James.Maggie.Isabelle.Ruby.Gavin

It's a Boy!

2012-02-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

Gavin James Tracy
Born February 10th, 2012 at 12:59 pm
8 lbs 5 oz, 20 inches

We are so in love with this little guy! He is perfect! We feel so blessed to have such a beautiful, healthy baby boy!

His hair is much darker than it looks in this picture- the same color as James'. I love his little sideburns, his rosebud lips, and the little cleft in his chin. I can't get enough of him!

Disneyland!

2012-02-04T02:05:00.000-08:00

It's been my goal to get this post done before the baby comes. It's not like I couldn't have done it sooner, seeing as our trip was back in September, I just haven't quite gotten around to it. Will I actually get it done? Maybe if I skip the details and just hit the main points. I'll probably just stick to pictures!

I am ready to have this sweet baby any time now. I'm dilated to a four and my doctor almost sent me to labor and delivery on Tuesday. I couldn't figure out why though- I've just been having annoying, uncomfortable contractions, but nothing too serious. I figure he probably got us all psyched and now I'll hold out another two weeks! I am seriously uncomfortable though, and I feel like a mess!

So now to get this post done... We had a fantastic vacation with my parents! Lots of fun and lots of memories. I made a little book about our trip that the girls love to look at over and over. I would say the girls still talk about Disneyland almost daily. It's just such a magical place and a trip I always look forward to. I never get sick of it. It's so much fun to see the excitement on their little faces!

Dumbo is always a hit!

Ruby loved the Teacups!

So did Sissy!

Ruby was nervous and excited to meet Mickey for the first time. She's kind of laughing and crying here.

We ran into Cinderella and her fairy godmother. They loved Isabelle and her bows!

A dream come true for Ruby.

Isabelle really had no idea who these people were, but she was still super excited!

Cute sissies!

So fun spending time with Grandma and Papa!

I stood in line for quite a while so Isabelle could meet these two. Sadly, Ruby was asleep. The girls love Tangled!

We spent some time at the beach. Always fun!

Loving her daddy!

We stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel and they had this fun little room that always had a Disney show on.

We had breakfast with Mickey and his friends! Ruby fell in love with Goofy on the trip. He is her favorite!

The fun slide at our hotel. Isabelle would go on it, then hop off and go right back up the stairs to do it again. She went down at least 25 times!

Showing off her bikini bod!

I love the Monster's Inc. ride!

Here we all are!

Brave little Isabelle loved Splash Mountain! Tower of Terror was her favorite though!

Pixie Hollow!

I love how they're both standing the same way.

Ice cream on Main Street. You can't beat it!

I love these two! I can't believe how much they've grown and changed over just the past few months!

Daddy's girl

Love my Belly Boo

The traditional Princes Luncheon! Daddy and Papa got to come this year!

My Princess Belle

A little nervous. She was so mad when we were trying to change her into her dress, but as soon as she looked at herself in the mirror, she loved it!

I just love this picture. Ruby looks so suspicious.

She warmed up to the princesses. Cinderella was her favorite.


Beauties

I could keep going and going. I have so many adorable pictures! I hope we can keep up our yearly Disneyland tradition in the years to come, although I don't know if it'll happen this year! Isabelle's been four times now and Ruby has been twice- lucky girls!

I wrote down a few of my favorite things that the girls did or said on the trip that I want to remember.

*My mom wouldn't go on Tower of Terror. Out of the blue Isabelle said, "Grandma, how old are you?" My mom said, "sixty-four." Isabelle responded, "you mean I'm four, and you're sixty-four, and I'll go on Tower of Terror and you won't?" Guilt tripped Grandma right into going on the ride with her.
*Any time someone would start talking to Ruby, she would immediately introduce Isabelle. She likes to have her sister by her side.
* On the walk to our hotel we always had to stop at a big display window that had a huge Goofy in it whose ears moved up and down. Ruby couldn't get enough of it.
*Isabelle had a hard time saying California. She called it "Calicornia Adventure."
*Ruby spent a lot of time singing "I got a dream" from Rapunzel and the "It's a Small World" song. She's still singing them.
*Isabelle asks me all of the time when we are going back. Ruby just told me this past week that she wants to go see Mickey at his house in Disneyland. The place just really has an affect on them!

I am so grateful that we had the chance to take this vacation and for the time we got to spend together and with my parents. I'm also grateful that I finally blogged about it so I can quit worrying about it! It may not have been the greatest post ever, but at least it's done.

Hopefully the next blog post I make will be about our new baby! We are SO excited!

December

2012-01-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

It came, it went. Flew by like it always does! It's probably my favorite month of the year. There are so many fun festivities, including both my girls' birthdays. There's always something to do. It just seems magical! The kids are excited, I get to shop a lot, the house is sparkly.. it's just fun and exciting!

I was so happy that everyone ended up healthy for Christmas- Isabelle and I got the flu the week before, and Ruby had an ear infection the week after, but we made it through perfectly for Christmas Day! So nice since it seems that kids always get sick for Christmas.

We had a fabulous month going to see lights and visiting Santa. I hope the kids were able to realize the importance of the season and how wonderful it is to celebrate the birth of our Savior. They spent lots of time rearranging all of our nativities, and I loved finding all of the people in a circle around baby Jesus, just the way it should be. I love that even at barely two years old, Ruby would arrange them that way!

Santa brought the kids lots of good stuff! They must've been very good to get the stuff they asked for. We had so much fun watching them on Christmas morning! It's so nice to use the"Santa's watching" card for good behavior through the month. My girls loved Santa! We probably visited him at least eight times.

I always wish December would last longer. That's why I like to start it a little early. I had the house decorated before Thanksgiving this year, which made it less hectic to get done and gave us more time to enjoy the season. It's such a special month that I think we should celebrate it for as long as we can!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the month. It's hard to choose!

Pretty girls!

This is the real Santa who comes to our party each year!

Isabelle's request was Barbie's Campout.


Ruby asked for a baby doll.

Cuddling up to my Grandma Wilson who she calls Grandma Wilson Chair. This is because Isabelle thinks wheelchairs are called Wilson chairs because Grandma has one. We don't correct them because it's too funny!

I just love a sweet sleeping picture. It's exhausting being two.

Isabelle with her gingerbread house she made at preschool.

Isabelle's Christmas program for preschool.

Isabelle's two cousins are in her class. Ike's not much into performing, but the girls love it! The only reason he's even on-stage is because he was paid to be!

Cute little elf.

My mom calls these girls Thing One and Thing Two because they like to rearrange her house when they get together.

Can't believe they got so big!

We painted Daddy a Christmas present. Ruby's had about twenty layers.

Joseph Smith Building at Temple Square. The lights were beautiful, of course! I got hit with the flu on the way home though.

Cute pose!

A little performance of "Tapping, Tapping Little Elf." The grandkids did a talent show one night, but Isabelle had to go home sick, so she performed it for us a different night. Ruby is her little shadow.

The girls made beautiful pictures for Santa.

Christmas Eve. All ready for Santa to come!

Santa brought new baby dolls. So sweet!

Isabelle must've been good because she got the Barbie's Campout she wanted! It is quite the toy!

Ruby got a dollhouse of her own. She must've destroyed Sissy's one too many times. Of course Isabelle immediately offered to trade hers for the new one.

Our family on Christmas.

Love this girly!

Ruby in front of her Christmas tree.

And Isabelle with her tree.

James and his mini-me.

Daddy's girls.

I'm so lucky!

Isabelle took this picture. Not too shabby!


First time playing in the snow this season, and first time ever for Ruby. We just had to layer her up because she has no snow clothes.

One Month

2012-01-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that our baby is due one month from today! It's crazy! I am having so many mixed emotions right now- I'm basically losing it. I feel excited, but scared. I feel anxious. I feel lots of guilt- over everything. I am tired of being pregnant, yet I wish I still had longer. I hurt. I have sciatica so bad that there are times I literally can't walk. I love feeling my little one kicking around inside, but I also can't wait to hold the baby in my arms.

I have so much gratitude for all of those who have been helping me so much lately, especially for my parents. They have both helped a lot with my kids and my mom has spent a lot of time helping me with all of the deep cleaning. I have been in a serious nesting phase this past week freaking out about my house and preparing. I have organized every closet and drawer in the house. This might be the cause for the exhaustion I am also feeling!

The girls seem excited for the baby to come. I know Isabelle is, because she tells me every day. She always hugs the baby. Ruby puts her face right on my stomach and wiggles her head and says, "I lub you baby!" I'm so worried about how she'll feel when the baby actually gets here. She's been the center of attention in the family for so long and I hate to see her feelings be hurt.

I have no intuition/inclination as to what the baby is. I'm not really guessing because I've been wrong both times before! Isabelle had a dream last night that it was a boy, and I dreamt it was a girl, so no one is on the same page. I truly don't care either way.

So much to do over the next few weeks! Both of my girls were early, but I don't anticipate that this time for some reason. We haven't talked about induction with the doctor yet, so I guess we'll just wait and see. For now I'll be busy enjoying my girls and hubby, and these last weeks as our family of four!

And just because I'm not a fan of posts without pictures, here's a pic of my princesses. Oh, how I love them!

Where Did Those 5 Years Go?

2012-01-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

Isabelle turned five on December 29th! I can't believe she's that old... and I know I can't possibly be old enough to be her mom! She's definitely been a light in our life. There is never a dull moment with Isabelle around. She is an amazing little person and has been my best friend from day one.

Isabelle had a Barbie themed family birthday party. She decided for her daytime activities she wanted to go bowling and to Red Robin Yum. That's what she calls it, and it's her favorite restaurant. We had a fun day with just our little family. We had family over that night for her party where we added to our already full collection of new Christmas toys. She had a great time and can unwrap a gift in about .4 seconds.

The next day Isabelle had a friend party at the Chick-Fil-A restaurant. She had ten friends come and she would've liked to invite more! We played Bingo, had lunch, had cupcakes and opened presents, and played in the playland. It was an easy, fun party! We had to take Ruby to the doctor right after for an ear infection (first one in a while and I hope for no more since she almost had to get tubes last year). Overall, I think Isabelle had a fantastic 5th birthday!

Here are some special things about Isabelle at age 5!

*She loves preschool and is getting very good at writing. She loves to make pictures for people and practice writing everyone's names. She is getting to be such a good artist and the pictures she colors are detailed and always inside the lines.

* She has a bit of road rage. Don't know where she gets it. We came upon some traffic the other day and she yelled, "drive your stupid cars idiots!"

* She says the words "freaking" and "frickin" a lot. We were at Wendy's yesterday and she took a drink and said, "oh my heck that's a freaking good Coke! It made my eyes water!" Ya, that sounds like something I would say.

* She says her daddy is the cutest boy in the world. I agree.

* She is so excited for the new baby. She really loves babies lately and she and Ruby visit them everywhere we go.

* She is very good at gymnastics. She never stops! She and one other little girl are the youngest in their class with kids as old as nine. She does a perfect cartwheel and almost has a front walkover figured out. They're working on their handsprings now too. She loves gymnastics and dance!

* She loves to sing. She's big into Justin Bieber! She got a Justin Bieber Paper Jams guitar and a Paper Jams kareoke machine for her birthday, and she gets very into it! She did tell me that she's decided to wait until she's eleven to become a rockstar. She says she'll be a rockstar when she's a teenager and a mom when she grows up.

* She likes to watch talented kids on You Tube lately, so she's been watching some clips from America's Got Talent. Then she plays it herself. She does her trick (she now wants to be a contortionist and she's pretty good at it), then asks the pretend judges what they think. I heard her playing and one judge said, "absolutely yes." Then the next judge said, "precious, but no." She's so funny!

