The Story of Our Life

Trying to be like Jesus

2012-01-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Sophie had her first day of her primary class at church today. This is the conversation we had just a few minutes ago.

Sophie: Mom, I am trying to be like Jesus.

Mom: Like How?

Sophie: I be nice like Jesus. If you are lost Jesus will help you find your way house. If you can’t know what to do, Jesus will help you. If a wolf is going to get you, Jesus will help you. If your tv is not working Jesus will come and fix it. If your shirt is torn Jesus will sew it up. (What?)

Mom: Um…Jesus won’t come and sew up your shirt or fix your tv, but he might send someone to help you.

Sophie: Mom, Jesus takes good care of us.

5 Months Old

2011-12-11T11:38:00.003-07:00

Addie you are the big "05," months old that is. This last month has been very exciting. You have been laughing much more and you think Sophie is just the funniest. She makes you laugh all the time. Tonight she was saying look at my bear and each time she said it, you totally belly laughed. I think that you two will be really good friends.

You are almost sitting up on your own now. You still fall to the side but I can see you are close to mastering it. You have great hand eye coordination. Picking up blocks, toys, blankets, binkies, etc. You have that down. Riding in the car has become SOOOOooo much better. It seems to be a rare occasion for you to scream for long periods of time in the car. You actually slept in your car seat at the gym the whole time I was there tonight. I think the sound of the machines was soothing.

You are super beautiful and have a gorgeous smile. I love when you smile and act a little shy. You still prefer to be held while the holder is standing. Sometime you hangout on the couch and watch tv with mom or dad. You have been eating solid foods for about the past month. You are a good eater and that seems to help lengthen your nap time too. =) All in all, I think your a keeper.

Love you Addie.

Don't be fooled, most of the pictures turned out like this one below.

I love my girls.

Wind Storm

2011-12-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, December 1st we experienced the most crazy weather we have ever faced. Catogory 2 hurricane winds that lasted from 2am to 12:30pm. The winds were consistently between 70-80 mph with gusts up to 102 mph. Our house was shaking, we received damage to the house and lost power for 28 hours.

I think the craziest part was that there was never a time when the wind calmed down. Not once. It just kept blowing and blowing then harder gusts would come through. We watched as our siding came off, our neighbor's roof blew off and lots of other stuff fly down the street.

This is some of the siding that didn't actually come off but is blown up all over the house.

Our fence held a lot better compared to most others around us. We will need to reset all the posts and put the one section back in.

A neighbor's fence

That used to be our patio table.

Our trampoline pad was torn apart.

This is the siding on our breeze way, or what's left of it.

Our neighbor lost lots of siding too.

It's a little hard to tell but in the middle of this picture is what is left of the McDonald's sign.

This is what the 7-11 canopy looks like on both sides.

You're 4 Months Old Adeline

2011-11-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

You're 4 months old Adeline(well you were when I started this post three weeks ago). Can you believe it? You are growing so fast and I feel like you could be crawling an day now. That's not really true, but you seem old enough and strong enough to be. You are so aware of all your surroundings. You love to watch Sophie play. A couple days ago she was jumping from couch to couch and you just followed her with every move she made.

We haven't been to your 4 month check up, but I think you are around 16 lbs. You are wearing 6-9 month and 9-12 month clothes. You are very strong and love to walk around in your walker. The other day Grandpa Beaird had you walking down the hallway to him. You seem to be getting less fussy but you still have your moments. You can be a really screamer. I laugh because Sophie will say things like, mom your baby is screaming her head off again or our baby is always screaming. Despite the annoyed looks Sophie some times gives, she loves you very much.

Little Pink Bears

2011-10-21T18:28:00.000-06:00

We put Addie in the little pink bear outfit that Sophie practically lived it. Addie will not be living in it because she had almost grown out of it now.

Which one is Addie and which is Sophie?

Addie on the top and Sophie on the bottom.

Uncle Erik's Visit

2011-10-19T14:12:00.000-06:00

After the family came down for Adeline's blessing, Erik got to say for the week. Since he will be heading off to collage at BYU Idaho next month and then on a mission some time soon, it was nice to spend some time with him.

Indoor Skydiving and Uncle Scott's Visit

2011-10-17T21:58:00.003-06:00

Uncle Scott came to visit us last month. It was fun hanging out with him and after Sophie warmed up, she loved hanging out with him.

While here we headed to the Salomon Center in Ogden and went flying. Indoor skydiving at iFly. Mom, Scott, me and even Sophie did it. It was really fun and different then I was expecting. I thought I would feel like I was falling a bit more, but it was almost like just laying down.

Doesn't Sophie look SOOOOoooo cute!!!

This video is a little long, but you totally need to watch Sophie about 30 seconds into it. They fly her up into the top part of the wind tunnel and is really cool. We all got to fly up high. Then they make Scott walk out of the tunnel by himself and it was really funny!!

New Parking and Sidewalk

2011-10-15T22:05:00.000-06:00

We have been working toward putting in another parking pad next to the driveway and a sidewalk to the back apartment door. After a couple weeks of prep work, we were ready to pour.

At 6:00am the cement truck came and the real work began. Knowing it was too much for us to handle on our own, we hired some help and had one really awesome neighbor join the crew.

See how dark is was when the pour.

We were about two yards shy on the concrete and had to send the truck to go get more. That actually worked our good timing wise and then we had enough from the second load to finish the retaining wall form that we have been working on in the front yard.

We woke Sophie up to see the cement truck. We didn't want her to miss that. It also happened to be the same weekend that Grandma and Grandpa Olson and Uncle Scott were visiting.

Sophie's Three Year Old Pictures

2011-10-13T23:50:00.000-06:00

I have been meaning to post this pictures. These were done by the same photographer that did Sophie's two year old pictures and Addie's Newborns. www.richinsphoto.com

I love love love them!!!

The Circus

2011-10-11T22:45:00.001-06:00

For Mitchell's birthday, Angie wanted to take him to the circus. I was fortunate to score some tickets for their whole family, plus Sophie and me. I had been to the Ringling Brother's circus once before about 5 years ago, but I wasn't sure if the show would be different or not. To my surprise, it was pretty different then before and really fun. I think it was a good show for people of all ages.

We saw lots of elephants and tigers. Grandma Beaird found this shirt for Sophie to where to the circus.

Addie's Three Months Old

2011-10-08T22:27:00.000-06:00

Today, Oct 8th, Adeline is three months old. Oh how time flies. Addie you are a busy baby and love to have undivided attention. You want people to look you in the eye and you like to be held (a lot). We have discovered that you like your walker and push yourself backwards around on the kitchen floor. Sophie has taken to pushing you around the kitchen island in it. You also seem to use the walker as a great place to get the poopies out.

(This is you asleep in the walker)
You love to smile and are trying to talk a lot. Lately you have been chewing on your fingers and ours. Are you teething? Possibly. One thing for sure, you like to eat. If you have a full tummy, you sleep really well. Mommy and daddy both appreciate that.

You kind look just like your sister, minus the brown eye and a little more brown hair. Beautiful, we can't get enough of you. (Except when we are riding in the car and you are screaming.) The car rides are actually getting better. We drove 3 1/2 hours each way from camping this week and you did awesome in the car. Only a couple minutes of crying.

You like to watch everything. You will actually sit and watch the tv. What 3 month old watches tv? You also look out the window of the car while we are driving (in between screaming).

Adeline, you are a happy baby that is growing too fast. Please try and stay my little baby a bit longer. By the way, we are getting out the 6-9 month clothes this weekend.

Picture Credit to Sophie Above and Below

We Are Still Alive...Will Blog Soon

2011-10-03T16:35:00.000-06:00

Sophie's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-16T23:15:00.001-06:00

On September 6th Sophie had her first day of preschool. She goes to a lady here in the neighborhood and has a small class of 5 kids, 4 of which are boys. She seems to really like it.
When we showed up at preschool for the first time she said, "this is a house." I am pretty sure she was expecting a school building. I told her that her class was inside the house and that seemed to be a good enough answer for her.

Addie 2 Months Old

2011-09-15T10:33:00.009-06:00

Saying Addie is two months old seems like an understatement. Yes technically by age she turned two months on the 8th, but she is much older and bigger then your average 2 month old. Here are her two month stats:

Weight: 13lbs 1oz 93%
Height: 24inchs 91%
Head: Not sure how big but 26%

At Sophie's 4 month check up she was 13lbs 3.5oz and 24 inches tall. Needless to say, Addie is quite advanced for her age.

(See likes to have something covering her face when she sleeps)

Sophie is totally in love with Addie. Asking about Addie is usually the first thing she says in the morning. She likes to help hold her and get things for me. She was mad the other night because Addie had on the matching jammies Grandma Olson gave them but Sophie had different ones on. She wanted Addie and her to match.

Addie is smiling everyday and loves to talk with us. The coos and gurgling sounds are soooo cute!! About a week ago she started sleeping through the night which has been quite enjoyable for everyone. She still likes to be held a lot, but also enjoys time laying on here back. The car seat continues to be a battle, but things have improved. She spends more time not crying in the car then crying so that's progress.

