Sam and Chari + One

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Yes, I fell off the face of the earth, but, I am trying to make a comeback so why not start with Halloween? As you can see, Marlie is much bigger and sassier than my last post at 15.5 months when she FINALLY got her first tooth. I can hardly believe that Marlie will be two in less than two months, this year has really flown by.

We started out the day with a trip to IHOP for breakfast to get some All You Can Eat pancakes. Funny though, we didn't even end up getting pancakes and I ended up with a hair in food...nasty. Now I remember why we don't go to IHOP! For the love of everything holy, stay away from IHOP. Marlie was supposed to be a little witch but we had trouble getting her to keep her witch hat on and I couldn't find a dang black leotard that would fit her so this is what we ended up with! Oh well, maybe next year we'll do better :) I went as a witch as well and Sam went as a cowboy (not too far fetched from everyday life). We started out the evening by heading over to Steve and Sierra's house for some yummy taco soup and delicious treats. Marlie did so well at saying "trick-or-treat", even though she had no idea what the heck she was asking for!

Sam, Steve, Sierra, Marlie, Davin

Ava and Emma

Abby, what a cutie pie!

After leaving Steve and Sierra's house we headed out to Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen's house to see the rest of the fam. We ended the night there playing and stuffing our faces with goodies. We headed home to wash the purple out of Marlie's hair and she was down for the count as soon as her head it crib. Despite the nasty rain and wind, the evening turned out pretty well and Marlie enjoyed her free day of lots of chocolate and candy!

My niece Ellie, what cute little cat she is :)

Quin, Marlie and Ellie

Marlie's First Tooth!

2010-03-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Finally! Today we discovered Marlie has her first tooth! Yes, it has taken her 15 1/2 months to get one so we are excited. It isn't in the front where they typically come first, hers is on the left side towards the back. I asked Marlie to show me her teeth (like I do most mornings) so I can check for any progress and to my surprise I felt something sharp! What a proud momma moment :) The best part is Marlie hasn't really even been fussy or had any drooling so I had no warning signs. If the rest of her teeth come in this easy, I'll be happy as a calm :) I'll try to get pics when Sam comes home, the location of her new tooth makes it very difficult for me to take a pic, especially by mysefl!

15 month appt.

2010-03-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today Marlie had her 15 month check-up. I was certain she had gained some weight since her one year appointment but to my surprise she had only gained just over a pound. As usual Dr. Miller says she is very healthy and doing great! Quick rundown of the stats: 18 lbs 10 oz (3%tile), 30 inches tall (62%tile). Dr. Miller said that Marlie is the second oldest child he has seen without any teeth. The oldest he has seen is 18 months so we are holding out for then :) I just can't believe how much Marlie has grown. She says tons of words: dad, daddy, gingi, hi, bye, shoes, socks, thank you, no, uh-oh, mom mom when she is upset and tato. There are many more but I can't think of them right now! Marlie still loves music and loves to dance to any kind of music, I think she is going to be a little dancer :) She has also started to sing along, especially in church. Of course she loves to sing while everyone is quiet and taking the sacrament! We just love her to pieces and are so thankful to have her.

Marlie's Photo Shoot and 9 Month Appointment

2009-09-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

Marlie turned 9 months old on Sept. 16th so I decided to have her pictures taken again because she has grown and changed so much since I had professional photos of her done. I posted a few, but they all turned out so great I am having a difficult time deciding on which ones to print!

Marlie is growing and changing daily. I cannot believe all of the new things she is doing. She keeps me busy, busy all day long getting into everything and waiting for me to catch her in the act of doing something she shouldn't be doing. Believe me, she knows when she is doing something wrong!!! Marlie is crawling on her knees all over the place and getting faster and faster all the time. She pulls herself up on everything and walks around the coffee table like it is nothing. If I turn my back for one second Marlie is into my drawers pulling everything out and laughing at herself. I love how my little bug follows me all over the house and wants to do what her momma is doing.

Marlie jabbers all the time and we are working on saying "momma" and "da da". So far, "da da" is her favorite. She LOVES music and will dance anytime she hears any type of music, she loves to shake her little booty :) Marlie is still on the slender side, at her 9 month appointment she was 15 lbs 9 oz (4.8%tile) and 27 inches tall (31%tile). Maybe someday she will catch up with everyone else, but for now she is just my little monster. We have been trying lots of new foods and I have been surprised at they funky things she likes. It has been challenging now that she can eat mostly table food for me to make sure that I am making healthy things for her to eat, with baby food it was much easier. We still avoid giving her sugar as much as possible, but I have to admit that Grandpa Chandler gave Marlie a lick of ice cream when he was visiting! She of course loved it! I guess that is what grandpas are for, to spoil them rotten :)

Anyway, Marlie is doing great and making so many new strides I know I am missing tons! She is strong, independent, and feisty like her momma. She will sure let you know when she is mad at me or when I am not getting her breakfast fast enough, I am sure going to have my hands full. My favorite is still those times in the day when I get to snuggle her while she takes a little nap, how soon those times will quickly disappear. I could not be more blessed, I just love her to pieces.

Fun With Family and I'm a Big Girl Now!

2009-09-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks Marlie has started doing lots of new "big girl" things. Last week while my mom was in town Marlie started pulling herself up things like the coffee table and really just about anything she could get her hands on. Well, on Saturday afternoon I walk in to check on Marlie after her nap and I find her standing up in her crib just grinning from ear to ear. Needless to say, we had to move the mattress down so she won't fall over the side.

Marlie has also started to crawl on her knees, she won't go very far on her knees because she has quickly learned that it is still faster for her to do the army crawl. Everyday she impresses me with how smart she is and how much her little brain is absorbing daily. Marlie loves music and will start to bounce when Sam plays it for her. Marlie is also becoming more interested in her Baby Einstein videos. She will now sit through almost an entire video before becoming distracted. I am busy chasing after her as she explores new things she finds around the house. I am amazed at what a great memory she has, I will put something away to hide it from her and she will go right back to the spot that I hid it. Marlie also LOVES to crawl over and pull on Ginger's ears, usually Ginger is a good sport about it. That also reminds me that Marlie loves to pull and rub on her ears, especially when she gets tired or when she is eating her bottle. Everything she gets her hands on still goes directly into her mouth and she just jabbers away all day. I love that when she pushes the buttons on her toys that play music she starts to dance and smile. My little one is growing up and quickly becoming a big girl!