* She is a good big sister. She takes good care of Ruby, especially when we go to places with playlands- she's her bodyguard. She takes a lot from Ruby lately, since Ruby has started being a bit of a handful, pulling hair and hitting.

* She is still a night owl. I like that she usually sleeps in until about ten or later, but she gets really wired at night. James was gone late the other night so we were all just falling asleep on the couch (at least we were supposed to be). Ruby and I were delirious and Isabelle was doing tricks and dancing wildly. Girl's got moves.

*She has grown up so much over the last year. She is such a nice little girl! I am so proud of her!

Birthday breakfast. James made a birthday picture on her new Lite-brite.

Birthday lunch at Red Robin Yum.

She still loves horses. They're always a big hit, and she's been wanting a Maximus and Flynn Ryder.

She got $30 for her birthday! She loves money and I'm waiting til a day when we're pretty bored to take her to Toys R Us.


This little kareoke machine's been a big hit! It makes you sound like a pro.

I made her a book like I made for Ruby with pictures of her. It's so much fun to look at!

Her cake was a crown, although I thought it kind of looked like a house. Oh well, I've filled my cake-making quota for a while.

Isabelle's friends (minus her cousin Ike who was hiding from the cow). Cute kids!

My Baby's 2!

2011-12-21T16:01:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go?!! My sweetie pie is two! We love her so much. She is such a funny little girl- full of personality! She is such a good talker, gets smarter every day, and keeps our family laughing. I wish I could freeze time and enjoy this stage a little longer, but I say that about every stage my girls hit. Ruby is feisty, she's independent but clingy, she is dramatic, a comedian, curious, happy. Our girl's a little bit of everything!

For her birthday, we kept it a little low-key since she was so overwhelmed by it all last year. Our little family went to see "Arthur Christmas", visit Santa, and have Chick-Fil-A during the day. Then Ruby got a good nap and had her favorite, pizza, for dinner. Family came over for a "Rapunzel" themed party. Ruby loved it! She had so much fun and I was glad she enjoyed it this year!

Birthday breakfast!

Pretty in pink!

She is so my girl. This is the reaction we got every time she opened clothes! She loves clothes! Each time she opened an outfit, she'd say, "I try it on."

Me & my Rubycakes with her pretty purple cake.

I made her a book that is all about her, filled with pictures of her. It's a new favorite!

Daddy & his girl

What is this face about?!

She loves her new dolly. She's such a good mommy.

After a while, Ruby realized that Isabelle was faster at opening her presents, so she'd just hand her the gift and say, "open it Sissy."

Ruby and her favorite person, her sissy. Two of my favorite people too!

Of course she had help with the candles. She had no other choice.

Having a little more cake after all of the guests were gone.

Day after her birthday with all of her fun gifts! Isabelle couldn't wait for Ruby to take a nap so she could play with all of the new toys by herself! After each present was opened, Isabelle would say, "We're sharing, huh Mom?"

There are so many fun things that I want to remember about Ruby at this age. Here are a few.
* She can count to ten, and almost 20, just skipping a few numbers.
*She knows the alphabet.
*She's like a little sponge. She picks up so quickly on songs. She knows all of Isabelle's preschool songs, Christmas songs, Tangled songs and exact words to the movie, and Justin Bieber songs. This morning I heard her telling James, "bubble gum, bubble gum, in a dish; how many pieces do you wish?" I didn't even know she'd ever heard that!
*She is Isabelle's little shadow. It drives Sissy crazy sometimes! Lately everything Isabelle says, Ruby copies it, but says it louder.
*She loves Santa and isn't even nervous to sit on his lap. She tells him what she wants every time.
*The doctor says she is the size of a 2 1/2 year old. Hard to believe she can be so big with so little that she seems to eat. She is 93% for height and 60% for weight. Must be the french fry and mac 'n cheese diet.
*She loves clothes. She wants to wear a pretty skirt every day, or her Halloween fairy costume or Belle costume. If I take her to her closet, she usually wants to wear her leopard tutu or a church dress. I pick something and she points to something else and says, "how bout this?"
*She is very helpful. The other day Isabelle was going potty and yelled "I'm done!" Ruby yelled, "ok, I come wipe you!"
*She is an artist and is always coloring. Doesn't matter how much paper she has, she always turns to coloring on herself!
*When she wants to make a statement lately, she adds the word "eber" (ever) at the end of her sentence. "I not wear shoes eber." "I watch TV eber!" It's pretty funny!
*She likes to be pretty and wants to wear makeup. She likes me to put mascara on her and tells me, "I got blue eyes Mommy."

I could go on and on! She is such a hilarious little one and we are so grateful to have her in our family! Love you Ruby!

I am thankful...

2011-11-24T06:46:00.000-08:00

*For my two sweet, beautiful, funny daughters who make me smile every day. And I'm thankful I have the chance to stay home with them.
*For my gorgeous, hard-working husband. I love laughing with him and watching him with our girls.
*For the sweet angel kicking around inside of me.
*For my parents. They are supportive and help us all of the time. They are always there to lend a hand and will do anything for us.
*For good family and friends all around us.
*For the gospel. I can't imagine living without it. It brings me joy and is the only way I can make it through difficult times.
*For good health. And for modern medical care. It amazes me.
*To live in America. I am so thankful for our freedoms, and for those who fight to protect our freedoms. And I'm thankful for their families who allow them to do so.
*For modern conveniences. I do love my car, my cell phone, running water, a microwave. I wouldn't have made a good pioneer.
*For my home. It's warm and cozy and a safe haven for my family.
*Just to be alive and to get to enjoy each day with my family. I'm thankful for the little moments that make life so special. I truly love my life!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a Little Halloween

2011-11-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

The girls loved Halloween this year! Isabelle was a flapper and Ruby was a fairy. Ruby loved her costume and likes to wear it around the house a lot. She was a little mad when she couldn't wear it to church the other day, but ended up calling her church dress her costume. I was just glad Isabelle found a cute costume, because when we first started talking about Halloween, she was planning on being a horse. So, when she wanted the flapper costume, I jumped on the opportunity!

We had lots of fun painting our pumpkins this year. Ruby is constantly asking where her pumpkin is and telling us she wants to paint it. They turned out cute, especially James' minion (spelling?) pumpkin, from Despicable Me.

We went to a trunk-or-treat at my sister's church a few days before Halloween. On Halloween day, Isabelle had her preschool party, we trick-or-treated around our neighborhood, then did some more collecting with cousins in my brother's neighborhood. It seems that the girls have been eating candy non-stop since Halloween. Ruby likes to take one bite out of each piece, and then we chuck the rest. There has been way too much chocolate around here lately- not good at all for me!

Anyway, we had a fun Halloween holiday. My favorite part has been listening to the girls sing Isabelle's preschool Halloween songs over and over! So cute!

Tooth Fairy Visits

2011-11-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is growing up way too fast! I keep telling her to stay little, but she tells me you have to turn different numbers. I think she's way too young to be losing teeth though.

A couple weeks ago she came to me crying that her teeth were hurting her when she was eating an apple. Turned out her two front bottom teeth were loose- so loose that one came out the next night. James pulled it and it only hurt her for a second she said. The tooth fairy brought her $1.50 and let her keep her tooth since we wrote a note asking if she could. A week later the second tooth came out. Isabelle pulled it herself while we were driving on the freeway. She was so excited that night that she could hardly sleep. In fact I'm surprised the tooth fairy even had time to come before Isabelle came in our room to get James to show him her dollar.

She looks super cute with her missing teeth! I've been a little sentimental about it because they were the first two little teeth she got, and one of my favorite pictures of her is framed in her bedroom wher she just has those two cute teeth. It's been fun watching her get so excited about it!

Ready for the tooth fairy!

Showing off her missing tooth

And then they were both gone...

Our Long Gone Summer

2011-10-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

We sure are missing summer around here. I have such a hard time letting go of warm nights with sunlight that goes on and on! Cold air and darkness aren't my thing. Since summer flew by without me doing any blogging, I thought I should at least put up some pics to remind me of the good times.

I was sick from this pregnancy the entire summer, but it didn't stop us from having fun! I guess that's one of the ways that fall has has blessed my life with- I feel great and am in the enjoyable part of pregnancy! I do love a crisp fall day, and wish it would last a long time because I dread winter!

We got to go swimming in my aunt's beautiful pool a lot! It is such a perfect pool- warm, not crowded! We loved it!

We went to Lagoon once a week. Ruby was scared the first couple of times, but was a pro by the end! Nothing better than spending a summer evening having a blast with cousins!

We took a fun overnighter to Park City. We swam, shopped, ate, and went to the Alpine Slide.

We hit up the Weber County Fair and ended the summer (before we left for Disneyland) with a night at the State Fair. Our girls are both pretty obsessed with horses so they loved their pony rides!

We've had a tradition of going to the Horse n Hitch Parade for the past few years.

I always wish summer would hang around a while longer. It goes by way too fast. Before we knew it, it was time for Isabelle's second year of preschool to start! I can't believe how big my girls are getting! Isabelle has a very busy schedule with school three days a week and dance and gymnastics too. Plus, she likes to fit in lots of playdates each week.

Now, just because, some other of my fave pics of the summer...

Picture overload! It's how I'll remember the beautiful summer with my beautiful family!

Baby #3!

2011-08-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that a new little one will be joining our family in February! I'm about 16 weeks along now and finally getting back a little energy. I was basically sick the entire summer so I am ready to feel better. We aren't finding out what the baby is again. We like a good surprise! The girls are excited- well at least Isabelle is. I don't think Ruby has a clue what's coming, although she does associate my stomach with a baby. We feel very blessed and excited!

Hopefully I'll start working on a post about our summer. It's obviously long overdue!

T-Ball

2011-08-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Isabelle played t-ball this year and it was so cute! She had mixed feelings about it- she loved batting but wasn't so thrilled about playing in the field. She would tell us, "it takes FOREVER!" True, there's not much excitement in the field unless you're playing pitcher or first base, since that's where 99% of the hits land. She spent a lot of time visiting with her teammates and running back and forth to our blanket for drinks.

The kids were hilarious to watch- even up to the last game some still forgot to run after they hit the ball, or ran the wrong direction, or took their bat with them to first. Some kids wouldn't even try to get the ball, and one kid on her team would actually tackle his own teammates to get the ball. He'd be in the outfield and run all the way to the pitcher's position and jump on a kid trying to get the ball. It got to where the coach would grab him and hold onto him to stop him. He really bugged Isabelle! Isabelle had a fantastic coach who was so patient and sweet!

Overall, I think Isabelle had fun! She hung in 'til the end and got a trophy that she is very proud of! She sure did look cute playing!

Ruby at 18 Months

2011-06-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

My Rubycakes turned a year and a half old on the 7th. My how time flies! Poor baby's been sick all week. It's just been one ear infection after another for her.

Ruby has turned into a little person recently. She's gotten a little feisty attitude! She is still a sweetheart and I have enjoyed the sick days we've spent cuddling. She loves her sissy and wants to do everything she does and is always hugging and kissing her. She loves to be outside. She takes your hand and says "walk" quite often because she loves to go on walks. She tells us "outside slide," "outside jump," and "outside swing." She loves to push her babies in strollers along the sidewalk. She hates when it's time to come inside.

Ruby loves to read. She'll let me read to her for 45 minutes. She likes to help me clean. She loves to have a wipe in hand and be cleaning something. She loves shoes, but she has the most ticklish feet ever. It is a big deal to trim her toenails because they're so ticklish. We finally got her toenails painted while I distracted her with a book and James painted as fast as he could!