Starting to hold toys

I think Addie is saying " I love you grandma."

The Girls at 7 Weeks

2011-08-27T18:33:00.003-06:00

Top: Sophie Bottom: Addie

Top: Sophie Bottom: Addie

A Walmart Savings Trip

2011-08-19T12:40:00.000-06:00

6 pectin packets, 2 trail size cascade dishwasher tablets, 4 boxes of Johnsonville Burgers, 2 Advil 10 count, 4 bags of Starbursts, 8 Idahoan Potato Mix, 1 Kikoman Teriyaki Sauce, 2 Farmland Sausages, 2 containers of Feta, 2 Tortilla Stuffers and 2 boxes of UKotex pantyliners.

Retail 66.84
Paid: 24.65
Savings of: 42.19
63% Savings

Sophie First Dentist Appointment

2011-08-18T13:57:00.000-06:00

Sophie went to her first real dentist appointment. We did one once when she was two, but she wouldn't even open her mouth. This time she was awesome. She let them brush her teeth, do the x-rays and everything else. She was a rockstar!

Note to Self

2011-08-17T13:35:00.003-06:00

Do not buy Tide detergent, I repeat do not do it! I know you got a great price on it and it is a really great detergent, but you are apparently allergic to it. In case you ever are temped to buy it, look back at the pictures in this post and remember the four weeks that you were so itchy from your shoulders to your feet you could hardly stand it. Good thing you kept your receipt and got a refund.

-Sincerely,

Yourself

Happy Birthday Daddy

2011-08-16T13:41:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Daddy, we love you so much!
You are the best daddy.

I'm one month (Aug 8th)

2011-08-15T13:40:00.000-06:00

Addie is one month old and we are loving every minute of it. She is super strong and getting bigger everyday. She can hold her head up and sits up very well. I have been considering getting her a bumbo chair already. (If anyone is getting rid of one, let me know.) Addie has been a joy to have in our family and fits right in. Here are a few things about Addie:

She does NOT like her carseat or riding in the car. (if you will notice in these pictures she is not buckled into her seat because I had to take her out as soon as we got to the park.) She will usually just screams until she is sweaty and exhausted then maybe falls asleep. I used to pull over every 5 minutes or so to try and feed her or burb her, but to no avail, she will still scream. We have all gotten used to her crying in the car =( I hope she will grow out of that.

Other then time in the car, she is a happy baby. She loves to cuddle and sleep on her tummy. I have told her that my baby books say she is not allowed to sleep on her tummy yet, but she has apparently not read that part. Needless to say she gets to nap on her tummy when mommy is with her, but at night she has to sleep on her back. Sorry Addie, wait until you get a little older then you can sleep how you want.

We also had the chance to bless Addie this month. Her blessing was on August 7 at our church in Farmington. We did the blessing a little earlier then usual because it worked out best for visiting family. Plus, if we waited any longer Addie probably would not have fit into the dress. (I heart my big baby.) Addie's Great-Grandma Bliss, Grandma and Grandpa Olson, Uncle Erik and much of her Beaird family (too many to name) side got to come for the blessing. Mike did a beautiful job with the blessing. It was also very special because Uncle Erik was able to participant in the blessing.

As you can tell by this delayed posting, getting things like this done with two kids is a little more difficult. In fact, Sophie is on a playdate and Addie is sleeping and that is why this is getting done. I love it though and wouldn't trade it for anything. My girls are super special to me.

Adeline

2011-08-11T22:25:00.001-06:00

Addie's Newborn Photos

2011-07-31T00:10:00.003-06:00

Check out Addie's newborn photos! I am so excited about them. I really love the ones of the two girls together.

"
Addie - Images by Gabriella Richins

Awesome RiteAid Score

2011-07-30T17:14:00.001-06:00

I got these 6 Aussie products and one pantene for $2.19! Seriously Awesome. It was nothing tricky, just a few coupons and a sale. I love coupons!

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Sophie Emilee Beaird at 3 Years Old

2011-07-28T18:56:00.002-06:00

Sophie, you got to go see Dr. Nelsen yesterday too! You weighted in at 32lbs and you are 37 inches tall. I don't have exact percentiles for you from the doctor, but according to the internet you are in the 63% for weight and 47% for height. You are just perfect. You were also a great patient at the doctor and listen to everything Dr. Nelsen told you.

Sophie, here are some things I want to remember to tell you:

You are a sweet girl. You are always thinking about other people and want to make sure that you share and that others have a turn to play.
You are so beautiful and mommy loves to play make-up and nail shop with you. You also sit very good while I brush, blow dry and style your hair. You have beautiful hair and have only ever had one hair cut right before your 2nd birthday.
You tell me several times a day that you love me and will randomly give me hugs and kisses.
You have certainly turned 3. A few weeks before Addie was born you started wanting to do everything for yourself. You can now dress yourself (which you do multiple times a day), you can buckle your own carseat, you can get water from the fridge and you know how to turn on the iPad, push the passcode and play most every game.
Also, as part of being 3, your listening skills seemed to have decreased. Hmm...we will have to work on that one.
You are starting to draw really well and can write a handful of letters. You also can sound out some letters too. K is for Kuma, B is for Bjorn, M is for Mommy and Mia, D is for Daddy and Dog, S is for Sophie and Snake, A is for Addie, etc.
You love to spell the word STOP. You want us to stop at every STOP sign long enough for you to spell it. This is not always possible when there is traffic behind us.
You have spent a lot of time this summer in the garden with Grandma Beaird and water the plants. You also love to play on your swing. I think you would swing all day if you could.
You play and make up games with your toys. You are completely into talking to your dolls, naming them and playing pretend. I love to listen to you talk with them. It is hard not to laugh sometimes at the funny situations you come up with.
You are still a Milk-A-Saurous. I don't know what you would do without milk. You drink about a gallon a week all by yourself.
You love to dance. Mommy is going to try and sign you up for dance class this next month. In the mean time, you are loving gymnastics and have been in the "big girl" class for about a month now. You are a pretty good listener, but occasionally you wander into another class.
The other day we were in the yard talking to some neighbors and the kids were playing in and out of the street. You ran over and asked if you could have my hand so you could go play in the street too. I love that you like to follow the rules.
You do not like it if we move the car before your carseat buckles are on. This is a good thing but some times it can be time consuming to wait for you to do the buckles yourself.

There are so many things I want to tell you and I will try and write more of them down. The biggest thing is for you to know how much you are loved by everyone. People are always complementing you on how polite and what a good girl you are. Mommy and Daddy are so lucky to have been given you from our Heavenly Father. You are such a special spirit and you let your light shine to everyone.

Adeline Elizabeth Beaird at 3 Weeks

2011-07-27T23:23:00.007-06:00

Addie will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and today we went in for her first check up.

Let's start with the stats.

(sneek peek at coming newborn photos)
Weight: 10lbs 5oz (95%)
Height: 22 inches (95%)
Head: 14 inches (75%)
(Sophie was 10lbs 4oz and 22.5" long at her 2 1/2 month check up)

In other words, we have a big baby. The doctor said she looks perfect (which I didn't need to go to the doctor to find that out.)

Addie, here are some things that I want to remember to tell you:

You have been excellent at nursing. You latched on right away a few minutes after you were born and have done well since.
You are kind of a snacker, you like to eat a bit and wait, then eat a little more.
When you are awake you are really bright eyed and try to take it all in.
You are also very strong and can pretty much hold your head up all on your own.
You are a pretty good sleeper, though at night you don't always want to fall asleep right away, but you sleep well once you have.
You like to be cuddled and sleep lying on someone.
Your sister loves you so much. She helps me get things for you, lets us know if you are crying and tells everyone she can about her "sister baby."
You are extremely beautiful and your dad and I spend time just looking at you.
Your hair is a bit darker then Sophie's was but you two have about the same amount of hair. That is one of the first things most people comment about when they meet you.

We love you so much Adeline.

19 Days Old...Already?

2011-07-26T20:15:00.002-06:00

I just put Addie in a 3-6 month jammie.
Where is my tiny baby?
Tomorrow I am taking the girls to the doctor.
Sophie for her 3 year old well check and
Addie for her 2 week well check.
It will be fun to see what their stats are.

Checking on Addie

2011-07-22T10:59:00.001-06:00

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Sophie's Garden Birthday Party

2011-07-21T13:00:00.004-06:00

Sophie's is 3. What a fun age and a smart beautiful girl. For Sophie's birthday we had a flower garden party. Her cousins' Tayen, Mia, Lauren and Emma came over to help celebrate and play with us. Sophie was so excited for her party that she sat in a chair on the front porch for 45 minutes waiting for her cousin's to come.

For the party decor I used some outdoor carpeting as a tablecloth, flower plates, watering cans and each girl get a flower headband.

We started the party with planting flowers.

Then we spent time blowing bubble and playing in the bubbles from the bubble machine. The girls were covered in soap by the end of it, but had a great time.

After playing in the bubbles we came in for birthday wishes and cupcakes. I love this picture of Sophie. She was very excited to blow out her candles.

A few presents.

More "tap" shoes...she loves these.