What a cutie

Loving her new bath toys

Standing up in my crib

Driving to the horses :)

My parents were back in town so we decided to head to Idaho to my Grandma's cabin for the weekend. We had a great time going for rides on the razor and Sam loved getting a chance to show off on his motorcycle ;) Marlie enjoyed getting to see all of her cousins and spending time with her Grammie and Grandpa and her Great Grandma Chandler. My mom decided to head back with me to Utah to hang out with me and the Mar while Sam was out of town for a Broncos and a Rockies game. Marlie loved getting to spend so much time with her Grammie since she doesn't get to see her very often. We had such a good time just doing girl things and enjoying each others company. Marlie was spoiled with attention and we were sad to see grammie and grandpa go :( It will be until December before we get to see them again. Thanks for such a great time :)

Mom and I at Swiss Days

Adam and Marlie

Grandpa and Mar

Ginger going for a swim

Aunt Chandee giving Marlie her first pickle

Marlie's Moment

2009-08-09T17:14:00.001-07:00

Hanging out, waiting for the computer to be done

Okay, don't ask me why the previous post got all messed up but it already took me a million years to get it done so I was sick of trying to fix it! Once again it is time for Marlie's moment. Marlie has accomplished a lot since my last post about her. Marlie is now sitting up with no problems at all. At seven months she started doing the army crawl and is now getting around at lighting speed getting into the dog bowls or whatever she can find and she is a smart little monster, if we move it, she finds it! She isn't crawling on her knees yet, but I am sure it will be anytime now. Marlie is eating tons of new solids and seems to like pretty much everything I give her, my homemade sweet potatoes are still her fav. We recently started giving her those little puffs that look like Cheerios but they dissolve quickly. At first she didn't know what to think about them but now she loves to pick them up off the highchair tray and be a big girl and pop those suckers in her mouth. I am amazed at how good her hand-eye coordination is getting!

Most of Marlie's baby hair has fallen out and come back in blonde. She has a few long strands of hair that I just can't bring myself to cut so we just call it her Donald Trump comb over :) It is starting to look better because of all the new growth coming in. She is still just a little thing but is growing like a weed. I stuck her on the scale the other day and it said she was 15 lbs so I will be excited to see where she is at her 9 month check up.

Marlie and daddy on the Fourth of July

I'm Back!

2009-08-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

It has been well over a month since I last posted but our computer crashed so we finally bought a new one so I am back in the game! I feel like we have been going none stop the last month or so. Sam went back to working the swing shift and weekends at the P.D. for the summer so we have been trying to adjust to his new schedule. Sam has also been busy helping his parents in the cherries. Marlie and I would go out to watch and even help sort sometimes to help give daddy a break :) Marlie and I also took a trip up to Idaho with my parents to stay at my Grandma's cabin for a few days. I had too much fun driving around in the Razor tearin' it up!

Sam had to go to Anaheim for a week to attend a Gang Conference so when he got back we decided to get out of the heat and spend some family time camping up at West Fork. West Fork is west of Heber and Sam and his family used to camp up there when he was younger so it was fun to head up there and hear all the old stories from the good ole days. Sam's brother Mark was nice enough to let us tag along with his family so we had some buddies to cause trouble with. We enjoyed long rides all over the mountains, beautiful scenery, and nights sitting by the campfire. I was a little worried about how Marlie would do sleeping in the trailer but she was a champ and loved camping. I have to say I was a little sad to come home but SO ready for a shower.

Marlie and Grandpa Chandler in West Yellowstone

I just love this pic of Marlie and Grammie Chandler

Marlie helping sort cherries, we are breaking her in early :)

Daddy taking a break from working cherries

Look, I'm a big girl riding by myself!

Cousins Davin, Marlie and Tanner

The Gang up to West Fork

Our lovely trailer and Sam's new truck (new to us anyway)

On our little hike looking for pot guts (yeah, new to me too!)

One of my all time fav pics of Marlie while playing in the trailer

How cute is she sitting in the wild flowers?

Yep, that's my girl, eating the flowers

This little outfit was given to us by one of the Dispatchers we work with and I have been waiting until she could fit into it, I just LOVE it, it has a trap door :)

A little of this and that

2009-07-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

My computer has been on the fritz so I haven't been able to do any blogging lately. We have been busy with tons going on this summer. Marlie is doing new things everyday it seems. I know I always write tons about Marlie, but I use this as a journal to keep a record of when and what Marlie has been doing so I can look back years from now when my memory isn't as keen as it is now and remember everything!

I am so excited that last Saturday, June 27th, Marlie started sitting up by herself. She is still a little wobbly but she is getting better at it everyday and I can't believe how long she is able to sit without any help. She has fallen over several times but lucky for us she has a hard head so I think we are okay ;) Just about a week ago I finally stopped pumping all together so Marlie is only taking formula now. It was a tough decision but I just wasn't producing enough so I finally gave in. We have been feeding Marlie lots of new foods. Her favorites so far are pears, my homemade roasted sweet potatoes and she really likes green beans, she must take after me because I LOVE green beans and have since I was little. She isn't really diggin' my homemade peas! I don't think I pureed them enough for her so we will try again with a new batch.

Sitting up like a big girl!

After eating some lunch at Grandma Sorensens

Marlie rolls everywhere and kicks her legs and tries to get up on her knees so I think soon she will be crawling! I can't remember if I blogged about this last time but Marlie has been sleeping in her crib since the 17th of June. I would love to say it was a smooth transition, however, she wakes up several times a night and I have to go stick her Binky back in. I feel like she is a newborn again :( At least she is in her crib and making progress I guess! Speaking of newborns, my good friend Jen had her baby on Tuesday! He has a full head of dark black hair and he is just tiny and cute. Welcome baby Grant! We love you and are so glad you are healthy and happy. Marlie and Grant have met and they hit it off great, I am planting the seed for a future love interest ;)

Baby Grant - 7 lbs 9 oz

Sam has been working on breaking our filly. To our surprise she is doing really well and so far Sam isn't dead so that is a plus :) Hopefully she continues to learn and make more progress so we don't have to spend $400 dollars to have broken!!! Yikes! We also have a new addition to the Sandhill. Sam's dad bought five new baby cows and they are too cute! They are VERY stinky however. Marlie loves to watch them and listen to them moo.

Davin riding the baby cow

Marlie and Daddy on a ride

Marlie and me - we forgot her hat so we tied a blanket on her head!

Sam's first time on the filly!

Marlie's 6 month Appt.

2009-06-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Marlie hit the 6 month mark so off to Dr. Miller we went for her 6 month appointment. Of course she had another round of shots so Marlie was not a happy camper. Momma wasn't a very happy camper last night because Marlie woke up every 30 minutes because she had a fever. I was surprised because this is the first time she has had a fever after getting her immunizations. I am happy to report that seems to be feeling much better today.

I get really excited to see how Marlie has grown so I look forward to seeing where she falls in her percentiles. Everyone keeps telling me that she looks like she is filling out and that her face looks chubbier so I was totally surprised to learn that Marlie only weights 13 lbs 4 oz, only in the 6th percentile. The good news is that she is 25.6 inches long (46th percentile) and her head measures in at 16.6 (42nd percentile). I guess I just have a skinny baby! To help fatten her up the doctor has recommended that we give her an extra half a scoop of formula in her bottles so we will see how that goes. Marlie mostly takes formula bottles these days. I am lucky if she gets one or two bottles of my milk a day since my milk has really started to dry up, so sad :( It won't be long before I will have to stop all together. Yes, I feel a lot of guilt about that but I have to realize that I have no control over it and I am glad I at least made it this long.