Ruby is a true girl (my girl for sure). She tries almost every morning to get me to give her Pepsi and chocolate as soon as she wakes up! She likes her sweets but is a very picky eater when it comes to real food. She does love Italian though, just like her dad and sis.

She is quite a talker. She'll say anything you ask her to. Isabelle has her repeat stuff constantly. She sings "hush a bye, don't you cry" over and over and it is SO cute. She has really developed a liking already for the word no, go figure. She puts lots of emphasis on the "N." It's so fun to hear her say new words each day. It's been so cute this week because she's had almost no voice, so when she talks it's so squeaky.

Ruby brings so much happiness to our home. She is such a fun little lady and we love her so much! I hate to see her getting so big, but I do love watching her learn and grow!

Living Through Our Kids

2011-06-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of months back James and I took the girls to Toys R Us and surprised them by actually buying the Barbie Mustang they love to sit and play in! Here's the thing- both James and I desperately wanted Hot Wheels cars when we were kids. Getting one for our girls is the next best thing to having our own- actually it's way more fun and exciting to watch them in the car!

Ruby only started riding in the car this past week. Usually she just likes to be pushed behind it in a stroller. Can't say I blame her. Her sister is a pretty scary driver (she is getting better though). I'm hoping the girls will have tons of fun in their sweet ride this summer! They sure are fun to watch in it!

This is where Isabelle always stops to get gas.

Interview With a Four Year Old

2011-05-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

On Mother's Day Isabelle's Primary teacher asked the kids questions about their moms to go with a picture they made. It was my favorite Mother's Day gift ever! I just love the hilarious things Isabelle says each day. She's so clever and witty. I really loved the answers she gave for this.

My mom is 20 years old. (Thank you Isabelle! This got crossed off when I happened to walk by in
the hall and Isabelle asked me "how old are you again Mom?" I should've stuck with 20.)
My mom's favorite thing to do is snuggle.
My mom's favorite movie is Toy Story.
My mom has green eyes. (Yep.)
My mom weighs 1460 lbs. (Feels like it some days!)
My mom's birthday is on spring.
My mom's favorite food is chicken and rice. (Actually her favorite.)
My mom's favorite treat is peanuts. (Wonder if she was thinking about cashews.)
My mom likes to help me write.
My mom is happy when I don't break stuff.
My Mom is the best at cooking.

A couple of days earlier James and I asked Isabelle some fun questions while we were driving. I'm quoting exactly what her answers were.

These are her favorites.
Colors: purple, pink, and red
Day: warm, when we can go swimming at Margo's
Games to play: horses and at Margo's with friends
Food: rice and chicken and except of course I love hot dogs! Booya!
Vacation: Disneyland
Restaurant: Red Robin
Book: my horse book with the necklace
Thing to do with Daddy: snuggle
Thing to do with Mommy: have a date
Part of preschool: playtime; I get to have recess when I'm big!
When she grows up she wants to be a horse rider.
Her best friends are B-Relle and Ike and Sarah and Mom
She wants to get married "where Mommy and Daddy did and have 5 kids. No actually six and then seven kids!"

Isabelle is such a funny little girl and such a blessing! She says the darndest things! She finished her first year of preschool last week. I can't believe she's that big already. It's so much fun to watch her learn and grow- she's changed so much since the first of the school year! I wish I could slow the time down and keep her my baby, but as she always tells me, "you have to turn different numbers Mom!"

My Lover Boy

2011-05-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

My man and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary on the 22nd! We went out to our favorite restaurant (PF Chang's) and shopping at Trolley Square the day after.

I can't believe how quickly it's gone by! It seems like just yesterday we were just 19 and 21 year old kids in love. Now we're just 27 and 29 year old kids in love! I am SO in love with James. He is the greatest and makes the girls and me so happy. He is very patient with three hormonal girls (and that's only going to get worse as the girls get older of course!) He is such an awesome husband and daddy. His girls just love him to pieces and are always so happy to see him. I love chatting and laughing with him! James loves to spend time with us and always tries to make special time for each one of us. He always tries to make me happy. I love my man! He gets better and better every year! So glad we got hitched!

Isabelle took this picture of us at Temple Square! Love the little head poking up in the corner!

Easter & Such

2011-04-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter filled with egg hunts and tons of candy! Sadly, we also had one sick little girl. Poor Ruby had a pretty bad weekend- strep throat and an almost visit to the ER when her temperature hit 107- SCARY! She finally started to perk up Sunday afternoon after she'd been on her medicine for a day. Through it all, she was a sweetie pie. She went to Isabelle's preschool egg hunt and quacked the whole time we fed the ducks at the park, she decorated eggs with us, and she cuddled us (the only good thing about sick kids is snuggling of course). We did manage to have a fun weekend and a nice Easter Sunday, although the girls and I missed church. On Saturday Ruby and I took a much needed 2 1/2 hour nap while James and Isabelle had a date to the movie, we had takeout from Applebee's, we played. Ruby is feeling much better now, thankfully! I did take lots of pictures of the festivities!

Preschool Egg hunt

Isabelle was so excited for this toy. She told me "look Mom, it's a spinner like on Wipeout!"

Isabelle got chased by a duck at the park. Large birds always go after her! She got chased by a huge turkey at my aunt's house! Her cousin Brielle got pulled right down by a duck this day.

Easter egg decorating

Poor Ruby. You can always tell how she's feeling by her eyes. This was the night she got the ridiculously high fever in the middle of the night.

Easter Morning

The Easter bunny brought Isabelle Rapunzel and Flynn with a boat (from Tangled), a Lalaloopsy, Megamind, a purse, and too much candy.

James and I got Isabelle a bike!

Ruby was so excited! She got a baby, Rapunzel, a car, and a purse.

These girls love each other so much. They make me smile.

The golden egg

Egg hunt with cousins

I love this picture.

My parents have a huge driveway- perfect for trying out the new ride.

Papa always makes Ruby happy.

Cousin Pictures

I think it's so cute how Ike and Ruby are looking at each other. Ruby yells "Ike!" frequently throughout each day.

My mom gives them all gorgeous Easter dresses each year.

My sweeties in their matching dresses.

I am so thankful for this holiday and what we celebrate. I am so blessed and I love my little family so much!

My Girls

2011-03-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

So behind on this blogging stuff. I should just give up on it! My girls have been super cute lately so I thought I'd better record some delightful little things about them. We all have spring fever around here! We are ready for some warm weather. Isabelle talks about going to Disneyland every day and even dreams about it at night. I've been dreaming about it too. She also asks me every day how long til we can go to Lagoon and swimming at my Aunt Margo's pool. We need sunshine!

All about Ruby

Ruby is such a sweetheart and we are so blessed to have her! She brings so much happiness to our family. Here are some tidbits about her.

*She is finally starting to walk. We're working on it! She is just so content to crawl and she has a big sister who brings her everything she needs. Also she is very clingy and likes to be close to Mom and Dad. She gets so happy and excited and laughs and screams when she walks. It's been nice that she's waited a while to walk, but we are ready for it now. She will be much happier and hopefully a bit more independent!
*Ruby is starting to talk a lot. She will repeat lots of things you tell her to say. Her most common words are: Mama, Dada, Sissy, Belle, Papa, backpack (she loves our Dora backpack), scuse you (excuse you), please, dink ooo (thank you), dink (drink), dady (baby), der a go there you go, bubble guppies, Ruby, I love you, and kug (her binkie). Can't forget diarrhea! Her big sis sings the diarrhea song a lot- I know, we're bad parents! The other night Ruby said Pepsi for the first time! Proud parent moment. If she gets in a rhythm, she'll repeat almost anything you tell her to.
*She pretend burps when you tell her to or when anyone else burps. She can make a very good horse whinney just like her sister and clicks her tongue when she plays with horses or wants to ride the horse.
*She loves her baby dolls. She loves to push them in her strollers or our little grocery cart. She rocks her babies and sings to them. She sometimes has to have two babies in her arms when James rocks her to sleep. We almost always have to take a doll with us wherever we go. She also freaks out when we see a baby in a carseat when we're out. She just wants to get the baby and she laughs and laughs at them.
*She loves her big sister and wants to be just like her. She tries to do everything Isabelle does and always wants to play just what Sissy is playing, which kind of drives Isabelle crazy. Luckily Isabelle has learned that if Ruby takes a toy she is playing with, she just gives her a minute to play with it because she knows Ruby will be done with it "in two minutes." When I comb Isabelle's hair, Ruby tries to help. Yesterday Ruby tried to brush Isabelle's teeth for her when she was playing on the computer.
* She loves her Grandpa Roger (Papa). He's pretty much her favorite person. She'll even usually pick him over me. She loves playing with him and she snuggles right up to him and starts humming for him to sing to her while she pats him on the back.
*She is a super picky eater. First thing in the morning, she always tries to get us to give her chocolate! Her favorite food is soup, Chick-Fil-A's chicken noodle is pretty much what she lives on. She does like spaghetti and mac 'n cheese. She likes fruit snacks a lot! It's truly exhausting trying to feed her. You just never know what she'll eat. She's still nursing so at least I know she's getting something in her.
*She loves to make people laugh!
*She climbs in and out of her little chair in her room a hundred times a day- she loves it. She loves to throw everything out of Isabelle's dollhouse which really bugs Isabelle. She loves to read books and empty drawers, and of course throw the DVDs all over. She likes to pretend to talk on the phone and use the TV and Wii remotes.
*Ruby likes to dance. In fact, she even has a signature move. If you tell her to do the "Ruby Dance" she goes right to that move.
*Ruby gives us lots of loves and kisses. I get lots of open-mouth, slobbery kisses throughout the day and I love it! She likes to snuggle. She likes to wake Isabelle up in the morning for preschool by hugging her and crawling on top of her and yelling at her. She is always very happy to see Isabelle in the mornings or anytime, and I have to try and keep her from waking Isabelle up on the days she doesn't have school.
*We put Ruby to sleep in her room, but when she wakes up in the night we bring her in our bed. When she wakes up in the morning, she slaps James on the face to wake him up.
*She is a jealous little girl. She gets very jealous if we hug and cuddle Isabelle and she's not in on it. She tries to push Isabelle off of our laps.
*She is becoming more and more attached to her blanket. She gets so mad that she has to let go of it to get buckled in her carseat. She hugs it and rock-a-byes it. Sometimes she tries to sneak Isabelle's blanket.
*She is feisty! She used to be so mellow but has developed a very strong personality. She really wears me out some days!

Ruby is so much fun and so loving and has such a personality. We love her so very much!