Gardening tools so Grandma and Grandpa Beaird can put her to work in the yard.

So many beautiful girls

Grandma Olson was able to be here for the party. Thanks mom for being around. The girls and I love having you here. (And Mike too)

Addie pretty much slept for the whole party. Thanks for being such a good baby!

Target Deals This Week

2011-07-13T19:20:00.003-06:00

Target Shopping Trip Today. Check out a few of the super scores! I love things that are free.

2 Crystal Light To-Go 10ct

4 Boxes Jello

16oz Chicken Drumsticks (.49¢)

46oz Chicken Quarters

2 Nail Polish Remover (.47¢ each)

2 Pillows (.50¢ each)

600ct Napkin

50ct paper plates

Alcohol (.37¢)

Peroxide (Free)

2 2pk Sharpies (Free)

12pk pens (.02¢)

2 Scotch Tape (Free)

3 12pk Pop Tarts

2 100ct Sandwich Ziplocks

2 Hot Fudge Toppings (.50¢ each)

2 24 Double Roll Charmin

2 Boxes size 2 108ct Luvs Diapers

Retail: $118.36

Sales/Coupons: $61.91

Out of Pocket: $56.45

52% Savings

Sophie and Addie Comparison

2011-07-10T19:39:00.001-06:00

She's Here...Adeline Elizabeth Beaird

2011-07-09T07:18:00.002-06:00

This is Addie and me about 24 hours before she graced us with her presence.

A little before family shot while walking out the door to the hospital Friday morning. Sophie really wanted to go with us. She has been very excited to meet her baby sister.

While waiting for her to come, Mom, Mike and I entertained ourselves with our laptops.
Here is how the day went:
Pitocin was started about 8:30 am
My water was broken around 10:15am
I got my epidural about 12:15
Started pushing at 2:15pm
Addie was born at 2:37pm

And then we were all shocked to see this 9lb 7oz, 22" long baby.

She was perfect and healthy

Proud Mommy

First Family Photo

Daddy and his girls. I love this shot.

Addie and Grandma Beaird

Sophie and Addie hanging with Grandma

Grandchild number 2 for Grandma Olson. We were so glad that she could be here to bring Addie into the world.

Just the girls and their Grandmas'

Proud Grandpa Beaird

Addie and I had our own little photo shoot with my laptop today. It was fun to just hang out the two of us this morning. Sophie has been hanging out with Grandma Olson and having a great time. She has gotten to visit a few times and loves, loves, loves her baby sister.

We love you Addie!

Addiction?...maybe

2011-07-02T12:30:00.001-06:00

So i am still learning this whole world of couponing. I went to spend my store credit at Rite Aid and ended up spending about $5 more bucks out of pocket but it was totally worth it just for the batteries alone. I was planning to by more batteries for Sophie computer so paying $5 for a 16 pack of batteries and bonus...it has $20 worth of coupons inside of it. Beside the batteries I got 2 deodorants, 2 body washes, 1 tube of toothpaste This picture is $49.45 retail that i scored this time, plus $2 more in rewards.

Week Recap:
Retail Cost: $144.52
Sales/Coupons: $113.07
Out of Pocket: $31.45
% Saved: 78%
I still have $2 credit at Rite Aid and $5 credit at Walgreens

What I got:
4 Old Spice Body Wash
4 Old Spice Deodorant
4 Stay Free Pads
3 Tubes of Toothpaste
4 3 Musketeer Bars
1 Small Gold Fish Crackers (to entertain Sophie)
1 Duracell Batteries AA 16pk
4 Dove Men's Body Wash
3 Dove 6pk face and body bar soap
2 Scotch Tape Rolls

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Just Us Girls

2011-07-01T13:28:00.002-06:00

Mia almost 5, Kendelle 4 1/2, Sophie almost 3, Tayen be 3 in Oct.

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Last Week and Some Other Stuff

2011-06-29T14:55:00.004-06:00

Grandma Olson came to visit last weekend (just in case baby #2 was born and to hang out with us.) I have been really wanting to make jam for the past couple years but have been intimated by it. So mom, Sophie and I made jam. It turned out great and is so tasty!

The weather was so nice that we spent some time swinging at the park. We like to go to this park by our house because the swings are industrial ones so grown-ups like me can swing too!

Sophie had asked specifically if we could go bowling while grandma was here. Which is totally weird because she has only been bowling once and it was like a year ago. She seemed to have fun for about 8 of the 10 frames and then lost interest. Good thing she was free.

Mom was kicking my butt for the first half of the game. I took this picture after her turkey, but she ended up with a 4th strike too. Unfortunately the next few frames did not go as well. And in case you are wondering, I did beat Sophie.

So last week I didn't really do a $20 challenge and this week I went a little over. I spend out of pocket $24.61 (full retail before coupons and sales $92.61), but I have $5 at Walgreen's and $9.38 at Rite Aid in cash back rewards to still spend that I earned from my purchases. I haven't decided what to use the addition money on yet, but I am sure I will figure it out.

And on the baby front...well it is June 29th and I am 11 days from my due date. I had Sophie 10 days early and was in labor 5 days before that, so I really have no idea when this baby is coming. At my doctor's appointment yesterday I was at a 2 and 80% thinned. The baby is well but taking up all the space that I have. Mike hate when I say things like this but I feel like she is going to crawl out my right side. She had been kicking and wiggling more then I remember with Sophie. I mostly stopped working yesterday. I am tired and was ready to have a break. I plan to take off until the first week of October. I might work a little in September, but we'll see.

A few things for the record. I have gained 30 lbs, 4 more lbs then Sophie, but I started this pregnancy 15 lbs less. I figured I would gain a bit more. I have been feeling pretty good now that I have gotten a new sleeping pad and have been having regular prenatal massages for the pain in my back. Sophie seems excited but has been starting to get extra needy. She wants mommy for more things then usual. Fortunately, daddy subbing in for mommy seems to work most of the time.

That's pretty much it for now. Hopefully I will be blogging about this new baby soon!

Super Weekend Score

2011-06-27T10:26:00.002-06:00

I got this 30 ct Olay Cleansing Cloths that was on clearance for $5.08 minus $2 Target mobile coupon and $3 manufacturer coupon. After tax I paid .28 cent!

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Today's Target Trip

2011-06-22T22:30:00.000-06:00

Retail: $63.11

Sales/Coupons:37.36

Total Out of Pocket: 25.75

Over a 59% Savings!

Tic Tacs	1
Tabasco Sause	2
Bullseye	2
A1	1
Kraft Dressing	4
Miracle Whip	1
Hershey Syrup	4
Dannon Smoothie	2
Dannon Yogurt	2
Nail Polish	2
Pantene Shampoo	2
Tums	1
Pasta Noodles	2
Pasta Sauce	2
Kool Aid	2

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Yes I do still have a child...

2011-06-18T13:07:00.010-06:00

Some people (you know who you are) have been giving me a hard time about not posting about my daughter, my pregnancy and daily happenings. So here it goes.

Memorial Day was just a day at home for us because Mike had to work and the weather was not very nice. So Sophie and I sorted baby clothes. It took like 4 hours, but now they have been put in bins by size as well as three bags full of donation items. The picture below is just the shoes, socks, tights and hats. This baby will not be in need of clothes.

We (well everyone but me) have been working a lot in the yard. We have trees, our retaining wall in the front is really coming along, the garden seems to get more stuff added to it everyday, we have plants on the east side of our house and so much more. Mike, Rex and Suzy have really been doing a ton of work.

Sophie "helping" with the stakes on the tomato plants.

Grandma and Grandpa pushing Sophie on her swing. She loves to swing.

These two shots are Sophie in the baby swing at Dan and Juli's house.

She is getting so tall and her hair is getting really long.
I love it!

Beside all the work on the yard, we have been cranking on the basement as well. I will make a separate post just for that, but here are a couple shots from yesterday. This is Sophie helping primer the walls.

Sophie and I getting all geared up to paint.

And I side shot of my pregnant belly. This is 36 weeks and 5 days.

Here is a shot of me at 31 weeks and 3 days.

Back in the end of May we also visited Aimee and Chiz in Las Vegas and they took us to the BassPro Shop to see the mermaid. Sophie and Kendelle were very impressed.

This is me at 32 Weeks and 5 days.

The mermaid would come up to the glass and give the girls a high five and play peek-a-boo. It was pretty fun.

I am sure Sophie and Kendelle would both love their own ATVs.

Two of my beautiful babies. Sophie is in love with her daddy and so do I! Mike has been working full time and going to school full time for the past year. Assuming all goes well, he will be graduating in December with a BS in Mass Communications with an emphasis in New Media.

Target Grocery Trip

2011-06-18T09:20:00.005-06:00

I needed to pick up a few things for a Father's day BBQ we are having on Sunday. So of course I needed to find the best deals I could.

I got the things that I needed plus a few pantry type items. A couple of super scores were first the Nivea Men's body wash regular price 3.04 minus $1 off target coupon and $2 off manufacture coupon made it .04¢! Next was the Bull's-Eye BBQ sauce which is regularly $1.52 minus $1 off when you buy 2 target coupon and two .50¢ off manufacture coupon which makes it .52¢ each.