We have started to try out new foods on Marlie and she seems to really enjoy mashed potatoes. I am excited to start making her baby food from scratch and finding out which things she likes and what things she dislikes. I think next we will try sweet potatoes! My baby is growing up and I swear she is changing everyday. I can't believe how the time has flown and the many milestones Marlie has already crossed. She just rolls EVERYWHERE! Marlie jabbers all the time and is such a happy little cuss :) I have to admit that she has started this new attitude thing in the last week which I am not enjoying! I wonder where in the world she got that from? ;) I am hoping to break her of that nasty little habit ASAP!

See, she has chubby little legs!

Just before her shots

Marlie with her cousins Quin and brand new baby Abby!

I had to post this, Marlie kept trying to suck on Quin's hands! Good thing they are such good buddies :)

All tuckered out after attacking poor Quin

St. George, Seven Peaks and more!

2009-06-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

I know, I am sorry that I have been a slacker with my blog updates. So of course I am going to post about a few things that we have been up to. I'll try to keep this short and just post some pics but it probably won't happen!

A few weeks back, May 23rd, I was able to go to St. George for an over nighter with my friends to celebrate Melissa's 30th b-day. I had the best time and it was nice to have some time to myself. Sam was the best and watched her all day Saturday and Sunday until I got back that evening. This was the first time I have left her for more than a few hours let alone over night but she did just fine. I was surprised at how well I did, I only got sad when I talked to her at night on the phone, then I really missed her! Anyway, I really enjoyed just laying by the pool, going to a movie and going to this place to get a pedicure with the most white trash people ever, but I have to say it was the most fun I have had!!! After hearing the stories those ladies told us, I thought I was on Jerry Springer! Moral of the story is if you are in St. George and you want to get a pedicure DO NOT go to Asia Nails... at least not for a pedicure :)

Last Friday I took Marlie to Seven Peaks for the first time. She did not do well at all! I was really concerned that my Seven Peaks days were over. I know she was exhausted and wouldn't go to sleep so game over for us! The next day I had plans to go again with the Girls and with my sister-in-law Sierra and my nephew Davin so I had to try it one more time. I did some things differently and my prayers were answered and that little girl did awesome! She enjoyed the water and splashing around in the Wave Pool. I even took her in the Lazy River and she just kicked back and enjoyed it. Whew! I was really worried I would ruin Sierra's time with Davin but he did awesome too. I am so glad we have more buddies to play with us at the pool now.

Marlie's first day at the pool - not too happy

Day two, much better hanging out with Davin

Sierra and Davin

Tuckered out from partying so hard

Marlie's Minute: 5 1/2 months old

Here are some of the things Marlie is doing right now:

*She LOVES bath time and gets a kick out of splashing her mom :)

*Her hair is falling out and coming back in blonde

*She still loves to suck on her hands and toes

*She has been rolling over for almost two months now but now she rolls everywhere! I can't believe how fast she moves!

*I left her with Sam for two days by themselves
*First time going to the pool

*Yesterday we put Marlie in her highchair for the first time and she loved it, still not loving the rice cereal though :(

*About three weeks ago we moved her up to medium flow bottles because it was taking her forever to eat her bottles

*Still eating every three hours and eats between 5-6 oz

Gross I know but this is proof oh her hair falling out in her bassinet!

Her favorite thing to do is roll under the coffee table and hang out

Aunt Chandee and Marlie

Marlie and cousin Bode

First time in her highchair

Swinging at the Sandhill

Chillin' at Grandma Sorensen's

Marlie Gets Her Ears Pierced

2009-05-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

My moral support :)

On Saturday I finally bit the bullet and took Marlie to have her ears pierced. I have been mulling it over for months and for some reason I just wasn't sure I wanted to do it. Well, after having so many people ask us "How old is your little boy?" and "Is it a boy?" despite the pink blanket, pink and flowered binky, bow in her hair, Sam said, go get her ears pierced. So I did it! I had to bring my moral support along with me to make sure I didn't chicken out and to help ME keep my composure.

I have to say Marlie cried more than I thought she would but she recovered quickly. I felt bad because she gave me the look like you did this to me Mom! It broke my heart to hear her do the "that hurt" cry. You can see in some of the pictures the tears welled up in her eyes :( I'm a meanie! I am happy to say that I love them and after the initial piercing, they don't seem to bother her at all. Now she has some bling bling to show off! Thanks to my good friends for coming with me and thanks to Melissa for getting great action shots of the whole ordeal :) You girls are the best!!!!!!

Marlie with Amy happy before the piercing

Trying to hold her still while the mean lady pierced her ears

Poor little baby :(

Is that the saddest face ever?

Marlie with her new bling bling

Our Trip Home to Virginia

2009-05-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our trip to Virginia and while I am glad to be home, I was really sad to leave. We had such a great time with my parents and I know they were sad to see Marlie go home. First let me say that I stressed about Marlie's first flight for an entire month before we even left and for the most part, she was just great. The return trip was a little more hairy but still not too bad.

On our trip home we did so many things that I am not even sure where to start. My mom and dad had to work the first two days that we were there so Sam and I ventured out to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. We planned on going to the Aquarium but decided against it after we got a late start and wanted to head home early to avoid rush hour traffic, if you have never been to the D.C. area, the traffic there is horrendous! Anyway, so we just wandered around the inner harbor and had a delicious lunch of FRESH seafood, something we have difficulty getting out here.

Friday we headed over to National Harbor and walked around checking out all the new shops and enjoying the good weather. Friday night Sam and I got together with my best friend Katy and her family for some yummy dinner and so that she could meet little Marlie. We haven't seen Katy since we got married almost four years ago so it was a great night of reminiscing and LOTS of laughs. I wish we lived closer to each other but I am hoping to have her three kids come stay with me one of these summers for a few weeks :) I wasn't joking Kate!!! Thanks again for a great time, we love you guys :)