All about Isabelle

*Isabelle is still obsessed with horses. She LOVES them! She loves playing with her horses and barn and horse trailer. She loves pretending to be a horse. She is the fastest human I've seen on all fours. She loves horse movies and books. She loves all things horse. I think we're all becoming a little crazy over them.
*She is getting so smart and loves preschool. She writes her name like a champ. She loves to color and draw and write her letters and numbers. If she's not playing horse, she's probably coloring.
*She is very spiritual! She got her own scriptures and gives lots of little sermons. She was so upset when she took her scriptures to church for the first time and didn't get to give a talk or sing "Scripture Power." I love to hear her talk about the things she learns in Primary. Funny story- Last week we rushed to get to church as we always do for 9am church. We were running late of course and left home at about ten after 9. We pulled into the parking lot to find it empty. Stake conference. Sadly this is the second time this has happened to us. We all looked so nice, dangit! Anyway, there was one car in the parking lot, and Isabelle asked whose it was. I told her I didn't know, maybe it was the bishop's. She responded, "maybe it's Jesus' car. He probably gets tired of flying sometimes, so he drives his car!" We liked that answer! You never know what kids are thinking, but it sure makes sense!
*Isabelle loves to play "Hotel". We have to pretend we're on a trip at Disneyland and we sleep in her room. Over and over. She really wants a vacation!
*I bought her a new swimming suit last week and that's what she's been wearing around the house. She just loves to hang out in it and pretend she's going swimming at Margo's.
*She takes very good care of her little sister. They have a lot of fun together. They both truly miss each other when they're apart. They hug a lot and there is nothing that makes me happier than watching them laugh together.
*Some of my favorite things I hear Isabelle say: "Well, well, well. What do we got here?" "I love you Daddy. You're so cute!"
*She calls Ruby "Bootie," and always tries to comfort Ruby when she is crying.
*She loves having playdates. She would have one every day if she could.
*Her favorite foods- chicken nuggets, quesadillas, fruit, chocolate chip waffles (our main breakfast staple), chicken and rice, carrots, spaghetti, popcorn, Frosted Flakes, mac 'n cheese, grilled cheese, cookie dough
*She is very good at the Wii, especially sword fighting and "Just Dance." She also uses the computer like a pro. She gets herself on to Nick Jr. and knows how to do all of the activities.
*She loves to text James. He gets a lot of messages from her almost every day. Good thing we have unlimited texting!
*She tells everyone we meet how old she is and introduces her little sister and tells them how old Ruby is.
*Isabelle and I love to tell each other stories that we make up. She loves the one I tell her about the princesses named Isabelle and Ruby who have super long hair like Rapunzel and lasso horse thieves with their hair! She and Grandma Becky like to tell each other lots of stories too.
*Isabelle and James love to go on dates. They usually go to McDonald's together every Saturday for a daddy-daugher date, and then do something else fun. They both love it and always have so much fun together. They're like two peas in a pod!
*She has become my easy child. She has gotten a lot easier since she turned four.

Isabelle is such a happy, joyful little girl! She is spunky, friendly and outgoing. She is very sweet and kind and we love her so much and are so grateful for her and the excitement and laughter she brings into our home.

James and I are truly blessed and could not be luckier! We sure do love our girlies!

Ruby's One Year Pictures

2011-02-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

We are alive! I kind of doubt anyone checks this blog to see anymore though! We are doing great... this blog is not. Reason one- I am just too far behind and don't know where to start. Reason two- I am just too lazy, I guess. Reason three- I got a new computer, so it's been a pain switching over all of my pictures and all of that good stuff. I decided this is probably the best place for me to start. Hopefully someday I'll post pictures of my girls' birthdays and maybe even Christmas, but I won't get my hopes up!

My friend Mitzi took pictures for us for Ruby's first birthday. She is incredible! Check out her website, mitzitorgersenphotography.com I love all of these pictures, so you'll notice I posted a lot! We got a few new family pics and the one at the top of my blog looks fabulous over my mantle! There are just too many adorable ones of my girls to choose from. I smile every time I look at these. Thanks Mitzi.

Here goes!

So Thankful For...

2010-11-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

These three cutie patooties! Love, love them!

Disneyland!

2010-10-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

So, I'm seriously far behind on my blogging. It's taken a lot of effort to get myself to finally post about our awesome trip to Disneyland! I'm probably just going to have to forget about ever catching up on what has happened since our trip because there is no way I'll ever get it all done.

We had a fabulous trip to Disneyland this year. James and I have kind of started making it a tradition to go once a year, and this year we went with almost my whole family! That makes 15 of us! We went for seven days this time which made it so much more relaxing. We didn't feel like we had to be there from open til close every day, and we took a day at the end of the trip to wind down. We absolutely LOVE Disneyland, and so do our kids! Even Ruby had a great time. In fact, I think she was a little bored when we got home! Isabelle keeps telling me that next week we're going back. I wish.

I broke our trip down by days, and took some of my favorite pictures from each day and put them together so I could remember what we did. I still have no clue, but I'll try to sum it up as best as I can.

Day 1- We had a great flight time- eleven a.m. or so, so it wasn't too horrible to get to the airport. I really liked flying Jet Blue because they have TVs in the back of every seat, and they give you unlimited drinks and treats.

Once we got to our hotel, we settled in and walked to an outdoor shopping/eating area called Anaheim Garden. We just kind of meandered around and ate at Johnny Rocket's for dinner (or Johnny's Rocket as my mom called it; we told her that was probably at the other end of town). We hung out there for a while then came back and turned in pretty early, tired from a long day of traveling.

Day 1 at Disneyland- Isabelle wanted to hit the teacups first thing! Small World was next. Ruby loved going on Small World- lots to see and good music! We went to the Princess Fantasy Fair where they teach the little girls how to be princesses and they get to meet a few of the princesses. It was so cute to watch Isabelle and Brielle's excitement when the princesses started coming down the stairs! Isabelle got to meet Mickey Mouse in Toontown and we spent most of the day at the park. We went back to the hotel for a break and then came back later for more rides and fireworks.

Day 2 at Disneyland- This was the big day! The Princess Luncheon! I was so glad Isabelle again chose to be Belle (not that I swayed her, of course). We bought her pretty, pricey dress at Disneyland this year, and she looked adorable. The girls were all so excited to meet the princesses. It was a nice little girl's lunch out. I had hoped Isabelle's hair would be curly for the lunch, but it had pretty much lost its' body by then, and her putting water from a little waterfall in it didn't help, but she was still gorgeous, and her cousins were too!

It's funny to me that one of the things the kiddos enjoyed the most was a little splash pad in a Bug's Land. Kids find pleasure in the simplest things! We just let them enjoy, and they were absolutely drenched! They had so much fun playing in the water though!

That night we went to World of Color. I didn't think it was as great as they made it out to be, but maybe that was because I had two very tired kids, and you have to stand the whole time, and be there like an hour early. Right after it started, Ruby got hungry, and when I got done feeding her, Isabelle had to go potty, so I didn't see much of it! We stopped at IHOP on the way back to the hotel, and as the girls did most nights, they zonked out in the strollers on the walk back, utterly exhausted from having fun!

Day 3 at the park- The most memorable thing about this day was Isabelle throwing up while we were waiting for the parade to start. If you know Isabelle, you may know that she has thrown up nearly everywhere, so why not on Main Street near a crowd of a billion people?! Poor little girl was starving! We got her some spaghetti and carrots, and in no time she was dancing with the Disney characters in the street! Funny little girl.
We spent quite a bit of time this day in Fantasyland where both girls could ride everything. Before we went back to the hotel that night, Isabelle wanted to spend lots of time taking pictures in front of all of the letters by California Adventure.

Day 4 at Disneyland- This was James' birthday! What better way to spend it than at Disneyland? We got off to a late start this day. We rode the train into Toontown with my cousin and her family who we happened to run into on the way in! We spent a while there, and then made the long walk to PF Chang's for James' birthday lunch (well worth the walk, and the walk was necessary for the calorie intake we made there). We went back to the hotel after lunch because everyone was a bit tired and cranky. We got refreshed and headed back to Disneyland for some more fun. We shared a piece of cake and sang to James. (We had his birthday party before we went on the trip.) I think he had a pretty awesome birthday! I even made him wear one of the pins they have that says, "It's my birthday!" He tried to get around it, but I made him wear it for a while!

Just so I remember, Isabelle's favorite rides were Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean (so she says), and the Buzz ride. Isabelle and I got to spend some time alone this night. We went on some of the rides she really liked again. We took pictures in Pixie Hollow, where Tinkerbell lives, and helped Buzz Lightyear defeat Zurg for the fifteenth time! Isabelle was holding the gate open for everyone after we got off Dumbo, and then the gate slammed on her ankle and hurt her. She told me that popcorn would make it feel better, so we got her a jumbo popcorn! We stayed in the park til it closed while Isabelle ate a hot dog, just having fun as a family!

Our last day at Disneyland- We spent the morning finishing up rides in California Adventure. We got to meet quite a few characters this day- Buzz, Handy Manny, Frozone, Lightning McQueen and Mater.We had some fun in Tomorrowland in the big spinning building (I can't remember what it's called) but they have tons of stuff to see and everyone had fun playing Rockband for a while.

We bought a big picture of that they took of our family in front of the castle. It has a Disney border printed on it with Tinkerbell flying up in the top corner. When Isabelle saw it she said, "how did Tinkerbell get in our picture?" I told her she must have been there and we just didn't see her. She is so happy that the real Tinkerbell is in our picture!

I was definitely sad to leave the park that night. We went to dinner at Mimi's Cafe with my parents on the way back and Isabelle was just so tired. Ruby had already fallen asleep in the stroller. Isabelle ordered her food then told us, "everyone be quiet so I can go to sleep now," and she closed her eyes and was out!

Day 6- The next day James and I decided to rent a car and go to the beach. My parents and my sister's family wanted to go to a movie, and my brother's family had flown home the night before, so we decided to just do our own thing and go have some fun, and we were so glad we did! We went to Newport Beach and just hung out. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant on the pier, watched some guys fishing off the pier, and dipped our feet a bit. Isabelle and Ruby loved it. Ruby didn't love her first experience of having her feet in the sand. We played for a while and then drove along the coast on Highway 1 on the way back. When we got back to the hotel, James and Isabelle went swimming for a while (it was an outdoor pool and was a little too cold for Ruby) Then we went to dinner at Outback with my mom and dad. It was a super fun day!

Gotta love the cute butt crack picture!

Day 7- Time to go home :( Luckily our flight didn't leave til the evening, so we spent the day shopping in Downtown Disney. We picked up a bunch of goodies, had some lunch, then ran (we really did run) back to the hotel to catch our shuttle to the airport.

We had such an awesome vacation! We can't wait to go back! Thanks so much Mom and Dad for being so generous and wonderful and paying for our hotel and tickets! We made so many memories and had so much fun!

Preshool

2010-08-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

My baby started preschool this past week. Guess she's not a baby anymore, although she'll always be my baby. (If anyone calls her a little girl, she tells them she's a big sister and she's three and a half.) She really loves school and has been so excited about it. She just goes two days a week for three hours, so it's perfect. I had a bit of a meltdown a couple of days before school started, but it's been good for all of us. It gives her the social interaction she loves, and gives me some one-on-one time with Ruby, and a chance to clean the house! Isabelle has always been an independent little girl, so she didn't bat an eye at us leaving her. In fact, she tells me she wants me to just drop her off and pick her up later. She is happy to see us when we pick her up, and Ruby is always thrilled to see Isabelle! It's hard to believe my little girl is this old!

All decked out with her new "packpack" and the car keys?

She got a cut on her lip playing on some slides on our mini trip.

Isabelle's cousins Ike and Brielle are in her class! So far no fights with Ike!

My beautiful princess

Still excited to go back on day 2!

The weekend before school started, we went on a spur-of-the-moment overnight trip to Park City. We had so much fun and we were so glad we did it. Since Isabelle called our last little vacation "Ruby's trip," we decided to call this one "Isabelle's trip," and Isabelle was sad we couldn't stay longer. We went to the Alpine Slides at both the Olympic Park and the other one, and James and I did the zip line too. We swam at the hotel and did some shopping at the outlets. My parents joined us the second day and we just had a lot of fun!

Summer Fun

2010-08-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Summer has flown by as it always does! I hate to think that it is so close to being over. We've been keeping plenty busy this summer, filling our days and nights up with lots of fun activities. We are certainly never bored! I have been horrible at blogging lately, so this is a quick picture-filled summary of what we've been up to...