All in I paid 20.84 for everything. I heart coupons!!

This Week's $20 Challenge is all about cereal

2011-06-15T19:00:00.001-06:00

Cereal, cereal and more cereal. There are some good deals on cereal this week at many grocery stores and when you can match that up with coupons it makes it even better. Now I did go 73¢ over my $20.00 this week, but I will recoup that in a rebate.

These 10 boxes of Kellogg's Cereals have 1 code each in them for a promotion for Cars 2. Every 4 codes earns you a $5 pre-paid visa card. So each box is worth $1.25 to me on top of the sale and coupons. Plus I already had 2 codes from boxes that we already had in our pantry. In 6-8 weeks I will recoup my 73¢ overage plus the other $14.27.

16 Boxes of cereal

Retail about: $55.00
Out of Pocket: 20.73 (or 1.29 per box)
Savings: $34.27
Rebate: $12.50 (I can't count the 2 codes I already had)
Total Savings: $46.77
Final Cost: 8.23 (or .52¢ per box)

Remainder of $20.00

2011-06-09T14:00:00.006-06:00

1 Quilted Northern 12 double rolls
1 All laundry detergent 32 load
4 Full size tubes of Crest toothpaste
1 Pk of Bic 4 blade Flex razors

Retail $30.45
Out of Pocket $9.23
Total Savings: $22.22

Total for $20.00 Challenge
Retail: $71.39
Out of Pocket: $19.96
Total Savings: $51.43

I think this was pretty good for my first try at my challenge. I am excited to start planning for next week. If you want to know about where I get some of my deal info, check out www.couponing101.com. It is a super easy blog to follow and has deal info for lots of different stores.

More Savings

2011-06-06T17:21:00.002-06:00

I continue to explore this new adventure of couponing here is my most resent deal:

Walgreens
2 Old Spice Deodorants 3.25oz
2 Old Spice Body Wash 16oz
1 Bic Comfort Shavers 6pk
1 Gillette Fusion Power Razor
2 Morton's Salt 26oz

Total Retail including tax $40.94
Paid Out of Pocket $10.73
Total Savings $30.21 or 74%

I am giving myself a $20.00 per week challenge to build up a reserve of these types of necessities. It is hard not to want to buy everything because it is such a "good deal" but I am sticking to my guns and only getting the items we like and will use.

Couponing

2011-05-22T20:32:00.002-06:00

No I will not soon be featured on the TLC show "Extreme Couponing" but I have decided to take up couponing again. I am only focused on coupons and deals on things that we buy regularly or things I can get for free.

Here two of my recent savings (Sorry if this is hard to follow)

Purina One Dog Food 34oz bag
We buy this twice a month, so I bought 2.
Reg. 21.99 each
On Sale 18.99 each
Coupon $2.00 off (I had a coupon for each bag)
Catalina $3.00 0ff (Store cash from diaper purchase)
Total Cost:15.49 each
Savings on 2: 13.00

At check out I got a $5.00 off coupon for my next Purina purchase. I can combined that with another $2.00 off manufacture coupon, plus the sales price and purchase a 3rd bag.

With my combined savings, each bag cost $14.32 (plus tax) with a total savings of 23.00.

My Second Savings Deal

Huggies Diapers Size 1, 40ct (Thought I should start getting ready since we are having a baby fairly soon)
Reg. 9.33 each
On Sale 8.99 each
Coupon 3.00 off
Total Cost 5.99 each
When you buy $15.00 worth you get $3.00 store cash (that is what I used on the dog food) so I bought 2 and used a $3.00 coupon for each.

Total Saving on 2: 6.68, plus $3.00 toward my dog food purchase

Retail Cost: $84.63
Total Spend:$54.94

All in, I think saving $30.00 on something I already am buying is totally worth the small effort.

Pre-Easter Weekend with Grandma Olson

2011-04-23T08:47:00.001-06:00

We started off our trip to Grandma and Grandpa Olson's with a visit to the Woodland Park Zoo. We weren't sure if the weather was going to cooperate or not, but it turned out alright. A light sprinkle here and there, but nothing a true Seattlite wasn't used to.

Here is Sophie standing with Grandma and Grandpa Olson in a cave near the lion exhibit. The exhibit was closed that day because they were introducing new lions into the habitat.

This Peacook was super close to us and was showing off its feathers. Sophie did not want to be near this bird at all, but it was pretty cool how long it held it stance.

Sophie helped me take this picture of the elephant.

Grandma Olson and Sophie posing with the baby elephant statue.

In the meerkat area there was little cave/tunnel to crawl through. As you can see, Sophie's boot was not keeping her from enjoying this part.

Of course grandma had to take Sophie on a carousel ride. Sophie is a little bit of a chicken when it comes to rides and the like. She was concerned that there was no seat belt on the horse.

I swear, catching the smile on camera is hard. They either smile before or after the picture snaps.

I think she really like this penguin exhibit because it was easy for small kids to see and enjoy. She liked that the penguins would swim right up to the glass.

After checking out most of the animals we headed over to the Zoomazium. It is an indoor play/discovery area inside the zoo.

Sophie drumming away.

This girl loves her blocks. It is one of her favorite things to play at home too.

Climbing up the rock area heading toward the slide.

She went down the slide probably 10 times. All in all, it was a great day at the zoo. After the zoo we headed to mommy's favorite place, Fuji Teryaki!!! Mmmmm...
After waking Sophie up from her 4 hour nap, she and I went to my friend JoEllen's house to visit and play with her son Benjamin. He is almost exactly 6 months younger then Sophie, so it was a prefect playdate.

The next day Sophie had her first experience coloring Easter eggs. I wasn't sure how this would pan out, but Grandma was more brave then I. I could just picture egg dye spilling and semi-permanently colored fingers. But to my surprise, it worked out rather well.

Sophie likes to do artistic projects. Especially having full attention from Grandma Olson.

Such a precious girl. I love this little face!

Here Grandpa and Sophie are playing blocks.

Later on Saturday we had some of our friends over for a little Easter party. Cara, Eric and Brooklynn along with Cara's parents, Roxie and her Eric, Randa, and my cousins Karl, Amy and their son Tyler.

What a cute Easter Bunny!

Discovering there is candy inside.

Tara and I made the skirt Sophie is wearing. It was a lot of work but totally worth it. I love it! I was to sew ruffles to everything now.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was getting together with these girls! Such great people and friends. Love you all!

Just us 5 girls! When the baby is born, Sophie will be about 3 and Brooklyn will be 1.

Fortune Cookie

2011-04-16T09:56:00.002-06:00

Yesterday my fortune said

Remember three months from this date!
Your lucky start is shining.

Ummm...I am nearly three months from
my due date, July 10. I guess this means
that I won't have the baby until July 15.
We will see. Hee Hee.

So i guess it is broken.

2011-04-11T14:09:00.001-06:00

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So is it Broken or Not?

2011-04-02T18:47:00.002-06:00

On Thursday Sophie slip/jumped/fell from a ladder at the playground about 18 inches to the ground and rolled her ankle. By that night, she still would not put weight on it, but it was not really swollen or discolored at all. We iced it and said if it wasn't better the next day we would take her to the doctor.

By the next morning she was about the same so I decided to take her just in case. After a couple x-rays, which Sophie was perfectly cooperative for with me not being able to be next to her because of the baby, we headed back to the room to wait for the dr.

The dr came in and said, well she doesn't have a sprained ankle (me sighing with relief), she continued, she has a broken leg. What?!?!...A broken leg. I was in complete shock. The dr said she had a tibial fracture about two inches up from her ankle and because of where the fracture was Sophie would need to be cast by an orthopedist next week. Next the nurse came in and put a splint on and wrapped Sophie's leg.

That evening we got a call from the dr. office saying that the radiologist had taken a look at the x-ray and did not think it was broken. (Now I was really confused). On Saturday I called back the radiology tech and they confirmed that it was for sure not broken and to go ahead and take off the splint. Basically, see how she does and if she is not getting better, follow up with her primary care on Monday.

I am happy to report that she is getting better. Still hesitant to put all her weight on it, but at least she is using it. It is very sad when she bumps it though because she just bursts into tears again. I think all in all she is on the mend.

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The Girls' Room

2011-03-27T19:35:00.004-06:00

So now that we know what we are having, I finally decided on what to do with the decor in the girls' room. It is still funny to think that we will have two girls or two children period.
I first took painters tape and marked off the room to see if I liked the idea that I had seen online. Once I laid it out and knew it would work, I started painting.

I love that you can buy little samples of the colors instead of just relaying on the swatch. I decided to go with green, despite my initial thought of wanting to go pink. I just realized that all my fabric and decor was pink and it would just be pink, on pink, on pink.

I am so happy with the way it turned out! So Cute!!
I think Sophie really likes it too.
The only thing left is to sand the joints that
I filled and paint the modeling white
since it is only primed right now.
Love it

24 Weeks Belly Picture

2011-03-24T10:52:00.004-06:00

24 Weeks and 1 Day (Monday)

Columbia Part Two: Punta Faro

2011-03-22T08:35:00.000-06:00

Ok, sorry I know this has taken forever to post...