Saturday we headed up to Lancaster, PA to take Sam to see Amish country. It is so beautiful up there. It is truly fascinating to see how the Amish people live. Their farms are immaculate and they are such hard working people. Sam has decided that he is moving there and going to become Amish! Yeah right! Seriously though, he really enjoyed seeing their way of life and watching them ride around in their horse-drawn buggies. Sam really got a kick out of the roads there, they are made extra wide for the buggies to fit next to the cars. I have to take a moment and talk about the cool hotel we stayed in. It was more like a townhouse, it had three floors! It also had two full bathrooms, a full kitchen, two rooms, bunk beds and every room had at least one flat screen T.V.! That is my kind of living! I also have to mention that it is here in this fabulous suite that I just about lost my life. There is this huge flight of stairs that leads from the rooms upstairs down to the living room. Well, we were in bed and my phone started ringing downstairs so I was carefully trying to go down the stairs with the lights off (I know, I'm a smarty pants) when I lost my footing and no joke by the grace of God caught myself with one hand, scraping and bruising my arm in the process. I would have fallen down about 15 stairs and broken my neck :( I have never been so scared in my life. It just so happened to be my good friend Lana so Lana, I want to you to know that I almost died trying to get to the phone for you :)

Finally, on Sunday we drove home through Gettysburg, PA. What an awesome experience that was! My dad knows tons about the history of the battles at Gettysburg so it was like having our own personal tour guide in the car. It was an experience I won't soon forget, there is so much to see and so much history to learn, we will have to go again when we can spend even more time. We topped the day off by celebrating Mother's Day at one of my parent's favorite restaurants called Il Fornio. The food was to die for and we enjoyed a nice ending to such a perfect day. It was wonderful to spend my first Mother's Day with my mom, I couldn't have asked for anything better :) Thanks again to my mom and dad for a great vacation and for helping us create some wonderful memories!

P.S. Sierra, Steve and Katie.... you ready to go back in September??????

Baltimore Inner Harbor

Marlie kept grabbing for this shrimp, it was so cute

Sam, Marlie and my Dad at National Harbor

Marlie and Katy's little girl Tori, she was such a bigger helper :)

Katy and I

Grandma giving Marlie a bath in the sink

There were tons of these gorgeous covered bridges

One of the horse drawn buggies that the Amish drive

Me and my parents at Conestoga

The dreadful stairs!

Gettysburg

Monument at Gettysburg

Grandpa at dinner boxing with Marlie

Playing Catch Up

2009-04-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I just love this picture

Get ready, I have a lot to catch up on. I may just post a bunch of pics and spare you the long diatribe. I will take the time to give you some updates on Marlie. My little pumpkin turned four months old on April 16th. When I took her in for her 4 month appointment she weighted a whopping 11 lbs 7 oz (9th percentile), was 23.25 inches long (16th percentile) and in the 11th percentile for her little head. My baby is tiny, what can I say? The doctor said she is doing great and developing nicely. This time when Marlie was given her shots she didn't even cry for the first shot! She did cry when they gave her the second one but that is because it is the one that stings as it goes in. This time around we didn't even have any problems with her being sore later on. What a tough little girl I have. I think she was just trying to be tough because her dad came with us this time.

Just a few quick things that Marlie is doing right now. My little monster has started to rollover! She has been doing this for about two weeks now but only recently has been able to get her arm out after she rolls onto it. We have to be even more careful with leaving her on the couch or bed now. I have also started TRYING to give her rice cereal. The first time didn't go so well, I am hoping that as she gets used to the texture she will like it better. I have also been giving her a formula bottle every morning to get her used to the taste and to help me get caught up on pumping so that I have enough milk to feed her as she starts eating more. The biggest thing that I have to brag about is the fact that Marlie has been sleeping in her bassinet for over two weeks now! I put her in one night trying to get her to start sleeping it in full time and to my surprise she slept in it all night! I had to get up and put the binky back in her mouth a few times, but hey, at least now I have my bed back and I can get some real sleep! Good job Mar!!!! Finally, Marlie has also found her feet. She likes to try to put them in her mouth to suck on, yummy, toe jam :( Oh and I almost forgot, she does the cutest thing and holds her little legs up while I am changing her diaper, like she is trying to be mommy's little helper. What a cutie pie I have, I just love her guts :)

Getting weighted at the doctor

Eating rice cereal for the first time

Trying to roll over to get her binky

Uncle Mark & Marlie at her Cousin Quin's baby blessing

Jen and Marlie at lunch

Daddy and Mar at Curt's 50th b-day party

Marlie eating Grandma's lei

Michelle, Aubree, Me, Marlie, Melissa and Chase at the Tulip Festival

Secret Garden

Waterfall at Thanksgiving Point

Michelle and Chase looking at the fish

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

It is a tradition in Sam's family that every Easter they head out to spend Easter weekend at the Sandhill in Goshen. We have a great time riding horses, four wheelin', motorcycle riding and grubbin' on some great food cooked over the campfire. We also have an Easter egg hunt for all the kids. The kids always end up with TONS of candy and eggs. This year was no exception, Marlie even came away with a few eggs herself.

Sam ended up staying the nights out there while Marlie and I would head home for the evening. Maybe next year we will get our trailer cleaned in time and see how she does. We all had a great time hanging out with the family. Marlie spent most of the time sleeping all bundled up in the cold, but when she wasn't snoozing, she was playing with her many cousins. It is great because Marlie has two cousins who were both born within two months of her so I know they will grow up to be great buddies.

After a long weekend, Sunday night we finally made it home and dressed Marlie up in the onesie that my Aunt Tarena gave to her that said "My First Easter" and snapped some photos of our little bunny with her pretty dress (I have to confess that I bought three) and her Easter basket. When I was growing up every Easter my parents would give us an Easter dress, a basket full of goodies and a pretty corsage to wear to church. I can't wait until next year when Marlie is a little older and I can start that same tradition with her.

The Sorensen Clan hanging out at the Sandhill

Marlie and Cousin Tanner chillin' in Grandma's trailer, they are just a month apart

Cousins Quinn, Tanner and Marlie

Poor Tanner, already being picked on by the Mean Girls Club :(

I love this pic, these two girls just checking each other out.

First time on the horse, she didn't go for a ride this day, just posed for a picture.

What a stud muffin!

Daddy and Mar

Sam with Marlie and her Uncle Steve and Cousin Davin on her first horsie ride!

Marlie and her Easter loot.

Yeah, she will HATE me one day for this picture :)

Marlie and her Cousin Quinn, they are such good friends already. They are only two months apart.

Cole's B-day, he kept trying to climb in with Marlie!

Marlie's Moment......

Just a quick update for those that don't get to see Marlie very often... which is pretty much everyone who reads this blog! Marlie is becoming such a big girl. She will be four months old on Thursday and she goes in for her four month appointment Friday so I will update her stats then. Some of the things she is doing right now are sucking incessantly on her hands, trying desperately to hold onto her bottle while she eats, working so hard at rolling over, but not quite there yet. A few weeks ago I started putting her in her Bumbo chair and she seems to like it as long as it isn't for long periods of time. Marlie is reaching for things when she sees them, especially her Binkie when it falls out of her mouth and she pushes herself around when she can't reach it! She is such a happy, smiley little bug expect when it comes to nap time. For some reason when we try to put her to sleep she throws a little screaming fit and then falls right to sleep. I am hoping that she will grow out of that one! However, I really can't complain because usually it isn't too bad and only last a few minutes. Things could certainly be much worse! I have noticed that in the last few weeks her naps are shorter as well which has been challenging for me because I feel like I am getting less and less done during her nap time. Well, that is enough for now. I know I am forgetting lots of new things she is doing so hopefully I will remember by Friday when I update everyone on how her appointment went!

