The Riley Family

Seriously!

2012-02-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

This kid is just too damn cute!!

Irony

2012-02-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

Taylor bought this Peyton Manning jersey 6 years ago. It finally fits Ella and now he is probably not going to be playing for the Colts. Just our Luck.

Some Times The Box Is More Fun

2012-02-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Birthday Girl

2012-02-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had a party to celebrate Ella's first birthday. She had tons of fun playing with her new toys, spending time with family, and digging in to the awesome Elmo cake that Kali made for her. (Thanks again Kali. The cake was perfect!) Huge thanks to everyone who came and made this day special for Ella. Here are some pictures of her perfect day.

Elmo Ballons

Opening Presents

The Cake

Blowing Out Candles

Loving her cake

Taking a bath after the cake

A Year In The Life Of Ella Bean

2012-02-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

Ella and Mommy

Sleeping with Daddy

First Day Home

Ella and Moxley

My Family

Ella's Blessing

My First Easter

First Food

First Halloween

First Family Pictures

First Thanksgiving

First Christmas

First Time Brushing Her Teeth

Wearing Daddy's Old Sweatshirt

What A Difference A Year Makes

2012-02-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

One year ago today I got the best Valentines gift ever! One year ago today our lives changed forever. All because one year ago today, our beautiful baby girl was born. Ella Darlene Riley I can't believe that you are already a year old. I'm still trying to figure out how in the world this....

becomes this...

in one short year. This year has gone by so fast. There is already so much that I miss about Ella being little but, I am really enjoying watching her grow. I can't imagine life without her. She is everything that we could have ever wanted. Happy Birthday Bean!

Bye Bye Bottle

2012-01-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

This crazy haired little girl is completely 100% off of the bottle. It's sippy cups only in our house now. I had decided that we were going to try to get rid of the bottle when Ella turned one. I thought this was going to be quite the challenge because Ella loved to have her bottle. She has a very strict bed time routine. She gets a bath, then her bottle, a story and bed. Ella knew after bath came the bottle and would start to cry when you put her jammies on because she wanted it so bad. All of a sudden one day last week she started to play around with the bottle and didn't really hold much interest in it. For 3 nights it took about a half an hour to feed her the bed time bottle. Taylor got frustrated and said "since we are almost out of formula anyway, let's just try putting her down with out a bottle." I decided we could try it. The first night she cried for literally 2 minutes and that was it. We just cut her off cold turkey and have been bottle free for almost a week now with out any problems. Now if the binky could be this easy. I doubt it though. While she did love her bottle she is way more attached to the bink. Oh well, one thing at a time. I will say that no more bottle makes me feel like I'm losing my baby. She's growing up so fast. She's becoming this little lady over night.

Ella Bean I'm so proud of you! You kicked the bottle before your first birthday! You're getting to be such a big girl!

Hello 2012

2012-01-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

We are 23 days in to 2012 and it has already been an insane year. Already this year we have..

1. Celebrated Jackie's 50th Birthday
2. Taylor started his final semester of school
3. Celebrated Taylor's Birthday
4. Kelsey got married
5. Celebrate my Birthday
6. Ella got an upper respiratory infection.
7. I got an upper respiratory infection.
8. I broke out in a lovely rash cause by the upper respiratory infection that will not go away for 6-8 weeks!

All of this 23 days into the year. I don't see things slowing down for a while either. We still have Kelsey's Birthday, Super Bowl and Ella's Birthday all in the next couple weeks. I have a feeling it's just going to be another crazy year. Bring it on!

Fine Childrens Programing

2012-01-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

Ella loves to watch Sesame Street and since we stream Netfix she can watch it any time. The newer episodes have a segment called Burt and Ernie's Adventures and it is all claymation. Ella was watching it the other day and I told Taylor to pause it so we could feed Ella her lunch. Next thing I know I'm hearing hysterical laughter from the living room. When I walked in I saw this.