Welcome to Punta Faro. We headed to this island 2 hours off the coast of Columbia on Tuesday afternoon via a 20 passenger speed boat. It was a nice day and fun being out on the water. I loved the boat ride, but was questioned by just about everyone on the trip if I was ok after the ride. Being prego and all you get that question alot.

My sweetheart and I in the boat waiting to head out to the island.

This was the little dock right outside of our room. We were just steps from the water.

The building we were in was the guest house and it had three separate rooms in it and then a common patio area with couches and hammocks.

Not a great shot, but there was not much to it. This is the door to our room and you can our bed inside. The bathrooms have a sink, toilet and shower in them but they are pretty primitive. The toilets worked some of the time and there was no hot water in the plumbing. You can picture the water coming out of the shower head like a hose on half power. It wasn't cold water, but definitely not warm. Being in the sun and salt water all day, any shower was welcomed.

Our guest house was located across a coconut field from the main area of the resort. It was beautiful, but I did worry about falling coconuts. I never saw one fall.

This little or not so little guy was hanging out in the coconut field.

This is the beach area where we spent most of our time. It was so beautiful and warm. We played in the water a bunch, went out snorkeling and Mike even got to go scuba diving.

For snorkeling they took us to a reef area about 10 minutes from the island. It was a little overcast that morning so the water was a little darker, but you could still see lots of fish. It was fun except for in those moments when you realize that you are in the middle of the ocean and something could eat you!
While there one of the guides swam over holding something. IT WAS A SHARK! He had caught a 3 foot shark and was swimming over to show us. I looked at it from a distance. Yikes!

The three of us posing for a picture. I am 21 weeks pregnant in these pictures.

Sitting in a beach chair relaxing.

More beach picture

It may be hard to tell unless you make this picture bigger, but this is Mike with live starfish for a bra singing a song from The Little Mermaid. It was hilarious, everyone was laughing so hard. Especially because he sang like 8 or 10 lines of the song.

This is the only picture I could find of me in my suit. It's a good side shot so you can see my baby belly.

This is the view from where we had breakfast each morning. We had lunch in another location each day and then dinner was moved each night to a different location.

All we can say is what an amazing experience it was and how grateful we are that we had the chance to experience it.

The crazy story of getting home will be in the next post.

Columbia Part One: Cartagena

2011-03-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

I just want to start off by saying this trip was amazing!!! A once in a lifetime experience for sure. We both had the time of our life. Our trip started off with a slight detour which turned out to be really fun. Our flight (the 16 of us) from SLC to LAX was delayed, then it took 45 minutes to get to the gate once we landed, then it took 50 minutes for our luggage to come. (We had to get our luggage because we where switching airlines.) With all these delays we ended up missing our flight by 20 minutes.

By this time it was midnight pacific time. We spent the next three hours waking up the travel agency folks who were already in Columbia, finding a hotel, and walking three terminals over to find that the only food at LAX at 2am is McDonalds. 16 Bottles of water, 17 cheeseburgers, 3 cokes, 1 coffee and 1 salad later we were all held over until we could get a shuttle to the hotel.

The next morning we found out that we wouldn't be flying out until that night. Since we had a long wait, it was arranged for us to go to the Staples Center and see a hockey game and then out for a nice dinner. Then we went back to the airport and headed out for Fort Lauderdale, FL. We reached Florida at 7:30 am East Coast time. At this point we had to divide into two groups to get us to Columbia. Five of us were bussed to the Miami Airport to wait for a flight directly to Cartagena. The other 11 stayed in Fort Lauderdale and flew to Bogota then to Cartagena.

Finally after two days of travel we all arrived and started the next part of our journey in Cartagena and the Hotel Santa Clara Sofitel.
.
The Sofitel was a beautiful luxury resort. "Originally built as a monastery in 1621, the Sofitel Santa Clara Hotel is a reference point in the heart of Cartagena de Indias, where its walls, which acted as a shield in ancient times, combine with colonial balconies and republican structures to evokethe splendor of days gone by."

There were toucans around the hotel. This is one helping himself to some breakfast in the courtyard. Breakfast at the hotel was pastries, fresh fruit and wonderful breads.

Our second night in Cartagena, after dinner, we took a carriage ride through the city.

We took a bus tour the morning after arriving. This is the courtyard inside the monastery on the highest point in Cartagena.

This is a Fort we visited on our bus tour. It has tunnels running throughout it. We walked down into one tunnel that is about two stories deep. It got pretty tight the further down we went.

In the walled city where we were staying there are squares like this every few blocks. Most restaurants have the majority of their seating outside in a square like this.

This is a square where we had dinner on the second night. The food was amazing, sushi, shrimp, beef tenderloin and coconut pie. All the food we had in Columbia was delicious.

This is a typical street in the walled city. Cartagena was very clean every where we went, even outside of the walled city.

These next pictures are a few of the beautiful doorways that where every where in the city.

After a few days in Cartagena our vacation continued a two hour boat ride away on a island in the Caribbean at a resort called Punta Faro. This will be my next post.

Columbia Trip

2011-02-28T16:14:00.001-07:00

I am trying out this blogger app. Just a quick update here in Columbia. We are having great time here in Cartagena and at the Sofitel our hotel. I will try and upload some pictures when we get home. Tomorrow we will head to Punta Faro, a private island 2 hours off the coast of Columbia. So Excited!

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It's a girl

2011-02-18T07:23:00.003-07:00

We had our ultrasound yesterday and found out that our new addition is a girl. I guess we will be thinking pink for another few years. I have been putting off painting Sophie's room for about the last year because I knew we planned to have a second. I didn't want to put all this time and money into it just to repaint. Since we know we are have another girl, I am making plans for pink!

You can see that she's giving a thumbs up right by her face.

Face shot, a little freaky, but cool too.

One of her feet. We counted all the toes on both feet.

Good shot of her leg stretched out.

And there it is, the bum shot with little girl part.

The ultrasound tech said that she looked textbook perfect. Great heart rate and was measuring exactly how she should be. She also said that she was an incredible cooperative and easy baby. I hope that will be true when she comes out!

She is positioned the same way as Sophie was, head down, back on my left side, feet and hands on my right.

We took Sophie to the appointment with us, but she fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep the whole appointment in Mike's arms. She woke up when we left and was upset that she didn't get to go to mommy's doctor. I showed her the ultrasound pictures and pointed out eyes, nose, foot, etc. She like the pictures so much, I made her a copy of them.

Probably trying to figure out what she is looking at

"Yes, it's a sister!"

"Look mom, I can stretch my arms."
She lost interest in the pictures for a moment.

More Preggie Pictures

2011-02-16T09:41:00.002-07:00

19 Weeks and 2 days

I put on some pants this week that didn't fit

Little belly starting to show

This is because I am not really smiling in the rest of my pictures.

Smarty Pants

2011-02-09T16:59:00.003-07:00

I say to Sophie this morning that I need to get dressed,
then I walk into her closet to put something away.
Sophie runs into the closet and says
"mom these clothes not fit for you!"

She makes me laugh everyday!

Belly Shots 18 Weeks

2011-02-07T17:58:00.008-07:00

Not too much to look at
but at least there is some
belly showing

I have gained about 10 lbs

(it is awkward posing for these pictures)

Below is a picture of me about
16 weeks pregnant with Sophie
looks about the same to me

Pregnancy To Date

2011-01-24T14:23:00.003-07:00

(She loves her computer she got for Christmas)

Pregnancy Update:

Just so I will remember, weeks 6-7 were a little rough and I was fairly sick to my stomach, but was not puking, which was good, I guess.

Between 7-10 weeks I had lost my appetite and my ability to taste. It was had to eat or even think of something to eat. I would try and imagine my favorite food and it wouldn't work.

We had an ultrasound about week 12.5 and saw that our little one was doing well.

Through about week 14 I had been really tired. I was coming home every night and just laying on the couch or the bed.

I am 16 weeks pregnant. I have gained about 6 lb and am showing a tiny bit, but if you didn't know, you wouldn't know.

Pictures of the "baby-belly" to follow.

It's A...

2011-01-07T13:17:00.003-07:00

...Baby! Yes, Just one.

(Head top left and bum to the right)

All hands, toes, feet, fingers and
other important parts accounted for.

The baby's heart looks great
and you could see that he/she
had the hiccups.

This was just a quick look and see.
Our main ultrasound will be in about 8 weeks.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T11:15:00.003-07:00

We left cookies and milk out for Santa last night. Sophie kept wanting to get up and eat the cookies. When she woke up this morning we told her that Santa had come and eaten the cookies and milk and left presents. She was ticked and started to cry. I wanted the cookie!!

Needless to say when she saw her presents she mostly forgot about the cookies.

I love this shot.

The princess dress up box was a big hit as was the Snow White doll and horse.

After presents Mike and I made breakfast and plan to be bums for the rest of the day. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Rain Rain Rap

2010-12-23T08:14:00.003-07:00

Do Mike and Sophie have a future in music?

Things Sophie said while in the bath today

2010-12-12T20:35:00.003-07:00

“Come on guys before the canos blow!”

