited to be making this step in our lives.
#2 Save more money. I know that sounds kind of funny since we are trying to buy a house right now, but we hope to get into a house with a low mortgage so that saving will be reasonable.

Naomi's Resolution (which she doesn't know yet)
#1 Learn to spell her name. She has the ability, I just have to be patient in teaching her. But I know she can do it.

I've had a lot on my mind lately, but I'm glad I finally got that written down. Now I can start focusing on the two most important things right now, finding the right house and getting ready for our Disney Cruise in a couple weeks.

Christmas Festivities

2009-12-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

**Beware this is going to be along post, December was a fun and very busy month**

On the 12th, Tempe holds a Christmas boat parade on the lake, so we went with some friends. I forgot my camera so sorry there are no pictures. We had fun and figured out what to do different to make next year even better. This is going to be a new tradition for our family.

On the 17th, we had the Collinwoods' and Cory's brother over for dinner and games. After we ate, we let Naomi and Caleb open their gifts to each other.

Naomi got Caleb one of those play cell phones and he was so excited. Caleb gave Naomi a bandana dress his mommy made. I was excited, but Naomi was more excited about the packing peanuts. Don't worry as soon as she wears the dress I will post a picture. We had lots of fun hanging out!

The next day I decided I would try and explain the reason why we celebrate Christmas to Naomi. She kind of got it I think. She was really excited when I told her the story of Jesus using our nativity. We spent the afternoon taking turns telling the story using the figurines. Here is Naomi's version (sorry the video is sideways, I couldn't turn it):

On the 19th, we went to a family Christmas party. We ate really good Mexican food. We had a gift exchange, and then Santa came with a bag a presents.

Naomi and Santa drew pictures together. And then she waited patiently, well as patiently as a 2 year old can be, for Santa to call her name so she could sit on his lap. She was really worried that he didn't have a stocking for her. But he did and they just sat and talked for a little bit.

Santa helped Naomi open her gifts from him. She got a harmonica and chap stick, which she loved.

Then after letting everyone else have their turn with Santa, Naomi and Katie (Naomi's kind of cousin) sat with Santa again.

Then they decided they wanted to go to the North Pole with Santa, so they got into his toy bag. Naomi had so much fun!

On the 22nd, we had fun playing at Naomi's cousins' house. It was a "scrap and wrap" party for all my scrapbook buddies at my sister-in-law's house. So while Naomi played with Caleb Cope and her cousins I worked on a Christmas present for Cory. I got the idea from Somewhat Simple, it's "The 12 Daytz of Christmas." It gives a date idea for each month of the year. Here is my final product:

I'm really happy how it turned out; I was worried I wouldn't like it. It was a fun day!

On the 23rd, we went to the zoo with Nicole and Caleb, Jill and her granddaughters, and Naomi's cousins Jessica and Riley. It was a cold day, but we had fun. We rode the train, went to the petting zoo, played in the play area by the wallaby's, and rode the carousel of course.

On Christmas Eve, I got to play basketball in the morning, which was so much fun! That afternoon, we decorated cookies for Santa. Naomi's favorite part was pouring on the sprinkles.

That evening we went over to Cory's twin's in-laws for dinner and then we went to see the lights at Mesa Temple. Naomi had fun and loved seeing all the lights and the nativity. When I asked her what the baby's name was in the nativity she told me Leo. She's so funny

She fell asleep on the ride home because it was late, so I set out the cookies for her.

Christmas day Naomi woke up at 8 and was happy to see that Santa ate her cookies and she was even more excited to see the presents. She loved everything she got and loved opening the presents.

We went to Naomi's cousins' for lunch and then to Cory's twin's in-laws' again for dinner, real Chicago pizza.

The next day, I hit the sales and got some new Christmas tree ornaments (that I am so excited about), this is the first time since we've been married that I've gotten new ornaments so I'm way excited for next year. That evening we went to my Grandma Taylor's house for dinner and saw family I haven't seen in a long time.

Overall, we had a great Christmas. Busy, but lots of fun. We hope you all had a very merry Christmas!

Project Ornaments

2009-12-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

So I've been feeling crafty lately and I found a really cute idea for making Christmas tree ornaments out of toilet paper rolls. I got the idea from the muffin tin mom, follow this link to check it out: Muffin Tin Mom.