Taylor was rolling and I couldn't stop laughing. He just happened to pause it at this awkward moment in the show. Looks like Burt and Ernie were having a little too much fun on their little adventure. I know that we are totally immature but come on... you can't tell me you aren't laughing too.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

Christmas this year was a huge success!! It was so much fun to see Ella getting new toys. She was a great age to have her first Christmas. While she didn't understand it at all, she really enjoyed getting to play with new things. This year was especially neat because Taylor and I got to play Santa for the first time. Something so simple turned out to be quite the argument. Does Santa wrap or not? How many presents should Santa leave and how many should be from Mom and Dad? Who knew it could be so complicated? We ended up working out how Santa would do things for our family and it was tons of fun. We made the rounds as usual and all 4 of us, yes Moxley included, got completely spoiled! We spent Christmas Eve with the Fowler family at my Grandma Colleen's and then went and spent the night at my mom's house. We spent Christmas morning with my family, went to my Dad's, my Aunt Michelle's and finished out the night having fondue and spending the night at Taylor's parent's house. Here are some of the pictures of our special day as a family. This is literally just a small sampling. We took over 200 pictures of Christmas this year! Enjoy!

Ella unwrapping her very first Christmas gift. She was pretty into it!

She knew just what to do with this cell phone toy. Kinda scary considering she is only 10 months old!

The new hat that Grandma and Grandpa Riley got Ella

Last stop, end of the day. Looking exhausted but hangin in there.

Opening presents with Grandma Riley

Grandma Riley and Trouble

Cooper and Mandy

Grandpa Riley and his new shoes

Daddy and Ella the day after Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Riley's house

Taylor and Melody on Christmas Eve

Melody and Toria

Thomas and Toria on Christmas morning

Matt on Christmas morning

Nolan/Grandpa Sunshine on Christmas morning

Kelsey and Andy on Christmas morning

Me and my honey on Christmas morning

Thomas and Melody

Ella's reaction to her new Elmo doll on Christmas morning. This was by far the best picture of the day. Ella loves Elmo and was so excited about her new toy.

Holding the Elmo doll

Ella with her loot

Ella on her new princess car

Ella and Grandma Kathy

More pics on the princess car

Mommy and Ella with the adorable little lamb hat that I got her.

Wearing Uncle Matt's glasses

Ella, Abigail (my cousin Laura's baby) and Melody at Great Grandma Fowler's house on Christmas Eve

3 of the cutest babes you will ever see. Just missing little Lauryn

Abigail giving Melody kisses

Ella and her soon to be Uncle Andy. Andy is amazing with Ella.

Ella in her Colts jammies on Christmas day

At Grandma and Grandpa Fowler's house on Christmas day

Grandma Kelly and Lauryn

The Riley Family. Christmas Eve 2011

At our house in front of the tree before taking off for 2 days.

Second cutest baby in the world! (mine of course is first). My beautiful niece Melody.

Counting Down

2011-12-23T12:37:00.005-07:00

As Taylor would say.... Only two more sleeps til Christmas!!

Cousins

2011-11-27T15:20:00.001-07:00

Last night we went to my Dad and Kelly's for a second Thanksgiving dinner and to help them decorate their Christmas tree. While we were there I was able to get a glimpse into what the future holds with 3 little girls all growing up together. I can not wait!! Ella and Laurin are already so cute with each other and I before you know it, Melody will be right there with them. Who would have thought that in 18 short months my dad would have 3 granddaughters. He is absolutely loving it.

The Fam. Darci, Grandma, Melody, Toria, Andy and Kelsey

Lauryn and Ella giving each other loves

Ella and Lauryn playing together. Lauryn kept crawling up to Ella and it would make Ella laugh so hard. It was so cute to see these two interact.

Sitting on Aunt Darci's lap

Life's Rough When You're 9 Months Old

2011-11-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

So rough n fact that when you pass out on the car ride home, you won't wake up long enough to get your diaper changed.

Notice how freaking tall my child is!! The pediatrician told me that it looks awkward when I hold her cause she is so tall.

O Christmas Tree

2011-11-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Some fun pics of Ella playing in front of the Christmas tree. She is seriously so stinkin cute!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Riley. We spent the night at their house on Wednesday and were able to be there all day Thursday. I was so excited for Thanksgiving this year because Ella is eating almost all solid foods now. She was able to enjoy stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, jello salad and even some pumpkin pie!! She loved all of it. Especially the apple juice she got to have for the first time.

Ella and Great Grandma Roberts

Ella and Grandpa Riley

Mandy and Grandma cookin in the kitchen

Ready to eat.

This is good stuff!

Trying to crawl. We are almost there!

9 Months

2011-11-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my baby girl turned nine months old and today we went to the doctor for her check up. I about fell off of my chair when the doctor said that she would see us again for the next routine check up when Ella turns one. ONE!! Seriously. Did she really say one?? Ella can't almost be a year old already. She is such a precious little girl. Here are some of the every day happenings in her life.