“You can’t go backwards you might slip.” (said the her dolphin)

Made up a song with the word mommy.

“Lucky fin!”

More singing.

“Let’s hold on. You like that ride? There, perfect.”

“This is your home. This is your bed. Shh…the dolphin sleeping”

Giving hair-washing instructions to her My Little Pony.
“Get your hair all wet. Squish out your hair. Squish out your tail.”

More singing.

"Hey Hey Hey. I said I don't want to hear it."

"I sorry honey, no toys for now"
"This is Nemo and this is your mommy" (said to Strawberry Shortcake)

"I like the four dolohins mommy." "You jumpin and catch'em" "One more time"

"Look, it's Shampoo the whale"

Baby on the way

2010-12-08T21:24:00.004-07:00

Well, we are having a baby. I don't think that it has really set in what that means for our little family. Suddenly our 2:1 ratio goes to 2:2. We planned for this to happen so I suppose we thought about these things at some point, but now they are becoming a reality.

Currently I am 9 weeks and 3 days along. Weeks 6 and 7 were a little rough and felt like they would last forever, but by Thanksgiving Day I started feeling better. Then that Sunday the whole family came down with colds. It wiped us all out. I swear it sucks the energy and life right out of you. I spend all last week coming home from work and laying on the couch. Poor Sophie didn't have much of a mommy to play with for a while. And poor daddy has been working and doing homework/finals for school.

(don't mind the grubby clothes)
Finally week nine I am feeling better, my cold is mostly gone and I am starting to feel human again. I hope the trend continues and that things will just get better from here. I plan to go skiing tomorrow if that gives you an idea of how much better I am feeling.

Something I have had to get used to was eating a lot again. I have managed to keep my weight down by reducing my food intake to regular portion sizes over the past couple years. Especially when I was sick to my stomach for those two weeks, I didn't want to eat at all, but if I didn't eat I would feel sick too! It was a lose lose for sure. When I was pregnant with Sophie I could eat and feel better (as far as I remember) and this time eating didn't help. Now that I am feeling better I am hungry all the time. I can't go an hour or two during the day without eating and I have been waking up in the middle of the night to my stomach growling.

My gag reflex is much worse when I am pregnant. I love to watch medical surgery shows but have to mostly fore go them at least for the first trimester. I have also started to have some heartburn already, which I did not get until I was 5 or 6 months along before.

Thank you to those who have actually suffered through my data recording post. I just want to make sure that I remember so in 25 years when Sophie asks how it was when I had kids, I will really know. I am sure it will still be embellished a bit.

Due Date: July 10, 2011

Festival of Trees

2010-12-04T13:58:00.002-07:00

Suzy, Rex Sophie and I joined Tara, Ryan and the girls at the Festival of Trees. A word to the wise,
DO NOT FORGET YOUR STROLLER!!!!

It was not a fun experience picking Sophie up off the floor every couple minutes or telling her that she could not play with all the cute toys and Christmas decorations.

The only thing that saved me was Sophie liked to listen to the singing groups, so we sat and watched them for a while.

Glad I went, but not a good thing to bring unrestrained children to.

Sayings of Sophie

2010-12-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

(Grandpa walks Sophie to the neighbors to see the their blow up snowman.)
Grandpa: Sophie it is not made out of snow.
Sophie: Grandpa...It's a balloon.

Mommy: Sophie what do you want Santa to bring you?
Sophie: A ball

Mommy: Sophie what do you want Santa to bring you?
Sophie: a pink trampoline and a pink slide and a pink clock

Sophie: Mommy I want to play at Piglet's house!
Mommy: What?...Where is Piglet?
Sophie: I play with Piglet!!
(Mommy still unsure of what she is talking about, asks a few more times.)
Sophie: Piglet come to play with me!
(Light turns on in Mommy's head)
Mommy: Sophie do you mean Katelynn? You want to play with Katelynn?
Sophie: Yes, Kately...Piglet.
We have know idea why she calls our babysitter Katelynn, Piglet.

It's beginning to sound like Christmas

2010-11-30T16:47:00.001-07:00

Books and Tools...What a smarty

2010-11-08T19:07:00.004-07:00

My little bookworm feel asleep reading in the car.

Sophie is a great helper and loves to work with tools. Her favorite thing to do is hammer nails into a block of wood in the garage. She is amazing good at it too. I also see her "fixing" her big wheel with a screwdriver. This is Sophie helping her Grandpa Beaird work on the snowplow for the four-wheeler.

Family Lagoon Trip

2010-11-06T07:17:00.000-06:00

Another super late post

We took a day off in August and partied at Lagoon with some of our family. Aimee and the kids came up from Vegas, Angie and the kids came, Tara, Ryan and their girls, Rex and Suzy, and Mike, Sophie and I. It was fun having so many of us there and getting all the little girls together.

Our little princesses on the Whale ride.

Kendelle always a cute smile

My silly baby girl

Concentrating on looking at the camera

Beautiful tiny girl!

Young Love

I wish this picture would have come out clear. Still cute even blurry.

How to the Beaird's have the best looking Grand kids?

Sophie loves her cousin Kendelle, though it might not look like it here.

SO CUTE!!!!!

Mommy and Sophie

The girls hanging out having lunch

Thanks everyone for coming. We had the best time. And a special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Beaird for taking all the little girls home and letting us stay and hang out longer.

Seven is a lucky number

2010-11-04T22:44:00.002-06:00

On Monday was our 7 year wedding anniversary

Happy Anniversary Babe!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:48:00.004-06:00

This is Sophie first time really trick or treating.
We went to the first house and
when they opened the door,
Sophie walked in a started to take off her costume.
She was ticked that we were not staying there.
After about two houses she got the
concept and wanted to go to every house.

Back at our house checking out the booty.

This is the best smile I could get, she was very focused on the candy.

Unwrapping her candy...

Tasting her candy...

Giving her candy to mommy because she doesn't like it!

The Reason I haven't Blogged

2010-10-20T15:57:00.001-06:00

I have not taken any pictures!! I am making a promise that I will take more pictures.

24th of July, A Visit from Uncle Erik

2010-09-29T18:06:00.001-06:00

So I started a bunch of blog posts and have yet to finish them. So prepare yourself for posts that are not even close to being in time order.

Uncle Erik came down to go to EFY at BYU for a week and then spend the weekend with us for the 24th of July. We headed to Fairview for the 24th of July Parade and demolition derby. Not to many pictures. Just the highlights.

Erik and I at the Derby. Mike was judging, as he does every year, and Sophie was at Emilee's mom's house with Cambree and some other kids.

The moon coming up before the sun had set.

In between the parade and the derby, we head over to the little fair that was going on and let Sophie go on some rides. She loved the bounce house, but was not a willing subject for a good photo. All in all a great time as usual.

Softball Daddy

2010-09-24T11:47:00.004-06:00

Mike has been playing on a Softball Team with a bunch of guys from work. Sophie and I went out to a game last week and he did AWESOME! He helped get 6 runs in between two at bats!

Sophie is so kind to share he sucker with Daddy

This is Mike hitting a double. I didn't get his triple on video but it was great too! Bases loaded.

Sophie Moments

2010-09-21T21:11:00.002-06:00

Today Sophie dropped her potty seat on Grandma Suzie's foot. Suzie told Sophie that it hurt and Sophie said with out missing a beat, "it's ok, the doctor should fix it."

I was reading a book to Sophie and the line in the book said count your toes. So I asked Sophie to count my toes and she counted them in SPANISH! I had no idea she knew any Spanish. I guess we have been watching a lot of Dora.

Overveiw of Being 2

2010-09-10T22:03:00.002-06:00

Holy Cow...2...Really? How did this happen? I swear it was just the other day that Sophie was born. I know that it has been almost two months since her birthday, but I feel the need for a better 2 year old update. (The professional pictures in this post were done by a friend of mine and they are so beautiful. Here is the link to all of them.)

First and foremost WE ARE POTTY TRAINED!!! About three weeks ago we decided to head for the home stretch. She has be potty trained for pooping on the potty since she was 18 months and will go pee when ever we have taken her to the potty, but now she is telling us. She has been in big girl panties for 3 weeks and of course we have had our share of accidents, but all and all she has done great. Way to go Sophie. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you.

Next is the opening of doors. About a week ago, Sophie opened her bedroom door for the first time. Since then, she can open any door including the front door. She has not figured out the deadbolt yet, but I am sure that is coming. Since Sophie is not too adventurous she has not gotten into too much trouble with her new found door opening skill, but we have to watch her more closely now.

Our little chatter box. Sophie can talk about anything. She bumped into Grandma Beaird yesterday and said, "oh, I'm sorry. It was an accident." Or when Mike was calling for her to come and eat she said in a very sweet voice, "I'm on the potty. Hold on a second, Mike." I replied back, "that is Daddy to you," and she said, "oh ok, hold on a second daddy."
She always has funny little replies and is very polite. Please and Thank You for everything.