So here is my finished product.

The next time I do a project like this I will use acrylic paint instead of spray paint. Reason one: I can't stand the smell of spray paint. Reason two: in order to make sure that the paint was even all over I had to use my fingers to rub it all around and some of my stars still have spots without paint. But it was fun and I'm glad I'm done.

Ho Ho Ho

2009-12-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

The Sunday after Thanksgiving we told Naomi that we could set up the Christmas tree. She was so excited. She helped us put lights on the tree and put a couple ornaments on the tree and then she started playing with the stockings and the Santa hat.

(As soon as Naomi put on the hat she started saying "Ho ho ho")

(Naomi thought the stockings were big boots)

(Here is the finished product. Yes I know our tree looks a little bare, but this year I will finally get new ornaments during the after Christmas sales.)

Thanksgiving Recap

2009-12-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was fun this year. My parents and my little brother came to visit us. Naomi loved having them here.

Wednesday before Thanksgiving we stopped by the ASU bookstore so my dad could get a running shirt to add to his collection. He convince Cory and me to get a shirt too so we could be matching for the race the next day. For lunch we took my family to Paradise Bakery (one of my fav places to eat) and they loved it, especially the cookies. We then went to my Aunt Jolyn's house and hung out with all the family. We had dinner there to celebrate my dad's birthday.

Thanksgiving morning my dad, Cory, and I ran in the Mesa Turkey Trot 10K. My dad was nice and ran slow with me.

(Here we are before the race)

(Here are Naomi and Brad waiting at the finish line)

(My dad and I are finally at the finish line, at 1 hour and 2 minutes)

(Cory finished 7 minutes after us, pretty good for not even training)

After the race we went home, showered, and made some pies. When we were all done with the pies we headed over to Cory's mom's house. It was a lot of fun because Debra (Cory's sister) and niece Zoey, Craig (Cory's twin) and wife Amy and Debra's friend and two sons came. We ate a lot of good food and just lounged around. That evening we went over to Amy's parents' house for pie.

Friday after Thanksgiving we did some Black Friday shopping, but we didn't go until 9 am. We got all but two items on our list (pretty good for not getting up at 5 am to shop). For lunch we took my family to Chipotle and they loved it. That afternoon we went to my Grandma Taylor's house (my mom's mom) to celebrate her birthday and hang out with all the family.

Saturday was my parents' and brother's last partial day here. That morning my dad wanted to go swimming. We warned him it would be cold because our pool isn't heated, but he insisted. Cory, Naomi, and I enjoyed the hot tub and watching dad get into the pool. After about 5 minutes of trying to adjust to the water he decided he'd come join us in the hot tub. We spent the rest of the morning just hanging out. Before they went to the airport we took them to In-N-Out for lunch.

Thanks Grandma Dorie and Papa Steve, oh and Uncle Brad too for visiting us.

Somesaults and Princess Crowns

2009-11-29T20:50:00.001-08:00

A week ago Naomi told us she wanted to do her exercises and this is what she showed us.

On another day we made princess crowns. Naomi was a busy princess.

Sweet, Innocent Naomi

2009-11-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

So my sweet little Naomi is going through that terrible age. Naomi was never really destructive and I never really had to worry about her. It first started a week ago. I had her color on the floor in the bathroom so I could get ready for the day, but she decided that the toilet seat lid needed to be colored. Luckily that wiped off. Then the next day she was coloring in the kitchen while I was cooking dinner, and then I suddenly realize that she is coloring on the inside of one of the lower cabinet doors. Luckily it was on the inside, but it still isn't completely gone. Since then she hasn't colored without me watching her every move. Monday morning we were eating breakfast at the table and there were playing cards leftover from playing games with Cory. I was reading something (I don't know what) as I realize she has bit a whole in the center of one of the cards and ate it.

Lately she has also been throwing more tantrums and laughs when I put her in time out. I'm pretty easy going and it takes quite a bit to get me upset, but Naomi has pushed all my buttons. But she made me laugh the other day when we were driving in the car. She had been whining and I tried to calm her down but she said to me, "I'm grumpy. Leave me alone." I know she got the "I'm grumpy" thing from me, but "leave me alone' part just made me laugh.