She rolls every where and she is completely squirmy. I can hardly keep a hold of her any more.

She can't crawl yet but she scoots backwards like crazy. She's getting really fast at it too!

She can say Daddy, Mama and Hi. She mostly just says daddy. Even though she can't say it yet, if you ask her where Moxley is she will always look right at her. She doesn't say "no" yet but she shakes her head no every time you tell her something she doesn't want to do or hear.

She is honestly the happiest baby ever. She is always smiling and laughing. It makes me so happy to see that she is so happy.

She has her two front teeth on the bottom. When she smiles you can see them and it just makes me smile.

She is extremely stubborn. If she doesn't want to do something, she won't do it. If you try to make her, you are going to hear about how much she doesn't want to do it. I'm in so much trouble!

She is officially a giant. She is off the charts for height now. The pediatrician told me today that if Ella doesn't slow down, she will be taller then me before she gets to 6th grade. MY KID!! I'm only 5 ft tall and I some how ended up with an extremely tall child. Who'd have ever guessed that one.

The last nine months have been so amazing. I am such a proud mommy. I love to watch Ella grow and learn new things. While I am always sad that she is growing up and getting bigger, I look forward to watching her learn and grow more and more every day. Ella Bean you our the light of our lives and we love you so very much.

So Sweet

2011-11-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some adorable pictures of my brother Thomas being a daddy. So sweet!! Moments like these are why we have kids.

Welcome Baby Melody

2011-11-10T21:00:00.005-07:00

Melody Cameron Deanne Fowler

Born 11/10/11 at 7:56 pm

7 lbs 5 oz 19.5 inches

Congratulations Thomas and Toria!

Hair

2011-11-01T22:26:00.000-06:00

Ella is finally starting to get some hair but it's getting a little crazy!! I'm not quite sure what to do with it.

Quack Quack!

2011-11-01T22:13:00.001-06:00

With my Uncle Cooper. Not crying for once :)

Worlds Most Adorable Ducky!

Grandma Jackie was a lunch lady. Her costume was awesome!

This year for Halloween we decided to dress Ella up like a duck. Her costume ended up being adorable. Not bad considering I found it online, in July for $13!! We had tons of fun and spent the day making the rounds to see everyone at their works. We went to my mom's work, my work and Taylor's work. Then we went to visit Aunt Michelle, swung by the daycare for pictures, and finished our night at the trunk or treat at Taylor's parent's ward. The day was pretty busy but was a lot of fun. After the trunk or treat we ended our night at Grandma and Grandpa Riley's and had pumpkin pizza's. Cooper and the new Mrs. Riley (Mandy) came too!! We couldn't have asked for better first Halloween for little Bean.

Does It Get Cuter Than This??

2011-11-01T22:04:00.000-06:00

My cousin Dillon's friend, Chelsie, made this poncho for Ella and it is sooo adorable. She said she made it in less then an hour with spare yarn. Seriously! I wish I could do stuff like that cause this turned out amazing and Ella looks so cute in it.

Check Out My Big Girl Chair!

2011-11-01T21:55:00.000-06:00

We decided that Ella was getting too big to sit in her Bumbo seat and finally broke down and bought her a high chair. She loves it! She thinks that she is such a big girl sitting up to the table with us while she munches on her puffs :)

Sleepy

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000-06:00

We brought Ella home from my Aunt Michelle's the other night and she was so tired she couldn't even open her eyes.

Another Fowler Family Loss

2011-10-16T10:34:00.001-06:00

I got a call around 4:30 yesterday from my brother telling me that my aunt Cindy had passed away. I was in complete shock! How? What was he talking about? Cindy couldn't be gone. She was barely older then my dad. What could have possibly taken her life? After going to the hospital to meet up with the rest of my family I found out that she had a heart attack but that the doctors don't think that's what for sure took her life. We won't have more answers until an autopsy is done next week.

As I sat there in the waiting room of the hospital with the rest of my family I couldn't help but notice my cousin Alex. Alex is Cindy's only child. While the rest of us wept and sobbed over the loss of a family member she held her composure. Alex is the only one in our family who is active in the LDS church. While we all cried and wanted answers, she had the faith to know that there is a bigger picture and that this happened for a reason. I'm not a religious person by any means so this was difficult for me to understand yet at the same time, I wished I had the faith that she did. I feel terrible knowing that her mom will not be there to see her get married or when she has her babies. She is a 20 year old, only child and her mom is just gone. I can't even imagine having to go through that. I am amazed at how strong Alex is.