We've had lots of fun swimming. My aunt has an awesome pool that we love because she keeps it warm!

I saw a lot of back fat at the pool that day, but Ruby's was the only one I wanted a picture of!

We have gone to Lagoon once a week the entire summer. We usually just head down after James gets home from work and always stay til closing time! Isabelle still calls it Galoon, which I think is so cute. Ruby loves the merry-go-round! We have so much fun at Lagoon and we're so glad we got season passes again.

Here are the three crazy horse lovers at the Horse 'n Hitch Parade! Isabelle and her cousin Brielle are so cute together!

Isabelle got to be in the Roy Parade with her tumbling class. She was SO excited and looked adorable!

Daddy and Ruby watching the parade.

The girls love to go on walks around the neighborhood. Isabelle has gotten super good at riding her bikes and scooter this summer.

We spent a fun-filled day in Salt Lake. We rode the Front Runner down, ate lunch at PF Chang's, shopped at the Gateway, Isabelle played in the fountains, we saw "Despicable Me," Isabelle made a pony at Build-a-Bear, and we were exhausted when we got home!

One of the best parts of summer... tractor rides with Papa!

And it's always fun just hanging out and playing with our beautiful girls! Ruby is changing so quickly and gets smarter and cuter every day! Isabelle is so creative and funny and I can't believe she'll be starting pre-school in a couple of weeks!

So those are a few of the exciting things we've spent our summer doing. We still have a huge list of fun stuff we want to do before summer ends. I hope we'll be able to fit them all in! We've spent a lot of time finishing our basement this summer (it's finally done!) and working in our yard, which we love doing. I'm so glad we've had the chance to be together and enjoy this time of year!

She Loves Her Daddy!

2010-08-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

Seems like lately Daddy does everything better. He makes better mac n' cheese, he drives faster over the railroad tracks, he's a better horse, she cries for him. These two love each other and I love watching them together. Isabelle has him wrapped around her finger. She's his little clone, and these two are adorable together!

Four Generations

2010-07-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for all of these ladies! I'm so glad I have my wonderful Grandma Wilson. She's such a neat woman and I've learned so much from her. It's always so much fun to visit with her, and lucky for her, she is Isabelle's very best friend this week. My mom is my best friend (she and James both, of course)! She does so much for me and my little family. She is always willing to help me with anything and always makes me feel happy. There isn't a day that I don't see her or at least talk to her a couple of times. She is the most selfless person I know. And my girls- I hope everyone knows how much I love them! They are my greatest blessings. It's so nice to have these beautiful women and little ones in my life, and I am surrounded by many others!

Belly Boo

2010-07-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

My sweetie is growing up too fast! It's hard for me to think that she'll be starting preschool in the fall. I just want her to stay little.

Isabelle is such a funny and outgoing little girl. She says such hilarious things! She is a little backseat driver and it isn't uncommon to hear her calling people morons or yelling, "move it grandpa!" when someone's too slow in front of us. (I don't know where she learned these things!) I came home from my friend's baby shower and sat down on the couch by Isabelle and she looked me over and said, "looks like you got all nice and clean Mom." I remember thinking the same thing when I was little!

She is obsessed with band-aids and owies lately and is usually wearing a minimum of five band-aids at any given time. She is still a cowgirl and loves all of her horses. Today she came in wearing her new cowgirl boots with my cell phone cord wrapped around her shoulders and waist. The cord was her gun holster! I love to listen to her play by herself. She is so creative and does the voices of all of the different charcters she's playing with. She can keep entertained by playing with pretty much anything. Whether it be a spoon or a toothbrush- it can be a mommy or daddy or whoever she needs it to be.

Isabelle LOVES Ruby. She is such a good big sister to her. She's a little protective of her. Ruby is always happier when Isabelle is around. Isabelle often tells Ruby that she is her best friend, which I think is the cutest thing ever. They just laugh and laugh with each other. My favorite time of the day is in the morning when Isabelle, Ruby and I cuddle and laugh in Isabelle's bed. I love watching the two of them together.

Isabelle is oficially three and a half now, and that's what she'll tell you! Every morning she stands up on her bed to show me how much she grew during the night. She has turned into a kid instead of a toddler, and I don't know if I'm ready for it. Of course, I probably never will be...

Six Months Old!

2010-06-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby girl turned six months old on Monday! I can't believe it! Ruby is truly such a good baby. She is happy all of the time. Her smile is contagious and she knows how to make everyone feel special! She has started waving and saying hi (sounds like ha), which makes me think she is highly intelligent :)! She is working on her clapping skills now. She love, love, loves her big sister and is always so thrilled to see her. She loves to play with her daddy and kiss her mommy. She is such an angel and we are so very thankful for the happiness she brings to our home every minute of every day!

Our May

2010-05-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

This might be kind of a long post, but it's mostly pictures. We've had a fun month of May, in spite of the never-endng winter weather!

I guess I'll start with our little mini vacation we took last week. We went to the Homestead in Midway and had so much fun! We saw Shrek 4, swam, shopped, and Isabelle got to ride a horse- such an exciting event for her! Isabelle is obsessed with horses. She is always either playing with horses or being a horse, to the point that it often drives us crazy. It was, however, the highlight of the weekend to ride the horse named Cali. Isabelle called the weekend "Ruby's trip," and only thought we were on the trip when we were at the resort. Ruby had her first swimming experience. She was a little nervous the first time we swam, but the next time she loved it! The other morning Isabelle was sad and I asked her what was wrong and she told me, "when Daddy gets home from work, I want to go back on Ruby's trip."

Here are some fun pictures from "Ruby's trip."

Every year we like to make a trip down to Temple Square to see the tulips. I love the beautiful colors and we got such cute pictures of the girls and their cousins. This will definitely be picture overload!

We celebrated the one year anniversary of my brother's liver transplant with a big party/ BBQ! We are so happy Nick is doing so well. He has been so blessed and we are thankful every day that he is here with us!

James and I thought we were pretty clever with the cake.

Here are a few of my other favorite pictures.

Good times and great memories!

I Heart James

2010-05-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today is our seven year anniversary! I can't believe how quickly time flies. It makes me feel so old to have been married that long! I was nineteen and James was twenty-one when we got married, and I always say I'm glad we got married so young so we could have more time to be together! I'm SO happy to be married to my best friend. James makes me a better person. He makes me laugh every day. He is such a good daddy. He's hot, and sweet, and fun, and outgoing, and such a hard worker. We are so compatible. I love him so much and am so blessed to have him as my husband. I love you Jamesy! Here's to seventy more years of bliss! Loved you then, love you still; always have and always will...

We're going on a little getaway with the girls for the weekend today! James is surprising us and we don't know where we're going, but Isabelle and I are super excited!

Sunburns Stink!

2010-05-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

James and I feel like we deserve "parent of the year" awards. (Serious sarcasm there.) Poor little Ruby got fried this past weekend and it's so sad! We were at a fundraiser on Saturday for three hours and we completely forgot to sunblock our girls. They both got pretty burnt, but poor Ruby's skin has never even seen the sun, so she got it bad. She has a line around her head from her bow so she looks like she's wearing a yamika! Her little head has even blistered. I've been slathering her in aloe vera lotion and burn salve, putting cool cloths on her head, and giving her acetiminophen. I feel like the worst mother ever, and through it all, she just keeps on smiling.

Each of us has taken a turn being super sick over the past week and a half. I think we're finally at the end, fingers crossed. It's been rough, and I'm sick of the sick! Sadly, my worst sick day was Mother's Day. James and the girls still tried to make it special for me, even though James wasn't feeling great either. It just breaks my heart when my little ones are sick. They just don't know what to do with themselves and you can't know how badly they're feeling. Isabelle was so sick of throwing up and just wanted to get out and play! Ruby just cried and we could only try to comfort her. I'm so very glad we're all on the mend!

On the brighter side, Isabelle's sunburn covered up her black eye she got on her trampoline! She gave herself a pretty good shiner, though you can barely even see it in pictures. The funniest thing about her black eye was that she and James were at McDonald's and just happened to be behind a member of BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse) in line, who asked Isabelle what happened to her eye. She told him and he said, "a trampoline, huh?" and looked over at James. Poor Isabelle also, of course, had huge scratches on her arm from her cousin Ike. James couldn't believe the guy would think he hurt his child. I thought it was a pretty hilarious story!

Sunburned Girlies

Cooling her off... I could just eat her!

Me and my beautiful girls. Ruby did not want her picture taken.

I wish you could see her black eye better in this picture.

Karen

2010-04-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

Karen Bonita Wilson Peek
(July 6, 1944 - April 15, 2010)

Karen Bonita Wilson Peek passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 15, 2010.

She was born on July 6, 1944 in Ogden, Utah, a daughter of Max Robert and Selma Martha Nicholas Wilson.

She married her best friend, Ray Peek, on February 12, 1965 in the Salt Lake Temple. They had a blast together raising their three girls and their house full of friends.

She graduated from Davis High School in 1962 and attended Weber State College. She has worked for Dr. Fred Clayson for the past 25 years where she loved the friendships with co-workers and patients.

She was an active member of the LDS Church. She was currently serving in the Relief Society presidency of the Pioneer Ward. She also served as a church service missionary with her husband at the Conference Center for 8 years. She loved her time there and the friendships they made. She has also served as a ward missionary, Primary President, Young Women’s President, a member of the Stake Young Women’s Presidency and a Sunday School teacher. She loved teaching the youth. She had a strong testimony of Jesus Christ. She loved visiting teaching and serving others.

Her grandchildren were her life. She loved attending their many games and activities on a daily basis, having sleepovers, taking them birthday shopping and out to lunch. She and her daughters met for lunch every Thursday. She had Friday night date night with her husband and Linda & Marlin. She had family traditions for everything. From taffy pulls to soup parties, from weekly Sunday dinners to family vacations, she loved every minute of it. She made every holiday extra special. She loved going to Club and cherished spending time with her Club ladies. They were friends since they were young and are close to her heart.

She had a passion for gardening and decorating her home. She was a perfectionist in everything she did and it showed. She could make anything sparkle. She loved brown licorice and Pepsi served in glass cups with crushed ice.

She has five sisters, Linda & Marlin Balls, Becky & Roger Parrish, Susie & Bruce Nilson, Marilyn & Brad Sims and Shelley (deceased.) She loved to travel with her mother and sisters, shop with them and spend time at family activities.

She is survived by her husband Ray, her mother Selma, her sisters, and her children, Natalie & Bruce Browning, Amy & Scott Hayes, Missy & Weston Fisher. She is also survived by her 11 grandchildren: Baylee, Abbey, Brody & Colby Browning; Skyler, Zachary & Ashley Hayes; Lexie, Ellie, Avery & Luke Fisher. She is also survived by her husband’s siblings: Beth & Don Wilson and Vern & Marilyn Peek. She will also be missed by many nieces and nephews, family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her father Max, her sister Shelley Wilson, her brother Mark, and her mother and father-in-law Alberta and Alf Peek.

She had a love of life and was serving others up to her last second on earth.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 11 a.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road. Friends and family may call Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Tuesday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary.

Interment, Uintah City Cemetery.

What a wonderful person. We will miss you Karen. We love you!

Life is Precious

2010-04-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

My heart is very heavy tonight. My Aunt Karen, my mom's sister, died suddenly last night. It's one of those things that you truly cannot believe is real. We spent a few hours with her husband and daughters and their families tonight, and I just feel so awful for them. She was a wonderful wife, mom, and grandma. She was such a good person. She spent her last day with her grandchildren, and helping to collect money for a family who has been struggling with cancer. We love Karen so much, and she will be missed greatly. I am so grateful, especially at times like this, to have the gospel in my life and the knowledge of eternal families.