About food she says "I can't like that" or "Mmm, Yummy" (but she will just be pretending to eat).
When she hugs you "I like you."
What'ch doin?
How's it goin?
What's that Mama?
Oh no, are you ok? You feel better.
Whenever we Skype my parents she always asks where's charlie?

Sophie is our little singer. In church Sophie will sign out loud to the hymns. She also sings all of the stories in her books while sitting on the potty. I swear she knows every song on all the shows she watches and can sing them word for word.

Lately you and daddy have been playing Dragons. He will say "Sophie, DRAGONS!" and you and daddy will run and hide under the covers of mommy and daddy's bed. You love this game and play it almost everyday. You also like to pretend that Bjorn is a Dragon.
You love both Kuma and Bjorn. (BTW we got a new dog a few months ago.) Kuma is very big, but that doesn't stop you from playing with him. The picture below is from June 19. Kuma is about two or three times this size now and will continue to grow. I think he will end up the size of a small pony. He is an Akita.

Sophie you are amazing, smart, funny, kind, observant, polite, beautiful, sweet and a million other great things! I love coming home everyday to hear everything you have to say.

Sophie's First Movie (We have lots of Firsts)

2010-09-02T17:17:00.002-06:00

This is from July 2, 2010
Something that I have talked about in my adult life was questioning which was the first movie my parents took me to when i was little. I don't know that i know the answer to that question. The first one that I remember was seeing The Little Mermaid at the Roxy Theater in downtown Renton.

I am blogging this so that Sophie will know that the first movie we took her to at a theater was Toy Story 3. She loves popcorn so that makes going to the movies even more exciting. She sat for the first 1hr and 15mins watching the movie. The rest of the time she ran up and down the stairs and through the rows of empty seats. The theater was not very full so she had plenty of room to roam. I think she liked it. We still agree that Toy Story 2 is our favorite.

Sophie's First Hair Cut

2010-08-31T16:55:00.003-06:00

This was actually back on July 15th, a few days before Sophie's second birthday. I had never cut her hair, but her bangs were a little out of control so I decided to finally do it. I took her to Cookie Cutters. I think the part she liked best was playing on the slide in the waiting area.

The girl was kind of in a hurry and took more off the length then I wanted, but it looks really cute. I think they are sort of on auto pilot there for kids hair cuts. Not every child needs the same cut.

Love you Baby!

Making Old Things New Again

2010-07-23T22:26:00.004-06:00

My Friend Ciara posted on her blog shoes that she had Mod Podged fabric to and they were so cute I had to try it. These are some shoes that I was thinking about giving to DI, but now I love them again. It is was honestly really easy.

Can't wait to do some more...I think I feel a girls weekend coming!!!

How many times must I learn...

2010-07-21T22:52:00.003-06:00

before I listen?

As we were heading to the rodeo tonight I had a thought pass through my mind saying, "you should bring a second set of clothes for Sophie and a jacket for myself." I immediately dismissed the thought by saying why would I bring a change of clothes? Sophie is nearly potty trained and we never have to worry about anything like that. And a jacket? It is 95 degrees out.

Well, as I am sure you have guessed, I should have listened. While at the rodeo Sophie puked all over herself and me. I am now the proud owner of a Day's of 47 souvenir t-shirt and my SIL Tara fortunately had brought pj's for her kids that we bummed for Sophie.

Lesson learned. Listen to what you are being told and don't think that you know better then the Lord. He has blessed us with the Gift of the Holy Ghost to help us be prepared for life's happenings.

Elmopalooza

2010-07-18T20:57:00.010-06:00

It was Elmopalooza at our house yesterday for Sophie’s second birthday. We had Elmo everywhere, balloons, hats, cupcakes, a poster, piñata and books. It all turned out pretty cute.

Grandma Olson and Uncle Erik were in town and got to join us for the party along with lots of Beairds and Cravens.

Even Bjorn got into the action.

For a few days we had been telling Sophie that she was going to have a birthday party and she kept walking around singing the Happy Birthday song. It was funny because she kept saying “Happy Birthday Dear Grandpa” (well really “crappa”) instead of Sophie.

Sophie blew out her candles all by herself.

Sharing some cupcake with Daddy and Mommy. Such a nice girl.

To burn off the cake we went outside and jumped on the trampoline that we bought for Sophie for her birthday. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Olson for pitching in. Sophie and her cousins had a great time.

After some time on the trampoline Sophie opened her presents. She wanted to play with each gift and not move on to open the next one. She got lots of really fun toys and dress up accessories as you can see from the pictures.

She put nearly everything on and went to her room to check it out in her mirror. As she was standing there she was naming each item to herself. “That’s my purse, my glasses, my phone…” It was so cute! Sophie you are so precious!

And then there was the piñata. This piñata was well built and after each of the kids got a few turns trying to break Elmo open he was no worse for the wear.

Mia really got into it

Lauren was not to sure about the whole thing and gave the bat right back.

So I tried to help Sophie break it open, but after beating Elmo with the plastic bat still nothing. Next Mike and I helped Sophie jump up and down on him but Sophie was not a fan of that and burst into tears.

We figured that it might be traumatic beating Elmo, but thought it would only take a few hits and it would be over. After calming down Sophie by giving Elmo a few hugs, we pulled the strings on the back of the piñata poured the candy out.

It was such a great party and thank you to everyone for coming to play with us. It is always a blast to have our family around. Happy Birthday Sophie, we love you!

This was just a funny and totally cute picture of Mike and Chelsea.

Lagoon

2010-07-08T23:13:00.004-06:00

Today was our stake Lagoon day. We could get in for free to just walk around and you could buy tickets for rides. Mike had to work so Sophie, Rex, Suzy and I went over after I got off work.
First Sophie went on the Boats

Then on the Whales. Sophie was holding on very tight, but seemed to like the ride. When the ride was over Sophie looked over at me and burst into tears. I thought she was scared, but when I got to here she said "I want it again. mama."

So we went on the ride again and a third time for good measure.

Then we took the "Wild Kingdom" train ride. It is possible that the "wild animals" were stuffed. The tigers and lions were all sleeping.

Sophie really liked the tunnel. Any time we even go under an over pass she says "tunnel, tunnel."

Sophie you are so precious. Mom and Daddy love you so much!

More Rides!

Thanks for a fun evening Sophie!

Two Down, and more to go

2010-07-04T15:48:00.004-06:00

I completed my second triathlon last weekend.
My friend Morgan and I trained together and raced.

I had a goal of cutting 10 mins from my
previous time and I did it! Not only
did I reach my goal, but I also ran a
lot more of it then I did last time.
Running more was one of my secondary goals.
I never thought I would be a runner
and I can't yet claim to be, but I am
working on it. I am doing another triathlon
at the end of July with my SIL Tara.
Looking forward to it Tara so no getting sick this time!

This is a picture of Sophie and Morgan's little girl Noah.
The girls are about 8 months apart. What Cuties!

More Twinkle Twinkle, It's our favorite

2010-06-27T20:00:00.001-06:00

Playing on the deck

2010-06-08T17:00:00.002-06:00

You guessed it,
another post all about Sophie.
Here she is playing on
the breezeway with her tu-tu
(the one aunt Rachael made)
and a pinwheel
from Grandma Beaird.

Sophie’s gymnastics show

2010-06-06T20:20:00.003-06:00

We have been taking Sophie to Little Flippers gymnastics for a while now and two weeks ago was the Spring Show. It’s to show off to parents and grand parents and is pretty fun. Unfortunately Sophie was not feeling that good and we almost didn’t take her. But after hearing her say, “Gn-nastics, I so excited” over and over again, we had to take her.
She did really well despite not feeling good and she really has made a lot of progress.

She has gotten much stronger with swinging on the bar.
She can almost lift her toes to the bar all by herself.

She didn't want to stand on the
award block but she still got her sucker.

She finally did her present arms!

Daddy doing some video taping

Mommy doing the heavy lifting

Chocolate Doughnuts!

2010-05-24T20:58:00.000-06:00

Pure Happiness right there and a quick shot of mommy!

Somersaults and Handstands

2010-05-23T20:03:00.000-06:00

Sophie has shown an interest in gymnastics (I don't know where she would get the idea). We have been practicing walking on hands and somersaults. Here is a video of Sophie showing off her mad skills.

Since she has been doing so well, and because I wanted to have something we could do together, I signed her up for Little Flipper. It is like the little gym. It is a parent/tot class. We have gone for a few weeks now and Sophie is really learning to follow directions and take turns. I have gone to a couple of the weeks and Mike took her one of the weeks too. She looks forward to going to "nastics" as she calls it.

Today (may 5th) for the first time Sophie did a somersault all by herself. I guess once she did one she just wanted to keep doing them. Suzy said Sophie did probably 50 of them throughout the day. It is really cute.

It was bound to happen...

2010-05-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

Now this post is about a month late but I wanted to post it anyway. Sophie climbed out of her crib (April 22) at 4:30am I hear THUMP! I flew out of bed so fast that I think I made it down the hall to Sophie's room in about two steps. She was just fine. I was really hoping that she would stay in a crib for another few months, but no such luck.

We changed Sophie's bed to a toddler bed and she also has a twin bed in her room for guests. She did sleep in the toddler bed a few times but she has taken over the twin bed or "the big girl bed." She looks so grown up sleeping in the big girl bed.