So cute just about to take a bath

She fell asleep on the way home holding tightly to her rattle, does it get any cuter?

Hanging out in her Bumbo chair

Weekend With the Perkins

2009-03-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

The weekend before last my sister and her family came to visit us. With the unseasonably warm weather that weekend we decided to head out to Thanksgiving Point on Saturday to see the animals. It just so happened to be National Agricultural Day so there were lots of activities for the kids to do. They each made a bracelet from wool that had been freshly shaved off one of the sheep. Next, the kids headed over to the barn house to make a glove garden, plant a bean sprout and to make necklaces with a vile to grow, well, something, I can't remember what!

Making their bracelets

Showing off their pimpin' bracelets

While Cierra, Madison, Bodie, Chandee and I decided to take a wagon ride, Jace wanted to use his ticket to ride the ponies so Sam and Marlie went with him. I felt so bad for those poor little horses walking around all day looking at each others behinds :( Oh well, Jace sure enjoyed his ride. We all know what a dork I am, so you won't be surprised to know that I got bitten by EVERY SINGLE animal at the petting zoo. Yes, even the stinkin' Turkey. Someone who shall remain nameless thought it would be a great idea to stick their finger in the cage and sure enough I got bit! Not the sharpest tool in the shed, what can I say?

Chandee and her kids

Cierra, Maddie, Me, Bodie on the wagon ride

The pony eating my diaper bag for the tenth time!

After our adventures at Thanksgiving Point we decided to walk up to Bridal Veil Falls. Chandee, Casey and Jace were adventurous and climbed all the way up to the first level of the Falls. Little Miss Chandelle only had on flip flops, not the best climbing gear. The trip back down for her was alittle scary. Sam and I stayed back with the younger kids and let Cierra and Madison play in the water. We finished the day off with a yummy dinner of steak, salmon, and this delicious new macaroni and cheese recipe I saw on the Barefoot Contessa. All in all we had a great weekend with the Perkins family and we can't wait until we can do it again. I just wish they lived closer so we could do it more often!

Casey, Chandee and Jace on their climb

Cierra and Madison jumping rocks

The Whole Fam - minus Sam

Marlie's Baby Blessing

2009-03-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

We blessed Marlie a week ago on the 15th, just one day before she turned 3 months old. It was an absolutely beautiful day. The sun was shining, the weather was warm and we had tons of family and friends there to support us. Marlie had been sick with a cold for a few days so she wasn't feeling too hot. Murphy's Law that when it came time for her to be blessed she didn't want to cooperate and go to sleep like she normally does after I feed her. Needless to say, she cried the entire time her dad was trying to bless her. The guys in the circle tried to hold her Binky and rock her, but that little stinker was having none of it! Good news was that everyone could still hear Sam.

On our way to church

At the luncheon

Sam gave Marlie a wonderful blessing. At first I thought Sam was nervous because he kept taking these long pauses, but later I found out that he was getting too emotional and trying to hold back so he was pausing to collect himself. Awe, what a cute dad :) Sam blessed Marlie with health and strength, that she would be free from illness and diseases. He blessed her that she would grow and progress learning her place in life. He blessed her with a quick mind and strong body. Sam admonished her to learn everything she can to effect change in the world. He blessed her that she would become a standard for good, that she would be an example to her brothers and sisters and parents. Sam blessed her that she would learn the doctrines of the gospel and grow therein. Finally, he blessed Marlie that she would find a mate that would take her to the temple and establish an eternal family with.

After the blessing, we all headed over to our clubhouse for some great food. Sam and I really enjoyed spending time with countless friends and family there to support us on such a special occasion. I am truly thankful for all the wonderful friends and family that we have. Thank you to everyone for helping to make Marlie's blessing such a great day. I know that as Marlie grows she will have many great people to help lead and guide her in the right directions.

My Mom and Dad

The Chandler Clan

Grandpa with Marlie after her big day

Me and my buga buga

Just a quick 3 month update. Marlie is growing and changing each day. I can't believe how tall she is getting. She cannot stand to lay down unless she is eating, if you hold her on her back she will pull her head up like a big girl to let you know she isn't happy! Marlie constantly wants to put her hands in her mouth, something that drives me completely nuts because all I can think of is GERMS, yuck :( She also has this new trick where she loves to do this high pitched squeal when she gets excited. I think it is so cute and so fitting of her character. I am lucky to have such a happy, smiley little baby. Even with her being sick last week with a runny nose and the saddest little cough, she was a trooper. Hardly even fussy for not feeling well. I am certainly spoiled. I just love her little guts to death!

So Cute :)

Moms Have to Sacrifice?

2009-03-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am stealing a line from my friend Nalani's blog because it is so fitting for the circumstances. As many of you know I was due back to work today. I took 12 weeks maternity leave unpaid and so I had to come back for a month or Provo City would make me repay the insurance premiums they had paid for me while I was gone. Well, last week I was approached with an offer that I couldn't turn down. After much thought and deliberation, Sam and I decided that I should take the offer to resign so that I can be home with Marlie. Let me say that I thought I would have more time to make the decision whether or not I would keep working when I came back for the month. However, life always has ways of throwing you curve balls. I must admit that it is bitter sweet. I am happy to be staying home with Marlie, I was so stressed about leaving her. On the other hand, I am sad to be leaving a job that I have been at for almost seven years. I have made many friends and of course met my wonderful husband while working for the Police Department.

I have had a job since I was 16 years old and I am now venturing into new territory. I feel like in many ways I am losing my identity as an independent woman. I just have to have faith that things will work out and that I have made the decision that will be best for our family. My life has sure changed drastically in the last three months! For all of you who know how much I love shoes, that addiction will surely be coming to an end. Going from two incomes with no kids to one income and a new baby will certainly be different for us. I may need to get a part time job, so if anyone knows of anything, let me know :) I have been through many emotions in making this decision and I am sure I will go through many more in the months to come. I hope that as I settle into my new identity I will feel more at peace with being a stay at home mom. The reality of it is, I will be doing much more important work here with Marlie than I would be doing at a job. Let's face it, no matter how good a job you do at work and how valuable you think you are, you are always replaceable. People move on and forget about you, but now I will get to see my sweet little angel's smiling face every morning when she wakes up. I have to keep reminding myself that those are the benefits of what I am doing.