But I love her so much and now I'm going to go de-stress so that we can have a happier day.

Week of Halloween

2009-11-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

To start off the week Naomi and I made some pumpkin decorations and a necklace which she used as a scary mask.

Oh and here are the decorations I made this year. I bought acrylic cube frames and made my own word blocks that I can change out the pictures and use them all year long.

Then Wednesday we went to Vertuccio Farms with our friends Karen and Caleb. They had barell train ride, bounce house, farm animals, hay maze, and more. Naomi and Caleb loved the hay maze, they kept running around in circles and loved choosing different paths to follow. Naomi loved the bounce house but didn't exactly enjoy being taken down by Caleb.

Wednesday after Cory got off work we left for Colorado for Cory's grandparents 75th wedding anniversary. We were planning on getting to Cory's dad's house by midnight but because of a major accident that had us backed up for over an hour and really slippery roads we stayed the night in a hotel and finished the drive Thursday morning. Naomi was so excited when we finally got to Papa Buzz's that the first thing she wanted to do was play in the snow. It was fun to see the snow, but it was so cold that I missed being in Arizona weather. I'm sad to say I didn't get any pictures at the anniversary party but as soon as I get the pictures other people took I'll post some. It was fun to see Cory's family (immediate and extended). Naomi had fun playing with cousin Zoey and especially loved her dog Jasmine.

Halloween day was fun. Our family dressed as the Flintstones. My costume I bought, but Cory's and Naomi's costumes I made, and for not being a seamtress they turned out really good. So we went to Bashas to do a little trick-or-treating with Caleb, Karen, and Brandon. Naomi got a pumpkin painted on her face. Then we went over to Aunt Sondra's to join them at their ward party. They had carnival games to win candy, they had dinner, and music. Then after we went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood with Cody, Jessie, Nicole, Gene, Caleb, Karen, Brandon, and Caleb. After ward we went and played games over at Brandon and Karen's. We had so much fun!

He Thinks My Tractors Sexy

2009-11-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

On the 23rd, we went to the zoo with Nicole and Caleb. The kids had a lot of fun. Naomi loved sitting on the tractor and was very upset when it was time to move on.

Naomi was so busy driving the tractor that she wouldn't look at me for any picture.

After looking at the animals and playing in the water area, we went on the carousel before leaving. Naomi chose the lion.

Thanks Nicole and Caleb for a fun day at the zoo.

From the mouth of Naomi

2009-10-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Papa Buzz came to town and Naomi was so happy. So we went to dinner with him, Aunt Sondra, Uncle Eric, Aunt Amy, and Uncle Craig. On the way home Aunt Amy and Uncle Craig rode with us. Aunt Amy and I were singing songs with Naomi, but then Naomi got sick of it. We were naming off songs and starting to sing another song when Naomi said, "I don't want to. I'm grumpy." It was so funny.

A couple days ago I came home from running and Naomi was already awake, which she usually isn't, and Cory had put on a movie for her in our bed so he could sleep more. I go into my room to say hi to Naomi and she says to me, "Mommy, get out of my room." I laugh and say, "No this is mommy's room." Then Naomi says, "No (long pause) it's my room."

What we've been up to

2009-10-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Warning: This will be a long post. So enjoy.

A week ago Monday, I put Naomi's Halloween shirt from last year (which was big then) on her and it fit. But definitely won't fit next year. So I told Naomi to say cheese and this is what turned out.

The next day (a week ago Tuesday) we thought it would be fun to put on her tutu and dance. She was spinning and hopping and doing yoga moves.

Once she got bored of dancing, she thought it would be fun to play with her beach ball. She especially enjoyed throwing it up in the air as high as she could.

The next day Naomi helped make cupcakes.

On Saturday, we went to a baby shower for my cousin Jessica. Naomi loved playing with all the balloons. And then we had a barbeque with our friends the Millers and the Smiths. We watched the BYU football while our kids played. Then we played sword fighting on their Wii and the kids had fun mimicking us. I wish I had taken pictures because the kids were so cute.

On Sunday we had dinner with Great Uncle Dale and all his family, Great Aunt Mary, and Great Grandma and Great Papa Taylor. Before we went over there we had to make mashed potatoes and Naomi wanted to help.(I'm sad because I forgot to pull out my camera while we were there visiting)
On Monday, Naomi went to a dance class that a lady in our ward has put together for our ward. The class was small that day but Naomi had fun.