A Shower in Seattle

2010-05-15T16:17:00.001-06:00

I know what you are thinking. Yes, it does rain a lot in Seattle, but when I was visiting a few weekends ago it was actually really nice weather. I am talking about a baby shower. I went up to Renton to throw a baby shower for my friend Cara and her baby girl Brooklynn. Cara is due the first week of June.

The baby shower went really well and I think everyone had a good time. It is always fun to get together with friends when I visit there. Brooklynn got all sorts of really cute clothes and other baby stuff.

While we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa Olson took Sophie to the Seattle Science Center. The first exhibit was animatronic dinosaurs and it was kind of dark in the exhibit. Well, Sophie wanted nothing to do with it. She was holding on to grandpa with her head buried in his shoulder. Next we went into the butterfly house. That was much more up her alley. She was interested but only for a bit. Then it was on to the childrens' play area.

Now to rewind a day to that Friday. On Friday night we had a family dinner with some family that we hardly ever see. My Dad's cousin Agneta and Valter (his mom's, brother's daughter and her husband), who live in Sweden and my dad's sister Janet, her daughter Kristin and two of her children Sara and Wyatt. I have never met Agneta before and the only time that I met Walter, I was seven. For my Aunt Janet, Kristen and her kids, I haven't seen them since our wedding. Beside those I have mentioned, a bunch of other family came over as well. It was so great to see everyone.

From Left to Right Uncle Laif, Kevin, Valter, Uncle Mark and Scott

This is my cousin Corrina and my Aunt Ann

Of course it can't be a party at the Olson's without food.

Agneta and Valter, what a cute couple!

Brothers and Sisters with their cousin Agneta

I know this is a little photo overload but I love them all!

Here are a few more random shots from the trip.

Sophie loves her Uncle Erik. Every morning she would wake up and ask where he was.

We had such a great trip. Thanks for having a baby Cara so we had an excuse to come visit!

Triathlon

2010-05-10T18:27:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday I did my first triathlon. I got roped into doing it because my sister in law Tara was training for it and she talked me into doing it with her. Then a few days before the Tri she came down with strep and wasn't able to do it with me. I was super sad that she couldn't do it and felt bad she was sick. But because she is so awesome, she came out to support me the day of the Tri. Mike and Sophie were also there on the sidelines cheering me on.

This triathlon was 400 meter swim (8 laps on the meter setting), 12 mile bike, and 3.3 mile run (or jog with walking in my case). I don't have my exact times yet, but I did the whole thing in about 1hr and 45 mins. I think that I did it in a really good time. I didn't want to push myself too hard because I had never done a Tri before (except for practicing). I wanted to finish and not hurt myself.

This is the swim, there are eight lanes.
You swim down and back and then into the next lane.

This is when I saw everyone cheering me on after
the biking and gave me the strength to move to the running.

This is at the finish line. I like this picture because
I look like I am in way better shape then I really am.

This is my cute family meeting me at the finish!

Thanks to everyone for all your good
thoughts and support. Tara and I plan to do
another Triathlon on June 26th.

Sophie, This is you...

2010-04-15T18:29:00.000-06:00

Your new favorite phrase is "No, I don't like that."

You say it so kind and sweet that it is hard to disagree.

You are also into "No thank you mama." You say it even if you are talking to daddy.

You said your first prayer tonight. (04/05/10) It was very cute and you screamed with excitement at the end.

You have not been sleeping very well as of late. You have been waking up almost every night at least once. You just want mommy or daddy to sleep with you.

You love to color. You only have one coloring book, but you don't seem to mind. You color nearly everyday.

You love to make forts and tunnels with the couch cushions. Your cousin Mia showed you how to do that. It is one of the many games you two play together.

Last month I told you we were going to Aunt Tara's house. You were excited as usual. I said we will see Mia and Tayen. And then you added "and Ryanan?"

You love to make yourself laugh. You will talk and then laugh and then do it some more. I love to hear you and I wonder what you are saying.

Some how you managed to take off your diaper while still wearing feety pajamas.You have also learned how to take all of your clothes off except your shirt. It only comes most of the way off.

Your favorite things to sign are cook and kite. You can sign lots and lots of things.

You can squeal with an incredibly high pitch. Sometimes you are making a happy sound and other time your are definitely not.

Even though you talk about daddy all the time, you are still a mommy's girl.

You still will hold food in your mouth. Why? I have no idea.

I painted your toes this last weekend red just like mine. You like it a lot and make a point of showing them to people. You like that we are matching too. So do I.

You know almost all your letters except maybe two or three and even a few of the sounds.

You can count to 10. Today you were sitting in your highchair counting your color crayons.

You like to stand on the coffee table and look out the window. Bjorn also likes to do this, so it is often the two of you standing there together. You are always looking for the horses in the field.

To you, everything is yellow. What color are your shoes? Yellow. No, they are red. Yellow. Red. Yellow!

You have 8 teeth on the top and 8 on the bottom. You like to brush your teeth.

I mentioned this in an earlier post, but you have not had a poopy diaper in months. I would say since you were about 18 months and the few months before that, they were few and far between.

You ran to your daddy's office (the laundry room) the other day saying "Mike, Mike, Mike"

You often wake up in the mornings asking for one of your cousin. You must be dreaming about playing with them.

You are so good about getting your hair done. You sit fairly still and don't put up a fuss. I have yet to cut your hair, but I have been thinking about it.

There are so many more things to say about you so I will just have to make another list.

Love you my not so baby girl!

Back in the day

2010-04-05T20:17:00.003-06:00

I found some old videos from 2005 when Mike, Tara, Ryan and I went to Flat Iron Mesa Park and tried to slide down the hill on pieces of cardboard. It didn't work like it did when we were kids. But we figured out that we could just slide on top of the cardboard instead. Check it out!

Michael Buble Concert

2010-04-05T11:52:00.000-06:00

I ended up going to the Michael Buble concert this last week. It was really amazing. He is so talented and really funny too. I would definitely recommend one of his concerts to anyone. During part of the show he came down to the middle of the floor to a small stage and we got up about ten feet from him.

The best part of the show was at the very end. He hushed everyone, took out his earpieces, walked away from the mic and just sang. All I can say is wow! Thanks for thinking to invite me Audrey!

My New Eyes

2010-04-04T11:34:00.002-06:00

On the 1st I had Lasik eye surgery. This first picture is me with the iodine cleaner on my eyes and the super fashionable hair cover. The white pads are to catch the dripping when I am laying down so it doesn't go in my ears. (It still dripped in my ears)

This is a great shot of my eye guards that they taped to my face.

The dr said that I was such a good patient that I got a sucker. Can you guess what color it was?

These are my stylin glasses to block out the sun.

It was a really great experience and now two days out I am feeling pretty good. I can see most things and can tell that it is getting better and better each day. Also a shout out to my sister in law Tara for being my driver and helping me making the nursing staff laugh so hard they were almost in tears. It was awesome.

Sophie,

2010-04-03T11:04:00.003-06:00

Thank you for no more poopy diapers. Your dad and I are really happy that you tell us when you have to poo. We have not had to change a poopy diaper in months. I know soon you will not need diaper at all. Great job!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Bowling Fun

2010-03-31T16:54:00.000-06:00

Last Friday we went bowling with some of the family. It was Sophie's first time bowling but she was kind sick so she wasn't really that into it. You have to check out the video of my niece Mia bowling at the bottom. She danced every time she would throw the ball.

What a good looking group!

Grandma and Grandpa Beaird came for moral support/child care

Isn't she just the sweetest?

I love those tights on Sophie. Just a little moment with daddy and daughter.

This video is awesome. You go Mia!

Enjoying The Warmer Weather

2010-03-20T08:43:00.001-06:00

Enjoying The Warmer Weather

Sophie loves slides.

Here are a few shots

at the park on Wednesday

when the weather was nice

and warm. Sophie you are

so cute and happy!

Going Bald? Hopefully Not

2010-03-19T08:25:00.001-06:00

You may think at first that I am referring to Mike, but it is not so. Mike has a nice full and thick head of hair. I, on the other hand, am losing my hair or at least some of it. When I was getting my hair done in February, Ciara, my awesome hair stylist, found two nickel size spots of missing hair. I didn’t really think too much about it, but since then it has gotten progressively worse. I do not have an official diagnoses yet (the Dr. appt is next week) but we are pretty sure that it is Alopecia Areata. Basically totally health people can have their hair just fall out in patches. There is no cure and not really any long-term treatments either. Most treatment is just observation so I figured I should take a few pictures just to track the progress of it.

They say that no two cases of Alopecia are alike. Some people lose just little patches and then it grows back in a few months, years, or not at all. In others it will just continue to fall out. Some people can lose all their hair completely for years and then it will start growing back in again. It is just really unpredictable. I will give you an update after seeing my Dr.

It a little hard to tell from the pictures, but one spot is on the top of my head near my part. The other is under my hair on my right side as pictured in the last photo.

These two are the same spot

This one is a little bigger, but it's under my other hair so you can't really see it.