To all of the working moms out there I truly admire and respect what you do. You juggle so many hats and you always take a backseat to everyone else and you should be commended for it :) My mom worked the whole time I was growing up and I know how much she sacrificed for us. Now that I am a mom myself I understand more fully how much. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to work full time and be a mom full time. Being a mom full time is already difficult enough! Thanks mom, your the best and I think I turned out pretty darn good :)

Tanner's Baby Blessing

2009-03-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

This weekend we headed up to Montana for my new nephew's baby blessing. It was our first time getting to see him since Tony and Lacey live in Hamilton, MT. What a cutie he is! I am so glad we were able to be part of his special day. He is going to be such a strong little boy, I am already guessing he will be a football player. Tanner was born January 17th so he is a 1 month and a day younger than Marlie but he has already passed her in size. It was so fun to lay them side by side and compare them! Tanner was already grabbing for Marlie's face! I know they will be the best of buds. I only wish Tony and Lacey lived closer :( On the way up to Montana we made a quick stop to visit my Grandma, brother and sister in Idaho. Grandma and my sister's kids have never met Marlie. Of course Marlie just loved her nieces and nephews and thought great grandma was so funny! It was nice to see everyone and we hope to get back up there soon to spend more time.

Last Sunday at the baby blessing was Marlie's first day going to church. I was running around at the last minute trying to buy her a dress because all the dresses I have for her are 3-6 month and there is no way so was going to fit any of them. I had a hard enough time trying to find a 0-3 month that would fit her. I had to take a picture of my handsome hubbie and my darling Marlie all dressed up in their Sunday best! Aren't they so cute? She doesn't look anything like her dad does she ;)

Also, a quick little update, I took Marlie into the doctor yesterday for a quick check up and in the last two weeks so has gained another 15 oz so she weights 9 lbs 15 oz! Keep up the good work M.J.

Two Month Appointment

2009-02-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

A week ago on Feb. 17th Marlie had her two month appointment. I am proud to say that she is doing great! My little ball of sunshine is a whopping 9 lbs even. While she is only in the 10th percentile in weight, she is growing like a weed in height. Marlie is 22.6 inches long, in the 60th percentile! Dr. Miller says that she will probably be about 5'6''! That is certainly good news to me since I hate being only 5'2", nothing ever fits right. She will have a whole 4 inches on me :) Dr. Miller also said that because she has grown so much in length, that may be why she is still such a skinny minnie because she sure eats just fine and continues to gain weight each time we go in so she is obviously getting enough to eat. I have to brag for a minute because I was so excited when the Dr. told me that she is holding her head/neck up like she should be doing at four months! What a strong little monster I have, such a proud momma I am :) I am also happy to report that Marlie is doing just about everything on the developmental checklist that they give you for her age. She gets an A+ in my book.

My Little Bug On The Scale

Unfortunately the poor little thing had to have three shots! Two in her left leg and one in her right. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper, but recovered pretty quickly with a little lovin' from her mom. Later in the evening after a long nap Marlie woke up screaming and crying little baby tears because her right leg was hurting her. I felt so terrible for her. I quickly prepared myself for an all nighter up with an unhappy baby. Lucky for me, after a warm bath and some Tylenol and a little babying from both Sam and I she went to sleep and was just fine! How in the world did I luck out to have such an easy going baby? Anyway, we go back in two weeks to check the progress of a little problem she had and then we don't see the doc for more shots until she is four months old. I will be excited to see how much she has grown by then, she must take after the Sorensen side of the family in the height department!

Happy Before The Shots!

The Next Day Recovering From the Shots :(

Sunny San Diego!

2009-02-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

We just got back from an awesome trip to San Diego. We left Wednesday after Sam got off work and came home Sunday. We tagged along with Sam's brother Steve and his wife Sierra and their little boy Davin. We had a blast and we can't wait to go again. Thanks to Steve and Sierra for letting us come with you! This was Marlie's first long distance trip so I was very nervous to see how she would do. What a great little baby I have, she did WONDERFUL! We are very lucky she likes the car and just sleeps most of the time. The only bad thing is we learned that she will not eat while in her car seat. She must not be able to swallow properly so we had to stop to feed her, but it worked out just fine because we would stop, feed her, change her and on the road again we were.

The first night we went half way and stopped in Primm, just outside of Las Vegas. We got an amazing deal where the rooms at Buffalo Bill's were only $5.00 a night. I'm not kidding, can't beat that kind of deal! The place was PACKED. Steve and Sierra said they have never seen it that busy. The reason it was so busy was that LL Cool J was performing that night and the tickets were free. So with the combination of $5.00 rooms and free LL tickets, the place was hoppin'. We got tickets but decided that the little ones might not appreciate the loud music like we would have, maybe next time! Instead, we hit this great indoor outlet mall and picked up some bargains. I have to say I am proud of myself, I made a goal not to buy myself anything until I loose about ten pounds and I stuck to it. I did however buy several things for Marlie, shocker.

The next morning we got up bright and early and headed to San Diego. On the way we stopped in Rancho Cuchamonga at the Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World. Sam was in heaven. For those that have never been to or heard of Outdoor World it is very similar to Cabela's. It was fun and gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs. We made it to San Diego in really good time and checked into the hotel and relaxed for a little while before we headed to Anthony's for a delicious seafood dinner. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We all decided to have an early Valentine's dinner to avoid the crowds. The food was superb! I splurged and got the shrimp and lobster and man was it good. Sam was the only one at the table that didn't opt for a lobster tail, he sure missed out!

On Friday we went to eat at the Potato Shack in Del Mar. Sam served part of his mission in CA and the owner of the Potato Shack, Coach C (coaches Football for Torre Pines High School), would always give them free food on Thursdays. He is not LDS but has really taken to the missionaries and still has them coming to eat at his place regularly. This place has pancakes the size of a manhole cover! Yummy! We saw Coach C back in August when we came to San Diego and I was five months pregnant so we wanted to go back so he could see Marlie but he wasn't there so I was a little bummed. After breakfast we headed to the beach but it was windy and pretty dang cold so we only stayed for a little while. We went to La Jolla Beach and saw the sea lions sun bathing on the beach. They are so cute, but man do they stink! Later that day we did head to Mission Beach where my crazy husband and his brother decided it would be a good idea to go swimming. It was cold, overcast and windy so while Sierra and I sat on the beach with the babies, those two boys went swimming for over an hour. They had a blast getting thrown around by the waves.

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day, sunny and warm so we went over to Kobey's Swap Meet and walked around looking at all the crazy things people had for sale. We ended up with some pretty random items. Two Billabong hats for $5.00, a huge belt buckle for Sam that he haggled down to $10.00, and some Mexican candy! After the swap meet we had lunch at this awesome BBQ place, Phil's. If you ever make it to San Diego you have to eat here. The line was out the door at lunch. The food was grubbin' and the service was phenomenal. We then headed back to Mission Bay for some more swim time. Sam and Steve spent TWO HOURS in the water playing around. Luckily this time our husbands weren't the only ones in the water so we didn't look as crazy!