Aunt Cindy we will miss your contagious laugh and smile. The family will never be the same with out you. We love you.

Ella's Mad Face

2011-10-13T17:59:00.001-06:00

I just noticed today after we got our family pictures taken that Ella tucks her bottom lip in when she gets mad. Check out both of these pictures. One from when we were still in the hospital and one from today. Ohhh..... I love this cute little Toot!!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-10-13T16:52:00.001-06:00

We went to Foto Fly this morning and had our family pictures taken. I'm not so hot on the family shots but the ones of Ella turned out AWESOME!! Considering she cried for the majority of the shoot, these turned out really cute.

Weight Watchers.... AGAIN!!

2011-10-13T16:42:00.001-06:00

When the photographer has to photo shop out your fat rolls in your family pictures, it's time to go on a diet. This seriously happened today! Ugh.... I was doing awesome after I had Ella. I'm convinced that it's my job. I gained all my weight back when I went back to work. Sitting in that desk, I just graze all day.

A Tooth!!

2011-10-06T06:09:00.000-06:00

After months and months of trying Ella finally cut her first tooth yesterday!! Ella has been teething since she was 10 weeks old so it's been a long journey to get to this point. Congratulations Bean!! You are such a big girl now!

Does This Belong To You?

2011-10-03T16:55:00.000-06:00

Look Uncle Cooper!! This is what happens when you leave stuff at our house!

All Geared Up

2011-09-27T08:34:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday Ella got all geared up to watch her very first Colts game (minus her Peyton Manning jersey which is still a little too big). This was a tough game to watch. Not only were they playing my mom and Nolan's favorite team, The Steelers but, we were cheering for them to lose. With Peyton Manning out and the length of time left in his career coming into question, we have decided that we are officially on the "SUCK FOR LUCK" campaign. This means that we want the Colts to lose every game this year so they can have the number one draft pick and pick up Andrew Luck out of Stanford. Cheering for your team to suck is not nearly as fun as cheering for them to win but in the long run it will be better for their team. This year has been a huge wake up call that they are going to have to get someone in there to replace Manning when he leaves. So far they are on the right track. 0-3!

You can't really see them but Ella has on the cutest Colts slippers

I LOVE this hat!

Oh My!!

2011-09-24T19:21:00.000-06:00

Look at how big my baby girl is getting!! Standing in her crib already!! I better not blink or she is going to be starting kindergarten.

Daycare, A Second Look

2011-09-24T19:06:00.000-06:00

After Ella's first month at daycare I have to admit, I was a little judgmental and wrong about the whole situation. Now don't get me wrong, there are some really scary daycare centers out there. I saw some when we were trying to find a place for Ella. However, if you find a good one I think that it can be good for the child. I absolutely love the daycare that we have Ella in. She has kids her own age to play with, I never ever worry about her being there and I can see growth and change in her personality. But most of all, she loves being there and is so happy every day when I pick her up. All in all, I think that in the end this daycare is actually a better place for her to be. Now if it wasn't so financially draining on us... Oh well... I can honestly say that in this situation I'm getting what I pay for.

Diaper

2011-09-11T12:06:00.003-06:00

I just noticed that all of the picture of Ella on our blog are of her in her diaper or in the tub. I promise I do dress my child. She just must have her most adorable moments while she is in her diaper!

Snuggles

2011-09-11T12:04:00.002-06:00

Ahh.... Loves!

Smile

2011-09-11T12:03:00.000-06:00

This is Ella's new way of smiling. It's so dorky but adorable at the same time!

Daycare

2011-09-03T10:44:00.003-06:00

Our Sweet Baby Girl -
This week you started daycare and it was truly one of the hardest things that mommy and daddy have ever had to do. We found an amazing place for you to be but it still breaks may heart to see you go there each day. I think it may just be because I never thought that we would ever have to put you in a daycare. You go to a lady named Vicki and you seem to absolutely love being there. There are children your age to grow and play with. You have your very own brand new crib, high chair, and toys galore. Vicki won't let you and the other kids share toys because she doesn't want germs spreading. The daycare is amazingly clean and you even come home bathed if you have and accident or your lunch gets away from you. I know that you are in good hands but the thought of leaving you each day with a women I barely know still is very hard for me to swallow. I've spent a lot of time this week crying and feeling guilty that I can not just be home with you every day. I wonder if the decisions we have made as your parents are good ones. We try our best to make sure that you grow up to be a wonderful and well behaved young lady. We only want the very best for you. We love you so much Ella Bean.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Ouch!! Did Your Baby Bonk Her Head??