After the dance class, we headed to the outdoor mall. We played at the playground with our friends the Hilton's (sorry no pictures). Before we left we went into the Build-A-Bear store and then the Disney Store. Naomi had fun trying on a princess dress and shoes (which I totally forgot to take her picture) and then she tried on the Winnie the Pooh costume. She looked so cute.

That night we had Family Home Evening. We haven't been very consistent since moving here, but we've been consistent for about the last month or so. Anyway, Naomi gets really grumpy when we say it's time for FHE. But this time she actually participated and mostly understood what was going on. Lately we've been having a hard time keeping the house clean, it's like no matter how much I clean it's never all done. So our lesson was based on the scripture Doctrine and Covenants 88:119. I drew a picture of a house and Naomi said it was our house. Then I split the house into different parts and told her if we wanted to have a House of God, that we also needed a "house of prayer, ...fasting, ...faith, learning, ...glory, ...order" and that we would focus on order. Then I took another paper and drew a picture of Naomi, me and Cory; and next to the pictures I drew what our chores were for the week. She really liked that, and so far we have followed through with what we talked about. It's nice to know that at least one of the last four or five lessons Naomi actually learned something from it.

Yesterday we had fun playing around the house and at the park. (She loves to cheese the camera)

(In the above picture she is building a "fire." The fire is a pile of wood chips, what an imagination.)

After quiet time, Naomi wanted to make a treasure map. So I drew one for her to color and I made her a pirate patch. She had fun being a pirate and searching for treasure with her map.

I know this was a long post, but I hope you enjoyed.

More Onesies

2009-10-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

So here are the onesies I did for a girl.

I used adhesive felt and then hand stitched around them.

Baby Shower Gifts

2009-10-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

I went to a baby shower a month ago and one of the gifts was some really cute onesies. What made them so cute is what the girl added to them. The girl took some plain white onesies and added felt in different objects. They were so cute so I thought I'd try it, especially since I have a couple baby showers coming up. It was so easy, especially for someone like me who has little sewing ability. Here is my final product:

Halloween Fashion

2009-10-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

There have been some pretty cute shirts out there for Halloween this season, but I hadn't quite seen one that I wanted to get for Naomi. So I thought if I can't find what I want for her I'll try to make it. I took this plain white shirt and added a felt witch silhouette. I love how it turned it and it was so easy, especially since I have very little sewing skills. I think Naomi looks so cute in it.

You Break It, We Fix It

2009-10-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

Naomi likes Handy Manny and she loved the movie Tinkerbell. Because of these shows she likes to pretend she's fixing things. So she told me my closet door was broken and that she'd fix it.

In one of the drawers in the bathroom Naomi found some toothpaste which she used as a glue on the door and then she found a thermometer and used it as a screwdriver. She's so creative.

Ramblings of an Insomniac

2009-10-02T23:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is but lately I have had the hardest time getting to sleep, even more than normal. It's a little frustrating. I can't get my mind to quit. I just lay and think about everything: to-do lists, shopping, projects, unfinished projects, stresses of life and so on. It takes me a while to wind down. So maybe if I just write what I'm thinking I'll be able to fall asleep (don't worry I have cute stuff to blog about Naomi, so this will only take a moment).

I either have really good days or really bad days, nothing in between. And throughout those days I have really good moments and really bad moments. It's like a continuous roller coaster ride. I've realized that part of my problem is in those bad days and bad moments I only see the really bad. I've been trying harder to see the good in every situation, it usually takes a while but I see it...eventually. Like the other night when Naomi was grumpy as could be, I was trying to get her ready for bed and before I could get her pull up on her for the night she ran out of the room. Normally when she does that I chase after her more out of anger and she laughs and runs and I get more frustrated. But this time I finally just let her run around and giggle, and I realized how much I love when she laughs and that she only thinks we're playing a game. It really did make the bad moment not seem so bad.

This definitely cleared my mind, so I'm off to dream land. Thanks for patiently reading through my ramblings :)

"I'm So Pretty"

2009-09-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

That is what Naomi said to me after we got all her jewelry on. One of her necklaces is a turtle whistle, so she was playing a song for me while I took pictures of her.