Sunday we had to drive the entire way home from San Diego because just before we left Sam remembered that he had to be back Monday for training. Marlie was perfect for the long trip home. We stopped every few hours to feed her before she fussed and then on the road again. We made great time leaving San Diego at 7:15am our time and got home at 6:30pm. It was a great trip and while I am glad to be home, I was really sad to leave. Thanks again Steve and Sierra, we hope you had as much fun as we did!

Random Updates

2009-02-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't been very good at taking pictures lately so I have been avoiding putting up a new post. I thought I would just post this cute video of Marlie having a diaper change. Don't worry, there are no naked bum shots, strictly from the head up! For the first few weeks after Marlie was born she HATED having her diaper changed because of the cold wipes and having her clothes off. Now, she absolutely loves to have her diaper changed and gives us the biggest smiles while we change her. Sam was able to get her on video the other day smiling so here you go! P.S. I took Marlie in last Friday, Jan. 30th, to check her weight and you will be happy to know that she weighs a whopping 8 lbs 1 oz! Dr. Miller says that she is doing just fine, right in the middle, not too big, not too small. I can tell mostly in her face and little belly that she is gaining weight. Most of her clothes are still too big for her but we are making progress!

Marlie also attended her first Super Bowl party and we tried to deck her out in the colors of the team she was rooting for, Red and White to show her support for the Cardinals. You can tell by the picture (we only got two the whole night) she wasn't happy with the outcome. Good try Cardinals, you ALMOST did it :)

Alright, this picture I had to put on the blog for Sam. I am sure you can all figure out why! In case you can't, check out what finger little Marlie is flipping us. Yeah, Sam had to immediately send this out to all of his brothers, such a proud Dad! She gave us the finger the very first night she was born and Sam wanted to take a picture but I was nursing her and it would have included more than I was willing to show to.... well... anyone!

Anywho, just a few other updates on things Marlie is doing. I have been very lucky that Marlie is pretty much sleeping through the night. She still has some trouble getting to sleep but typically she will go to sleep in her bassinet and wake up at maybe three or four and I stick her Binky in her mouth and bring her to bed with me (call it laziness) and then she will sleep until at least 6am but lately has even slept as late as 7am or 8am. Needless to say, once she finally wakes up she wants to be fed in a hurry! I keep a couple bottles all ready in the fridge so there is no messing around :) Marlie also loves to look at the TV. When I am feeding her she will turn her head to look at the TV and all the bright colors. She still smiles and coos at me and it melts my little heart. At bedtime we have been reading the book Presidents and Prophets and it actually seems to calm her down. I think she just likes the sound of my voice, but at least I feel like I am getting some education!

Daddy and Marlie time!

One-eyed Willey and her Gingerbread Man beanie, blanket and jammies that you can't see on her way to see Grandma Sorensen!

Marlie's One Month Update

2009-01-18T19:39:00.001-08:00

I can hardly believe that my little girl is already a month old. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were driving through a snow storm at 5:45 am to the hospital to have her. Marlie has changed so much in such a short period of time. I swear she looks different everyday. For those who don't get to see her on a regular basis (especially Grammie Chandler) here is a quick run down of the things she is doing right now. Marlie LOVES to be a big girl already and hold onto the bottle with both hands while we feed her. She must take after me and like to be in control ;) I have been pretty lucky that Marlie only wakes up once or twice a night to eat or have a diaper change. Her new thing is to not want to go back to sleep after she wakes up to feed so it can take awhile for me to get her back to sleep. Before Marlie was born I swore up and down that I would not let her sleep in our bed, well I am eating my words because on the nights when I am totally exhausted and don't feel like fighting with her, she gets to sleep with us. Needless to say, I have finally convinced Sam that we need a king size bed. We are working on getting her to stay in her bassinet all night long. Some nights she cooperates with us, others not so much!

At first bath time for the little monster didn't go too well. She hates to be cold and wasn't too fond of the whole thing. Now, she really likes the bath and the warm water. The only part she screams bloody murder over now is when it is time to get out and freeze her little tooshie off. Oh, and for some reason she does not enjoy having lotion put on. I am sure it has to do with it being cold, even though I try to be cool and warm it up with my hands first. I know they say that babies don't smile until the are two months or older but I swear Marlie smiles at us. I love that when she wakes up first thing in the morning and I talk to her she smiles and coos at me, she knows how to melt mama's heart! She also seems to enjoy when Sam sings to her. I'm not sure if she likes it or just thinks this guy is crazy! Everyday Marlie is more alert and becoming more aware of her surroundings. Sam and I just love her to pieces and we could not have asked for a better baby. We have truly been blessed and our lives have been changed forever. Marlie already has her daddy wrapped tightly around her little finger.

Marlie's Newborn Pics

2009-01-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

We finally have Marlie's newborn pictures back. I wish we could have gotten a few more pics but Marlie wasn't too thrilled about freezing her buns off so her mom could show her off ;) The shots we were able to capture turned out really well. I won't get crazy and post too many, but here are just a few of our favorites. Hope you all enjoy them as much as we do. Marlie is growing and changing everyday, I think she has already changed since we had these pictures done two weeks ago. Oh how the time is already flying by, it makes me so sad. Next thing you know she will be 16 and wanting to date, yikes!

Marlie's Two Week Appt. and the Audiologist

2009-01-05T17:55:00.001-08:00

I'm back! So, I haven't been on to blog in forever. All the previous post since Marlie was born have been done by Sam so I thought I would finally attempt to get back on track. On Dec. 30th Marlie had her two week visit with Dr. Miller. I don't have any pictures to share because the dang nurse had me filling out paperwork while unbeknownst to me she was weighing her and getting all of her measurements! I was bugged because I even remembered to bring my camera. Anywho, the good news is Marlie not only gained back her birth weight (6 lbs 11.9 oz), she gained another 3 oz and now weighs in at 6 lbs 15 oz. Her percentiles are as follows: Weight: 6 lbs 15 oz = 12.08 %ile, Height: 20 in. (either they measured wrong at the hospital or the doctors office because she was 19 in the day she was born) = 38.11 %ile, and finally HC: 13.75 = 24.93 %ile.

Today Marlie and I ventured out into the terrible storm for her hearing test. They were unable to do it in the hospital because their machine was broken. With the holidays and the weather, today was the first day we were able to get her in to see the audiologist. Of course she passed with flying colors so one less thing for me to worry about :) The pics below are of Marlie having her tests done, she didn't wake up the whole time, what a good little girl she is! One little side note about our adventure. One the way to her appointment, we almost got in an accident. By some miracle (small blessing really) a car going too fast for the conditions spun out of control and literally missed hitting us by inches. They ended up sliding off the road and into the ditch. Scary couple of minutes for us! I was so nervous the rest of the trip to American Fork that I was sweating my guts out with white knuckles gripping the steering wheel! No more venturing out on snowy days like today unless Sam is driving :)

2008-12-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

Marlie had some pictures done today, we had to steal a couple to add to
our blog.