Death really makes you stop and think about your life and your loved ones. It makes you grateful for the little moments that are so simple, yet so powerful. Like last night, I really needed to get the house cleaned up, but James and Isabelle wanted to go on a walk, so we did that instead. I am so glad we did! I'll definitely remember taking that walk with my family more than I would've remembered that my furniture got dusted. Delight in the simple things!

Over the past year I have learned a lot and my testimony has been strengthened greatly. With my brother having gone through so much over the past year, I have learned two very important things that stand out in my mind. The first one is that there are SO many good people in this world. There are definitely more roses than thorns, we just tend to hear more about the thorns. I can't believe how caring and generous people are, and it's made me more compassionate for others. The second thing I've learned is just how important it is to stay close to family. I've always been close to my family, but I've didn't know how much I needed them. You just never know when you might lose one of them. I hate to even think about death, but it's weighed on my mind for over a year, since we came so close to losing my brother, and it's obviously been magnified today. Family is the greatest blessing we have.

I am thankful every day to be alive! I'm thankful for my sweet huband and my beautiful girls. I'm thankful my family is healthy. I'm thankful for my fabulous parents, in-laws, siblings, neices and nephews, grandparents, extended family and friends. I'm thankful for the tender moments I get to spend with my girls each day, like in the mornings when they wake up and we all snuggle in Isabelle's bed, or when I overhear Isabelle telling Ruby that she loves her so much , or seeing the excitement on Ruby's face when she sees Isabelle. I'm thankful that I get to kiss my husband each day and talk to my mom five times a day!

My advice to everyone- allow yourselves to endulge in the tender moments that make life special. I need to take my own advice more often! I can't afford not to.

Of course, here are some precious pictures of my greatest blessings...

Reminiscing & Wishing

2010-04-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Last year at this time we were in Hawaii. Oh, how I wish we were there now! That vacation was probably my favorite ever. It's my happy place. It's the place I think about when, per say, I'm in labor and dilated to an eight, and haven't gotten my epidural. I think about strolling by the ocean and wading in the most beautiful pool ever. I've really been wishing I were there this past week, instead of here in the "Utah Spring." Hopefully... again... someday.

SO Beautiful! View from our room.

We took a canoe rie to get to this gorgeous spot.

One of my favorite pictures ever.

Oh, such a fun trip, and to think we didn't even know our little Ruby yet!

I Could Just Eat Them!

2010-03-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

I could truly just nibble on Ruby's thighs or Isabelle's cheeks. These girls are just too sweet and delicious and fun!

Ruby's Blessing & My Sick Girls

2010-03-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

On Sunday the 28th, we had Ruby's blessing. It was a such a special day! James gave Ruby a beautiful blessing and I am so grateful he was able to do so. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful support group in our lives! Ruby was absolutely beautiful! We had a big luncheon at my parent's house afterward (thanks Mom and Dad!).

Poor Ruby wasn't feeling well on the day of her blessing, however. It seems like something always goes wrong on important days! Isabelle had been pretty sick for a few days, and Ruby kind of caught it too. Isabelle threw up three times the day of the blessing, not from the flu, but because she had such a bad cough. She truly wouldn't even stop running and playing with her cousins to throw up! She's been this way the entire time she's been sick. I can't tell you how many places she's thrown up lately. She seems just fine, then she gets a coughing attack. We took her and Ruby to the doctor the day after the blessing and Isabelle had some crackling in her lungs (which would lead to pneumonia if not treated) so she had to start using a nebulizer three times a day (super fun for a three year old!). Ruby went to the doctor three times last week becuase she kept getting worse, and I just couldn't stand to see her sick. We had to get a suction machine for her, which she hated. She was coughing so hard the next day, and was having a difficult time breathing, so I took her back again, and the doctor told me to only use the machine once a day or not at all, and just use saline drops (after I'd just paid $50 to rent the thing). It was so sad to see my baby so sick, and it scared me to death to see her trying so hard to breathe. They've both slowly been getting better and I think we're almost there. Neither are coughing much anymore. Ruby's still a bit stuffy, but I'm just glad we were able to avoid RSV! Poor girls! I just hate seeing them sick because they just don't understand. I'm so glad they're feeling better!

You can see the sweet girl doesn't feel well by her red eyes.

Tumbling!

2010-02-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

Isabelle started taking tumbling a few weeks ago and loves it! She is always doing handstands and crazy tricks around the house, so we figured we'd put all that energy to good use! She's quite a coordinated little girl and she's catching on very quickly. It's hilarious to watch their class. Three and four year olds have very short attention spans and a lot to talk about! Their coach definitely has a lot of patience. Isabelle is excited to go each week- actually, she wants to go every day! I can't believe how fast she's growing up and I'm glad we've found something exciting for her to look forward to every week!

PS- She also looks super cute in her leotard!

Two Months Old Already!

2010-02-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

Ruby turned two months old on Sunday. We had a little birthday party for her with a pink, heart-shaped cake (We did the same thing when Isabelle was two months old). Of course we all enjoyed it more than she did, especially Isabelle who sang "happy birthday to dear Ruby" all day, and got to blow out the candle. My nephew was very worried that he didn't bring Ruby any presents!

Ruby is such a happy baby. I am so grateful for her mellow personality and pure sweetness. I love so many things about her, especially her gummy smile and cute little tongue that's always moving. I love, love that she is a cuddler. She molds herself perfectly against me and just loves to snuggle. She is getting super chubby and pinchable! I just want to eat her sometimes!

Yesterday we went for her two month appointment. She weighed 12 lbs 1 oz (75th%), was 23 inches long (75%), and her head was in the 50th percentile. She's on her way to catching up to Isabelle who was always in the 90 to 95th percentile for weight. The doctor commented on how she doesn't have much of a neck (just chins)! That's fine by us though- we like them chunky!

Ruby makes us all so happy. She is so beautiful and perfect! We love her so much!

Now I can't leave out Miss Isabelle. She's as entertaining as ever. She's had a few naughty moments lately, like coloring on Ruby's face with a pen, but other than that, she's a really good big sister. She always wants to hold "Wooby".

Lately Isabelle has started playing pretend a lot more. She lines up her stuffed animals and all of our calculators and plays school. It's so funny to listen in. She likes to play "waitress" and take our orders. Tonight I told her I wanted a hamburger with no mustard or ketchup and she turned around and yelled, "hamburger, no mustard!" (Apparently we eat at fast food restaurants too often!) She loves to sing and makes up songs about what's going on around her. She loves to tell me stories that she makes up. She occasionally has an imaginary friend named Africa. She calls people morons and idiots when we're driving (we only have ourselves to blame). She surprises us constantly with the things she says. She's a hilarious little girl with a big imagination!

Ruby's Newborn Pictures

2010-01-29T17:34:00.000-08:00

My cute, talented friend Mitzi took Ruby's newborn pictures for us when Ruby was two weeks old. I absolutely love them! She did such a fabulous job! These are invaluable, and I will cherish them forever. She just perfectly captured some of my favorite things about my sweet baby. I love our family picture too, as well as the cute, cute pictures she got of Isabelle. I am so thrilled with all of them! Thanks Mitzi! You're incredible!

mitzitorgersenphotography.com

I had to post A LOT of pictures because I couldn't choose! I love them all!

My Little Sunbeam

2010-01-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Isabelle is now in Primary, and I can't believe it! It's hard to believe she's actually old enough to go, and that we're old enough to have a Sunbeam! She's probably about the youngest kid there since her birthday is December 29th. She love, loves going, which we're so glad about. She's a pretty independent little girl, so we weren't too worried. James took her in the first week (I haven't been to church since Ruby's been born) and she went right in and sat on the front row. James had a had time leaving her though. He stayed in the hall pretty much the entire time, and told me he almost cried. So sweet! Isabelle was so excited to show me what she made when she got home, and was thrilled to go back the next week. James checked in on her last week and said it was the cutest thing to watch her doing "head, shoulders, knees, and toes." She did it all night long on Sunday. She told us both weeks that she said the prayer. She's such a little sweetheart and it's so fun watching her grow up (a little sad too)!

Isabelle's first week of Primary

Showing me what she made at church last Sunday

I also have to throw in a couple of recent pictures of Ruby. She's starting to smile a lot and she's definitely chubbing out!

And my cute girls together...

Ruby at One Month

2010-01-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

Ruby is already a month old! I can't believe how quickly she's grown and changed. She is starting to get a little chubby... her cheeks are filling out and she has some roly poly legs. I love it! I have no doubt she'll end up being quite the little chunk like her big sissy was. She is still such a pleasant baby. She loves to cuddle. It's hard to remember our lives without her. She's such an angel!

Happy Birthday Isabelle!

2009-12-30T22:31:00.001-08:00

My little Isabelle turned three yesterday. Sigh. That was a very quick three years!Isabelle is such a light in our lives! She is our spunky, sassy, independent, imaginative, beautiful, outgoing, sociable, busy, sweet, funny little girl. She has such a big personality. She makes us laugh every day. She is so, so special to us! We love you Belly Boo!

Isabelle's birthday invitation

Birthday Breakfast

We had lunch at McDonald's with cousins- Isabelle's choice of course!

Us with her princess cake. Isabelle had a Hannah Montana/Ariel/Tinkerbell party!

Awaiting a surprise present (her new shopping cart)

Our Sweet Little Ruby

2009-12-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

Ruby is three weeks old today! So quick! She is the most precious little girl! She is such a good baby. She only cries for food! She is a big eater! She lost 13 ounces in the hospital, and gained back 18 ounces over the next twelve days. She's in the 50th percentile for her height, weight, and head size. I wonder if she'll end up as chubby as Isabelle was as a baby. Isabelle was always in the 95th percentile for weight! Ruby has brought so much happiness into our home in such a short amount of time.

Isabelle absolutely loves Ruby. I was a little worried about how she would be with a new one around, but she's done great. She takes such good care of her! She says such cute things to her. You'll often hear her say, "It's okay, Isabelle's here," or "Sissy's here." She calls her honey a lot. I heard her whisper to Ruby, "you're my best friend ever baby." So sweet! She occasionally comes in our room in the night just to check on the baby. She can't wait til Ruby can take a bath with her. She loves to hold and cuddle her. She loves me to take pictures of them together.

Everything is going great for us! We feel so blessed this Christmas season to have a new healthy baby in our home! Except for lack of sleep, we are all doing very well!

Here are a billion pictures of the past three weeks! (And these don't include Christmas!)

Just before leaving the hospital

I can't believe hoe tiny they are in carseats!

Isabelle's first time meeting Ruby.

Our first night home

A sweet, rare moment.

I love this hungry, cross-eyed look!

Ruby's 1st bath. My mom always gives the first bath.

Daddy and his girls

Mommy and her girls

Family Christmas party

My Grandma Wilson with Ruby

Santa comes to this party every year. Same Santa all my life!

Pretty in pink

My beautiful girls

All the cousins on my side. Cute kids. They are all very excited to see Ruby all of the time!

Isabelle and Ruby had their three year and two week doctor appointments the same day.
Isabelle has never been a fan of the doctor. This is the first time she was well-behaved. The doctor always givs her a book because he knows how much she hates coming. She's hated it since her very first appointment! Isabelle weighed 31 lbs (50th %) and was 38 inches tall (75th %).

Ruby was great at the doctor. Her personality is much more mild than Isabelle's! She weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 3 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long.