2011-09-03T10:32:00.001-06:00

Actually, the answer is no. It is not a bruise, scab or a blood blister. Ella has what is called a hemangioma. It's a blood vessel tumor just under her skin. Hemangiomas are very common and have also been called raspberries or strawberries. They tend to fade and go away between the ages of 18 months and 2 years although not always. Occasionally they have to be taken care of surgically. It doesn't hurt or bother Ella at all. At first it bothered me a lot but I have grown so used to seeing it and it is such a part of her that I think I may actually be sad to see it fade away.

Cindy Lou Who

2011-08-28T18:41:00.003-06:00

This is what Ella's hair looked like when she got out of the tub last night. Bean doesn't really have much in the way of hair but she does have this one extremely long patch right on top!

Daddy's Girl!

2011-08-25T20:55:00.003-06:00

You're My Best Friend

2011-08-25T20:53:00.004-06:00

Ella is seriously completely fascinated with Moxley.

The Pool, Round 2!

2011-08-25T20:40:00.004-06:00

The first attempt at swimming in the backyard pool was a total bust. Ella hated it but Moxley loved it. We took Ella to the big pool at the rec center and she loved it so we decided to give the backyard inflatable another go. This time it was great! Ella loved splashing, playing with toys, kicking back and of course spending time with Moxley who just had to climb in too.

**Notice how fat her diaper is?? Taylor forgot to put a swim diaper on. DISASTER!! It was pretty funny but a complete mess to clean up when the diaper split open and the gel inside went every where!

6 Months

2011-08-25T20:18:00.005-06:00

I can't believe Ella is already 6 months old! She is growing up so fast. I must say that I didn't think that I would miss the tiny baby stage but a part of me really does miss it. I'm sad that my baby has already out grown sleeping in my arms, snuggling, being cradled when I hold her, and just being little. Here are some of the things that Ella is doing.

1. She is a big girl. She's in the 90th percentile for height and the 75th for weight. Don't ask me how that is possible. At this rate she will be taller then me at age 5!

2. She eats her fruits and veggies like crazy. She will not eat the green veggies. Just the orange ones. We do still try to give her the green ones but mostly for entertainment. The faces she makes are hilarious.

3. She talks up a storm. She says mama and dada all the time and while she doesn't really know what she is saying, Taylor and I love to pretend that she does.

4. She rolls over which makes leaving her alone for a minute a lot more difficult then it used to be.

5. She just started waving last week. So cute!!

6. She is sitting up almost completely on her own. We still have a tip every now and then but other then that she's got it down.

7. She sleeps through the night!! (most of the time)

8. She smiles non stop. All you have to do is smile at her and she smiles right back even if she is in the worst of moods.

9. She loves her bath time, her woobies and of course her TV shows.

10. She loves to jump in her jumper but only on her right leg. It is the strangest thing to watch.

We love this little girl so much and can't wait to see all of the other fun new things she will learn and experience.

Things I've Learned in 6 Short Months!

2011-08-08T21:08:00.004-06:00

I can't believe that next week my baby girl will already be 6 months old!! Where does the time go? While I was pregnant I did a post about things that I had learned while pregnant. This is a spin off of that that I'm calling "Things I've Learned in 6 Short Months!" Sort of my ode to first time parenting

1. Being a parent is tough!! I'm constantly exhausted. I can't remember the last time I actually DID my hair and make up. I feel like I can clean my house 24/7 but it some how still always looks like a tornado just tore through it. Now, I never expected it to be a cake walk but at the same time I didn't expect juggling life and a baby to be as difficult as it has been. I completely have a new respect for parents especially single parents who do this all on their own.