We will post more when we get them. We got these two off Mindy's blog.

2008-12-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

Locked in tight.

We had to make a pit stop in Payson to see Granny "S". Marlie and Grandma Sorensen were in the hospital the same day.

Marlie finally was able to relax in her bed.

She had to stay under the lights for one night

but that seemed to do the trick and last night

she was fine. We will have her checked today to confirm that the Jaundice is still down, we are hoping we don't have to do that again.

Merry Christmas to Us!

2008-12-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

SHE IS HERE....

Marlie J Sorensen
December 16, 2008
6 lbs 11.9 oz

19 inchesMarlie was a little upset at first...(must come from her moms side)

Mom and baby are both doing great.

p.s If you cant tell Marlie is beautiful....(must come from her mom)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2008-12-08T20:04:00.000-08:00

Let me just start by saying that I LOVE this time of year. Christmas has to be one of my favorite holidays with all the lights, the music, the parties etc. However, I have to admit that this year I have been feeling less than energized to dig out all of my Christmas decor and get to decorating. Well I finally decided that after I finished cleaning the house Thursday and Friday (yes, I am definitely nesting!) that I was feeling ambitious enough on Saturday to get to decorating. I have to say it was a lot of work but I am so excited to have it done. I tried some new things out this year, including a new location for the tree and I think I like the change for this year. It feels like Christmas in my home now and I can honestly say that I could probably sit for hours on end just looking at the Christmas tree. It is kind of therapeutic for me. I'm no Martha Stewart when it comes to decorating, but I think things turned out pretty good considering my decoration handicaps :) Now all I need are some presents under the tree!

Perkins Sealing

2008-11-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

Saturday was an exciting day for my sister and her family. Chandee and her husband Casey were sealed for time and eternity and also had little Bode sealed to them as well. I was so glad I was able to be there to celebrate their day with them. I was even lucky enough to sit right next to my sister during the sealing and held her hand the entire time! It was an awesome experience to be in the sealing room when Bode was sealed to them. I had never witnessed a family sealing so it was a first for me and what a wonderful thing to be part of. The Spirit was strong and of course made me think of my own child on the way and I cried like a little baby! I am just so thankful for the blessings of the temple, especially at this time with little Marlie due to make an appearance anytime now.

After the sealing, Chandee and Casey had a little luncheon at the Market Street Grill in Cottonwood. Let me just say that it was a gorgeous place! I HIGHLY recommend anyone to have a luncheon there. It was so pretty and the views were amazing! All in all it was a great day, and a long day! We started the day at 5:30 am so that Chandee could get her hair done prior to the sealing. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end of the day and I was waddling everywhere, but I was thankful I could be there to participate in such a special day. Congrats to Chandee and Casey!

Baby Shower

2008-11-18T19:16:00.000-08:00

Finally! I have my camera back so I can blog about my big day! First of all, let me say thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for all their hard work and willingness to put this shower together for me. I had a wonderful time and I was so glad so many of my friends and family could be there to share in this special day. I am very blessed to have such great friends and family :) I was so nervous in the days leading up to the shower because I feel really uncomfortable being the center of attention and the night before the shower I was awake all night long stressing about everything. I am glad to say everything turned out wonderfully and I had a great time, I hope everyone else did as well! Well, without further ado here are some pictures from the shower. Yes, I was completely spoiled and I honestly had to wait a whole week to attempt putting everything away so I wouldn't feel so overwhelmed! Thank you for all the awesome presents, little Marlie (unless we change it ;) will be all set and dressed to impress once she finally arrives. Okay, get ready for the barrage of pictures that follow! Somehow several of those in attendance didn't make it in any of the pictures so I couldn't include you :( I'll get you next time! I know I have said it like three times already, but thanks again to everyone, I truly appreciate you all!

Cute diaper cake made by Nalani, so talented! Too bad you got out of being in any pictures ;)

How creative! My aunt Tarena made these little pacifiers out of Lifesaver Mints!

Look at all this good grub! Great job ladies!

My Throne :)

Me in the aftermath of opening TONS of presents

Okay, how perfect for Sam and I! Thanks Lani!

Dang cute diaper bag made by my friend Tatum

Amy and I

Grandma, Aunt Tarena, Jerelyn, Sierra and cute little Davin

Sister-in-laws - Katie, Laura and Haylee

My mom and sister-in-law Christie

Amy and Jen, thanks Jen for allowing us to crash your house :)

Melissa and Julie

Lani and Amy (are you seeing a pattern here Amy ;)

My friends from work, Pauline and Lana

Little Ry (my helper with the presents), Julie, Traci and sweet Etta

The Joys of Pregnancy

2008-11-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, so about two weeks ago I went into my doctor because I knew I had a UTI and was in need of some antibiotics in a hurry. Well, after they ran some tests the nurse came out and informed me that I did in fact have a UTI but that I also had another kidney infection (my third). She was concerned because it had only be just over a month since my last one so she and Dr. Smith decided that they thought I had a small kidney stone. So they put me on some antibiotics and told me that if I showed any signs of a fever to go straight to the hospital. Well, the next night I passed my first kidney stone. I couldn't believe it! Then about a week later while at work I passed my second stone, this one was much smaller than the first. Finally, last Wednesday, again at work, I passed my third stone, this one about twice the size of the first. Here are the pictures of two of them (sorry if this grosses anyone out), the smallest one I lost so I can't show you that one. I kept them to take into the doctor to be sure that was really what they were, as I have never had them before I wasn't sure, I actually had to look up pictures on the Internet to make sure! Needless to say, the last few weeks have been pretty difficult. Hopefully I am done passing them and there aren't any left. Dr. Smith told me on Friday that labor should be easy for me now and that she promises this time I can have an epidural for the pain ;)

Can You Guess My Weight?

2008-11-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, don't get crazy. I don't want anyone trying to guess my weight right now, I would probably cry. I do however want people to make their bets on how much you think this little monster is going to weigh and how long you think she will be. SO I am including this pic for those that have not seen my big belly yet to give you some idea of how big I am. I always love to see what people think so let the guessing begin :)

Getting Started

2008-11-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Amy and Jen I FINALLY have a blog! I was planning on starting out my first post with pictures from the fun baby shower, however, my sister accidently took my camera home with her to Idaho. Needless to say, I won't be able to post any pics from my day of being spoiled until I get my camera back! However, I promise that as soon as I get it back, I will "officially" start my blogging experience so stay tuned. Thanks again to Jen and Amy for getting things started for me :) P.S. Amy, I only changed the background because I am blind and could not see the font :( I really liked the one you picked for me!