It's a Girl!

2009-12-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world litle one! We are so happy you are here!

Ruby Noelle Tracy
Born Monday, December 7, 2009 @ 3:49 am
7 lbs 15 oz, 19.5"

We were blessed with another beautiful little girl early Monday morning. She came very quickly. She is perfect! Healthy, strong, and beautiful. She is very loved by her big sister and her mommy and daddy!

Lots more to come on Baby Ruby. I just wanted to let everyone know she's here.

Just Stuff

2009-12-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

This is basically a catch-up post. Just a few things I wanted to blog about, but not in much detail, because I'm just too tired!

First of all, the baby...
I've been dilated to a three for a week now. I went to the doctor today and hadn't changed since last week. He says I should be good to go any day now, so we'll see if I make it to my induction day of the eighth. We are getting super excited and also very nervous! I can't wait to meet our little sweetheart! I still have no deep intuition of what it is, although I'm going with boy. James is saying girl. I think more family members are leaning toward boy than girl, but all of the kids say girl. It'll be a big surprise either way! We will hopefully update our blog quickly after the baby arrives!

Looking ready to pop! (Isabelle's eating popcorn, not foaming at the mouth.)

Next, fun-filled holiday events...
We took a ride on the Polar Express again this year. My parents came along, and we had a great time! Isabelle really liked it. However, Santa was very unimpressive. Even Isabelle noticed. She told me he was a pretend Santa. I didn't even know she would understand about that yet, so we've tried to explain to her since then about Santa's helpers. It was a fun night hanging out with the elves on the way to the North Pole.

All of us riding the Polar Express

Reading the story

Isabelle just having a great time

Before our ride

Checking out the trains

Dancing with one of the elves

Singing the 12 Days of Christmas

A very sweaty Santa

Us with the "elves"

We spent a delicious Thanksgiving with James' family this year. It was yummy and fun! I did my annual Black Friday shopping with my mom and sister, and aunts and cousins. We don't go to places like Wal-Mart or Target, thank goodness. We spend the day shopping for home decor down in Salt Lake. We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory- delicious, and shopped for a good twelve hours or so! I was pretty tired by the end of the day, but nothing can keep me from a good shopping trip! James and Isabelle got to spend the whole day together. They had lots of fun! They went to their favorite place for lunch, McDonald's, saw "Planet 51," and played games at the Junction. They even cleaned the house while I was gone!

Thanksgiving Day- Isabelle in front of her bedroom Christmas tree

Me and my girl

We usually go to Temple Square the Saturday after Thanksgiving with my family, but decided not to this year. Last year, we couldn't find anywhere to park, and we decided that it might be a long walk for me and my brother. We ended up going to dinner with my brother and his family at Applebee's and then going to Christmas Village. It was still fun, and we'll definitely still go to Salt Lake this month. It's my favorite! James and I got engaged at Temple Square at Christmastime, so it's always fun to go re-live it!
Christmas Village

Isabelle with her cousin, Emma

I've been pretty on top of getting things ready for the holidays before the baby comes. My house is decorated, my shopping is almost done, I've wrapped quite a few presents. In fact, it's a total relief to be so far ahead this year. I should do this every year so I can just relax and enjoy the Christmas season.

Isabelle helping to decorate the tree

And last but not least, Isabelle...
Isabelle is so hilarious! She says the funniest things sometimes. I try to write down the things she says, and I'm telling you, she is full of it lately! I just wanted to list a few of her funnies.
*She asked me to turn on the "air station" in the bathroom when she was in the tub. A very clever word for the fan!
*We were saying family prayer, and I was helping her say it. She repeated the first couple of things I said, then she stopped and said, "this is not happening."
*She's learned a few things from the movie "Bolt." She comes up to me with the alarm clock and pretends to take a picture of us, then says, "mission accomplished; that's a keeper!" She also said to me, "there's your antidote."
*She tells me all of the time, "Mom, you're my best friend." It melts my heart.
*She put on a bra on top of her clothes, then looked down at herself and told James, "there's something wrong with my nipples." Oh boy!
*When she was playing in the bathtub one day she told me, "I'm two years old. I'm not a child anymore!" She got this line from Ariel. She said it very dramatically.
*She tells James and me to calm down or settle down a lot. She told me I was making her nervous.
*She and James were play wrestling on the floor one night when she yelled, "give him the chair!" Then she actually went and got one of her plastic chairs to try and hit him with. Thanks Shrek! Sometimes she tells him, "let's do this the hard way."
*She came into bed with me one night and was half asleep when she touched my cheeks and said, "you're so cute Mommy, you're so bootiful."
*She called James an idiot the other day. She also calls people morons when we're driving. We need to keep our mouths shut!
*We spend a lot of time each day playing that Isabelle is the mommy and James or I are Isabelle. A lot of her dolls and stuffed animals are now named Isabelle, and she carries around an itty-bitty imaginary Isabelle in her hands.
*Apparently she watches too much TV because she's been saying, "I'm Alex from Wizards of Waverly Place and you're watching the Disney Channel." Also, she keeps saying, "live better, Wal-Mart."
*One of her favorite words lately is amazing. She says it all of the time. "Wow Mom, this is amazing!"
She is a funny little girl with a big personality! The thing she says each day keep my life interesting. I love to just listen to her talk. She loves to tell us stories, usually about dinosaurs. I love to listen to her when she's playing by herself. It's funny to hear her do all of the parts of the different toys. She is very imaginative. She definitely keeps us laughing!

I just love this picture. She's reading a toy catalog. This is one for her wedding video!

Sorry this was such a jumbled and long post! I just needed to catch up! We'll let you all know when Baby Tracy arrives!

Family Pictures

2009-11-15T21:26:00.001-08:00

We had these pictures taken a couple of months ago. I really loved how they turned out! Our friend MJ Morgan took them for us. He is an awesome, awesome photographer! Check out his website. This is the sixth time he's taken our pictures and we've never been disappointed!
mystylephoto.com

Halloween Pictures...Just a Little Late

2009-11-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun Halloween this year. Isabelle loved it and had so much fun trick-or-treating. She dressed up as Princess Ariel and looked beautiful. She would be nothing other than Ariel. I tried to talk her into being Belle, but she wouldn't budge. She had her heart set on this costume, and I thought it turned out perfect!

James sportin' the mullet...business in the front, party in the back!

Trick-or-treating with cousins

Great News!

2009-11-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

We just found out today that my brother Nick is cancer free! It's a great day! A complete miracle!

2009-10-31T22:49:00.001-07:00

The Big Apple

2009-10-29T18:11:00.001-07:00

Here we are in beautiful Central Park.

James and I had an awesome time in New York! Aflac definitely goes all out on these trips. I love that they have paid for two out of three of our vacations this year...it's great.

We tried to do everything we could and see everything we could see, but there is just so much to do there. I'm sure you could go over and over and never see it all. We stayed at the Hilton which was just a block away from 5th Avenue, across the street from Carnegie Hall, and just a few blocks from Times Square. I was definitely glad that James has such a good sense of direction, because I never knew where we were! Every time we got off the subway, I felt like we were lost. He only got us off at the wrong stop once, and we could still easily get to where we were going from there.

On our first full day, we went to the Museum of Natural History. We were hugely disappointed. James was livid! Turns out that "Night at the Museum" wasn't even actually filmed there. We went there expecting it to be exactly like the movie which we've seen dozens of times because Isabelle loves it. The movie was filmed in Toronto, and most of the characters and things from the movie weren't even there. The place was enormous and we spent a good while just searching for "Dum Dum." So anyway, we were sad, but should've known that nothing's quite like it looks in the movies.

We did all of the touristy things that we could do. We spent a morning wandering through Central Park, looking for spots from the movie "Enchanted," another favorite around our house. We went to the Plaza Hotel. We shopped in Chinatown. We went to the Empire State Building at nighttime which was beautiful! We went to a lot of the big stores in Times Square- the M&M and Hershey's stores, Toys R Us and checked out the Good Morning America studio and all of that fun stuff. It was fun just to be there and see all of the sights that we've seen in so many movies. Times Square was always packed, and I can't even imagine what it would be like on New Year's Eve.

Shopping was of course one of the highlights of our trip! How could it not be? We spent hours at an awesome department store called Century 21. We also spent a long time at the toy store FAO Schwarz, which was so much fun. We went to the Disney Store to get Isabelle some presents which kind of backfired, because apparently she thought we went to Disneyland without her, and felt really bad about it! We stopped into Tiffany's and picked up a little diamond necklace for me (just kidding, I wish! James didn't even offer and I was totally offended!) I got a fake purse in Chinatown, of course. I really think I would've done more shopping if I weren't pregnant, because there just isn't a lot to buy yourself when you are.

The thing we did most on this trip was walk. And walk, and walk, and walk. One day we actually walked for sixteen hours! That's an extra lot of walking for a woman who is seven months pregnant! I didn't want to stop though, becuase there was too much to see. We went to Ground Zero, but you couldn't see much of anything. They have it all blocked off, and are now building the memorial. They had a little store by it that sold souveniers and also showed all about the memorial they're building. We visited Wall Street and the Financial District. We spent a day visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which was really cool. It was so neat to see in person.

We went to see "Shrek the Musical" on Broadway. It was pretty good! I slept through the first half of it though. I was so exhausted and there was nothing I could do to keep myself awake! At intermission, I told James to go buy me some candy, and I made it through the rest of the show. I felt so bad that I paid that much to sleep! Before the show we ate at Planet Hollywood in Times Square, which has my favorite Cap'n Crunch Chicken. We sat next to Edward's suit from Twilight! I can't believe what a Twilight dork I am!

One of my favorite places we visited was Serendipity! It was so delicious! The frozen hot chocolate was one of the best desserts I've ever had. We had to go twice because I liked it so much. We sat next to Marilyn Monroe's table and saw the spots that they had filmed movies there. The girl said that Oprah and Jude Law had been there within the last week. It was just so yummy!

Aflac had a few events that we went to whild we were there. They had a huge buffet dinner where you tasted all of the famous foods of New York. They had a formal dinner and awards banquet, and the last night "Foreigner" performed. They were really good. I didn't know I knew so many of their songs. Everyone had a great time, and they put on a really good show. I had to move to the back of the room because we were right next to the stage because the baby wasn't loving it much! It was super fun though! They also had Bill Clinton and Mike Huckabee each speak one day, but we skipped out on those, don't think we missed much!

It was a fabulous vacation and I'm so glad we got to go. It was a lot of fun spending so much time with my hot husband. We definitely missed Isabelle and talked about her a lot. We called her many times each day. She did really well at home though. The family said she cried for me once each day. I cried a lot more for her! She's quite an independent little girl though, so she did great. My dad brought her to the airport to pick us up and it was so exciting to see her. She just hugged and kissed us over and over! We were so happy to get to go to one of the places we've been wanting to go, and just have fun before the baby comes, because I'm sure it will be our last vacation for a while!

This was just across the street from our hotel. I thought it was cute.

These next few pictures are at the Foreigner concert and dinner. I changed my clothes after the concert started, because my feet were killing me in heels!

The formal dinner night

Eating at Serendipity. Why is that weird guy in the background?

On top of the Empire State Building

Here I am with Edward's suit at Planet Hollywood!

Fall Festivities

2009-10-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pictures of some of the fun fall things we've done. We spent a crisp autumn day at the pumpkin patch and a perfect day at Frightmares. We've certainly enjoyed our Lagoon season passes this year, and definitely plan on getting them again next year. Isabelle has enjoyed every minute we've spent there!