Kids Say continued...

2009-09-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

So when you tell Naomi to say sorry, she says, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," in the sweetest little voice.

I was putting her to bed tonight (which was taking forever) and when I thought she was finally asleep, I quietly got up to leave her room. As soon as I stood up she lifted her head and looked up at me and said, "mommy, don't leave me."

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2009-09-28T21:43:00.001-07:00

Naomi is going through a time where she says the funniest things and she repeats everything you say. Cory said "dang it" one day and later as we were walking out of church she said, "dang it, dang it, dang it." It was cute, but I wasn't happy that she was saying it. But it could have been worse.

When Naomi is in her car seat, she likes to slip her arms out of the seat belt. When she did it this evening, she stretched out her arms and said, "I'm free!"

One of her new favorite sayings is, "I cannot believe it." And she always says it at the funniest times.

This evening when I said it was prayer time, she folded her arms and started the prayer. "Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, uh..." I had to help her finish but she started the prayer all by herself. I'm so proud of her. It made my heart melt.

Project Bows

2009-09-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I got together with Kristina and Tiffany (friends from my ward) and we worked on bows and flowers clips almost all day. I even made a bow holder for Naomi. Naomi played with Kristina's girls and they got along pretty well. It was fun! Here are the finished products:

I only made one bow holder because I thought that one would be enough, but when I was putting all of Naomi's bows on it I realized that she would need another bow holder. So I can't wait until our next bow making day so I can make another bow holder too.

Happy Birthday to you, You live in a Zoo...

2009-09-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

So this month has been busy with birthdays in our family: my grandma's, my brothers, Cory's brother, lots of friends, and other family members' birthdays. We've also celebrated my birthday and Cory's birthday. Cory's was the 12th and mine was the 20th. For Cory's birthday, he went golfing with his twin, watched BYU win a football game for him, and we went on a date. Then between our birthdays we celebrated with some family and friends. We had my new favorite cake, a big chocolate cookie from Paradise Bakery (if you haven't had one of their cookies you are missing out).

For my birthday, my visiting teachers made me lunch on Friday to celebrate my birthday. I went on a shopping trip to Kohl's. On my actual birthday, Cory let me sleep in and he got Naomi ready for church. Then Cory's mom made us dinner so I wouldn't have to cook. On Monday Cory took me and Naomi to dinner, then he let me do a little more shopping.

So Cory and I both had good birthdays and we hope everyone else who had or will have a birthday this month had a great day!

Stop and Smell the...Popcorn

2009-09-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Naomi loves to be a dog. She especially loves to sniff everything like dogs do. She loves to smell the flowers as we walk by each bush and she especially loves to smell food. So while Naomi was watching a movie and eating popcorn today, she started complaining about her nose and was sniffing a ton. I came over to see what was wrong with her nose. I didn't see anything so I pinched her nose to keep whatever was bothering her from getting stuck. That is when I noticed the kernal. I tried to get her to blow it out but all she would do is suck in so I didn't stop pinching her nose. I tried to use my finger but that didn't work. I finally squeezed it out.

She's always been really good about not putting the un-popped kernals in her mouth; she usually throws them all away. But today she was curious to know what they smelled like.

Let's just say, it was a scary moment for both of us, and hopefully she learned her lesson.

I'm a Big Kid Now

2009-09-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

Naomi is growing up so fast. This week she has shown me that she is no longer a baby; she is now potty trained. I was so afraid to potty train her because of how the last time we tried went, but I finally decided no more diapers.

We started Tuesday and the morning had gone as I expected. She recognized her need to go but was always too late. But at 1:30 pm that all changed. We were coloring on her whiteboard when all of a sudden she ran out of the room. I followed after her to find that she sat down and went on her potty. It was an amazing feeling to see her finally make the connection. Now no one's perfect and she's still learning, but since then she has only had a few accidents. She's not afraid of any potty. She's gone at a friend's house and even gone in a restaurant.

I'm so proud of her.

Here are some pictures of the fun we've had while potty training.

She's done a lot of reading,

she's played with lots of stickers,

she's potty trained her baby,

she's watched 101 Dalmations a million times,

and has made lots of funny faces at me, especially when we wash her hands.