Someday soon I will post about our awesome trip to New York, but this is all I have for now!

I love this face!

Pickin' pumpkins with Daddy

Frightmares! These are all of the grandkids on my side. They were trying to pull scary faces. I took probably ten pictures of them all and didn't get one where they were all looking. What can you do with 7 kids under 8?
Brayden, Jill, Ike, Emma, Brielle, Isabelle, Gracie

My little bumblebee

Posing as pirates

Another Birthday!

2009-10-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today I turned 26! Yay! That sounds so much older than 25. I had a great birthday. We started it off last night with dinner with my parents at my favorite restaurant, PF Chang's. It was delicious! Tonight we had a party with family. Isabelle made me a pink Cinderella cake, all her idea. She helped Daddy with baking the cake and was very worried when it didn't come out pink. Luckily we fixed it with pink frosting and sprinkles, and she topped it off with some of her princesses. She totally thought she made the whole thing "her own self". I loved it! I got some great gifts and it was a really fun birthday! Funny story... Isabelle and James went shopping for me last week, and later that day, she and I were in the car and she said, "I got you presents Mommy." Then she proceeded to tell me, "I got you a pink shirt, and earrings, and a necklace, then we went to Target and got you one thing." I thought it was hilarious. Can't keep a secret with a two year old around! I'm always happy to celebrate my birthday. I'm just grateful each year to be healthy and so blessed.

Today I had my thirty week doctor's appointment. I just love to see our little one! I will now start going to appointments every two weeks! I can't believe how fast time has flown by and how soon baby "Pink" will be here. The doctor almost gave away the sex of the baby today, like thirty seconds after I reminded him that I didn't want to know! Good thing I can rarely see anything on the ultrasounds unless it's pointed out to me. I think I may have an idea what I saw, but I don't know. The baby is looking very healthy. It is a very busy little person. There is rarely a time I'm not feeling it move, which I love. I suddenly feel ginormous today! I accidently laid right on my stomach tonight, and it hurt so bad. I seem to be taking up a lot more space than usual today too!

This weekend James and I are heading to New York! He and four other Aflac agents/managers from Utah won the trip (it's based on sales performance, so I'm very proud of him!) I am excited, but I'm a nervous wreck! I have been bawling every night about leaving Isabelle. I know she'll be in good hands, but I've only spent one night apart from her in her life, and she was with James the night of my brother's liver transplant. I seriously hope I can make it. I've tried to talk to her about it, and she just wants to come with us. I know she'll have fun, and I'll be the one who has a harder time, but she is a mama's girl, and she love, loves her Daddy. I am literally sick to my stomach just thinking about being away from her. I hope I don't get to New York and have to turn around and come home. I am, however, excited to go to the Big Apple. When James and I got married, we had a list of vacations we wanted to take, and this is one of them. We've been lucky enough to make it to all of our other destinations, and this will top it off!

The two people who made my day super special!

This is my princess cake. Isabelle did such a great job!

My cutie...she melts my heart!

Here's my huge tummy. I took a side view picture nearly every week of my pregnancy with Isabelle..this is only my second for this pregnancy.

James and Isabelle made me this special card. I love it! So crafty!

My birthday dinner at PF Chang's. It doesn't get better than this!

Park City

2009-09-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went up to Park City for the day. It's been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember to do this during September when the leaves are changing. It's always been an event I've looked forward to. We had a fun-filled day with my parents shopping at the outlets and going to the Alpine Slide. Isabelle had a blast! She loved the slide! It's always just so fun to spend time in Park City because it's such a pretty place.

Ready to go up the mountain

Isabelle was so excited!

James said she yelled "Weeeee!" the entire time down the mountain!

Utah State Fair

2009-09-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the State Fair with my brother and his family. It's become a tradition for us over the past few years. James, Isabelle and I actually went twice last week. My whole family had planned to go together on the only day it rained. James and I headed out before the rest of the crew, and wound up spending $18 for 30 minutes at the fair. It was a miserable downpour! We did get Isabelle's caricature done, and got some yummy kettle corn, so it wasn't a total loss! We told the rest of the group not to bother coming. However, our second experience was much, much better! We have a great time every year, and of course, Isabelle enjoys it more every year. Isabelle said her favorite part of the fair was shopping at the farm. They do all of their farm chores and earn a dollar to buy a treat at the market. She loved it!

Isabelle on her pony that she named "Black"

She just loved the pony ride!

Little posers!

Daddy and Isabelle had a great time on the big yellow slide!

Mommy and Belly had fun too!

Cute cousins... they each say the other is her best friend!

I've taken Isabelle's picture here every year. It made me sad to look back and see how much she's grown and how quickly time has flown by.

Here she is last year. Not only has she grown much taller, she's gotten a lot more hair over the past year!

Here she is when she was just a chubby little 9 month old. So sweet!

Here are our future farmers of America!

Isabelle collecting eggs to take to the farmer's market.

Picking apples.

And here she is brushing the sheep.

We had such a great time and look forward to many more trips to the fair!

Happy Birthday Babe!

2009-09-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today was my hubby's 28th birthday! I wanted to make sure I posted something about it before it had all passed by.

James took the day off today, so he got to sleep in a little later than usual. We started the morning off with breakfast in bed for Daddy. James got to spend the entire morning playing with Isabelle, which he loves. We had a fun-filled day! James and Isabelle spent the afternoon together shopping at Best Buy while I went to my doctor's appointment. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready for his party. We had a yummy dinner at Texas Roadhouse, and then family came over to our house for presents and cake and ice cream! Hopefully it was relaxing for James, because I'm completely exhausted right now!

I just want James to know how awesome he is. He works so hard all the time. He is a very loving husband and dad. Isabelle and I both adore him. Thanks for all you do baby! Happy, happy birthday! XOXOXOXOXO

James got some awesome new shoes, a whole bunch of clothes, the Office, Season 5, money...all kinds of good stuff.

This is the airplane card Isabelle and I made him.

Isabelle riding on the saddle at Texas Roadhouse. I didn't get a very good picture of James riding it when thy announced it was his birthday. Lucky for him, he gets to be 21 forever!

Emma, Isabelle, and Brielle being goofballs at dinner.

Outrun Cancer

2009-09-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

This Saturday is an exciting day for our family. As you may already know, shortly after my brother Nick had his liver transplant, he was diagnosed with Lymphoma, a type of cancer. He has been doing very well so far with his chemo treatments. We are all just so happy to see him doing well and being so positive and optimistic. We are all optimistic that he will be able to overcome this trial. We know he has a special purpose here.

Nick's ward has put together an awesome fundraiser to help raise money for him and another lady, Debbie, who also has cancer. Saturday morning there will be a 5K run, a 2 mile walk, a pancake breakfast, and an auction. So many people have donated their time and items to help with this event. There are going to be some great things up for auction, from bake sale items, to gift baskets, to a pool table. We are so excited for this event, and we just want to get as many people there as we can, to help Nick and Debbie.

This will be held at the West Haven City Country Park
2825 W 3300 S, West Haven
*5K Fun Run- 8:00 am, $10
*2 Mile walk- 8:00 am, $10
*Pancake Breakfast- 8:30 am, $5 each or $25/family
*Auction- 9:30 am
The website has more information on pre-registering, as well as info on some of the items up for auction. http://outruncancer.vndv.com
*Run/Walk day of registration is $12

Please pass on the info about this wonderful event to anyone you can. It is definitely going to be a fun day, and will help these two people and their families so much! Thank you!

Garage Sale for Nick!

2009-08-19T15:38:00.001-07:00

I'm sure many of you already know so much about what has been going on with my brother Nick. This weekend, my family and extended family are holding a charitable garage sale for him. You can imagine the medical bills that come from a liver transplant, along with the 51 days he has spent in the hospital this year, and the chemotherapy he is currently receiving every two weeks. I hope you will come if you're able, and please pass this message on to anyone you can. We will have a lot of awesome stuff there! We have a huge extended family who are all participating. We know that any money we can bring in will truly help Nick and his family!

I will also be posting soon about another charitable event being held for Nick and another lady who also has cancer. It will be a 5K run/2 mile walk, and a pancake breakfast with an auction, being held on September 12th. I will give more details within a few days.

Thank you all for the support you've shown to our family during this time! It is more appreciated than you can imagine!

Hope to see you there!

Lovin' Summer

2009-08-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

With the end of summer fast approaching, we've been trying to fit in as many activities as we can. I love summer, and it truly hurts me to watch it dwindle away! We've had a lot of fun visiting your usual summer destinations. We've been to Lagoon at least once a week. We had a fabulous day at the zoo, and a fun-filled night at the fair. Isabelle wants to watch fireworks every night. She asks us almost every night if we can get our jammies on and lay on a blanket in the backyard to watch the fireworks! She has had fun at parades and picnics. There is still so much more I want to do over the next few weeks. I hope we can fit some more fun in! Here are some pictures from the last little while. I'm not much of a blogger- I try, but I stink at it. I find it easier to just post pictures!

Zoo time! This has been a long time coming. Isabelle wanted the zoo to be her reward for getting potty trained.

My cuties

We loved the real elephants. We have to go back soon to see the new little baby!

Mommy and Isabelle

Weber County Fair- Isabelle loved the pigs, smell and all!

Isabelle wanted to ride a baby horse so badly. We didn't know they were doing pony rides, so she was thrilled to get to ride this cute pony.

Isabelle brushed this ginormous cow for a long time. I told James that this is exactly how I feel sometimes!

Check out the horns on that bad boy!

Horse and Hitch Parade

Emma and Isabelle- they have become very good friends lately. Emma is so sweet to Isabelle!

South Weber Days Parade- My neices Brielle, Jill, and Emma with Isabelle

James and me waiting for the parade. James had just run a 5K with my sister-in-law, Rachael! (More to come on that later.)

Isabelle got a ton of candy! She was thrilled!

Watching the parade go by. She said her favorite part of the parade was the horsies. Sadly there were only two of them.

After the parade hanging out at Grandma and Papa's. Isabelle and her cousins love to play in the little waterfall. Shortly after this picture, Isabelle took her panties off and climbed on in!

Ike and Isabelle- they have a love/hate relationship. No matter what, they both end up injured when they get together.

Me and my girl

She is just so dang cute! I can't deny it!

Isabelle in what she has named her "Target dress." James had just taken a preggo picture of me from the side, so Isabelle had to get one of her own baby bump.

Hanging out, the best of friends!

Cutie Patootie

Isabelle is a little obsessed with Hannah Montana lately. (Or as she calls her, "Hannah Tanna.") She had just put makeup on herself and was singing Hannah songs on her bed. She knows all of the words to "Best of Both Worlds"!!! It's pretty hilarious!

Anyway, I do wish summer could last forever! Thank goodness for the little sunshine in my life. She keeps things exciting all of the time!

Quick Baby Update

2009-07-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

We had our big ultrasound last week and everything looked perfect with the baby! I love ultrasounds! It's so nice to see the little person who's growing inside you. It's an adorable little baby! We're just so grateful to know that the baby is healthy.

Isabelle came with us to the ultrasound and loved it. She was so excited the whole time and loved to see the baby waving at her! She has been talking to the baby lately, and even kissing my tummy. She still says the baby is a girl and we should name her Pink. Also, she says Daddy has a boy baby in his tummy. She has a girl in her tummy too, and most of the time she tells us she has one, two, three, four babies in her tummy! I'm happy that she seems to kind of understand what's going on, and that so far, she's excited!

Next week will be our halfway mark with the pregnancy. I can't believe it! I can feel the baby a lot now, and James was even able to feel it the other night! We're all very excited!