2. Once you have a kid all you do is talk about your kid. I'm sure every one gets so sick of hearing about every moment in Ella's life but I'm just so proud I can't stop talking about her!! I'm sure you have all noticed by reading this blog :)

3. There are a million things that we all say that we will never do with our kids but when it comes down to it, you do because it's easy. Case in point, I said that I would not let my child watch TV until she was 2 years old. Little did I know she would be hooked at such a young age just from having it on while she was in the room. Now I count on PBS and Baby Einsteins just to be able to get dinner made. I often feel like a bad parent but, she likes it and it keeps her entertained. There are much worse things in the world then a little TV.

4. There are a million things that we all say that we will always do with our kids but when it comes down to it, you don't because it's easier. Case in point, I told myself that my child would always wear shoes. It was a pet peeve of mine when kids of any age didn't have shoes on. So from the minute that I could find shoes that fit Ella's feet, she had them on. That was until she developed her own personality, decided she hates shoes, and kicks and screams until she gets them off her feet. Now, I can't even remember the last time Ella wore shoes. It still bugs me but it's not worth the fight.

5. It's very easy to be judgmental of how others are raising their kids when you don't have any. Once you have your own and you see how it is, you realize why people do the things that they do when it comes to raising children.

6. There is no right or wrong way to raise a child. You just have to figure out what works for your family and go with it. If only there were an instruction manual on how to raise a perfect family...

7. There is nothing in the world like the love a mother has for her child. I can't describe it but if you are a mom you will know exactly what I mean.

8. I definitely need to work on my patience. I thought I was a lot better then I am. Ella has a very annoying high pitched, squealing whine that she does and it just makes me CRAZY!!

9. Even though being a mom is one of the toughest jobs I've ever had, I would not trade a minute of it for anything in the world.

10. Life is pretty miraculous. Every day I look at this beautiful little girl and I'm still amazed that Taylor and I made her. She grew in my tummy and came out this gorgeous little being that looks just like her daddy (seriously anyone could be that kids mother). It blows my mind when I watch her grow and learn new things. Pretty unbelievable if you ask me.

A Little Freaky

2011-07-25T19:16:00.003-06:00

About 2 years ago I got my palm read just for fun. A girl that I work with does it on the side and she was giving a few quick readings at work. When she read my palm she asked what I wanted to know about. I told her that I wanted to know about my future family. Would Taylor and I end up having kids? Would it be sooner or later?? She looked at my palm and said that yes I would have a family but, I would only have one child. She said the reason being is that I would have a difficult delivery and I would be prevented from having anymore children even though I would want them. I don't know why but I thought about this palm reading the other day. I did end up having a difficult delivery. I got to thinking, could Ella really be our one and only?? I guess only time will tell but it is a little creepy to think that things so far have gone the exact way that I was told they would go. Freaky!!

Sitting Up!!

2011-07-22T17:56:00.003-06:00

Well..... Sort of! Not fully sitting up but she's getting there!!

Is Your Baby 9 Months Old??

2011-07-22T17:24:00.003-06:00

NO PEOPLE!! She's just a big girl!!

I honestly get asked that a lot. People are always amazed that she is only 5 months old. I don't know why I get so defensive when people say that she is big for her age but I find myself getting really upset about it. Whether she is big or small, she is still pretty damn adorable and I don't know why I expect anything else. I literally come from a family of babies that are born the size of small toddlers. Ella is still quite small compared to others in my family.

TV Junkie

2011-07-11T21:38:00.004-06:00

Ella is literally a TV junkie!! If the TV is on at all sometimes we can't even get her to eat. She will watch anything but she does have her favorites. I'm becoming quite familiar with all of the PBS shows. Some of her favorites are....

Anything Baby Einstein. I don't get what she loves about hand puppets and random toys on the screen but she loves it. She is completely mesmerized by it.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That. This is probably my least favorite of all of the shows that she likes but she seems to enjoy it.

Dinosaur Train completely captures her attention. I think it may be how colorful everything is on this show.

Super Why! This is hands down her favorite. She kicks and squeals and gets really excited when Super Why comes on.

Just Chillin! Watching my shows in my diaper! (this kid loves to be naked) Seriously though!! Check out how hooked she is. This picture was taken while watching Super Why on Sunday morning. At least the shows that she likes are educational. Maybe she's learning?? At least that's what I try and convince myself.

Mmmm.... Carrots!!

2011-07-11T21:17:00.004-06:00

First Bite!

More please!!

That's good stuff!

Ever since we got Ella on a sleep schedule she has been a champ about sleeping though the night. That was until recently. She's started to wake up around 3:00 because she is hungry. She eats a bottle and usually goes right back to sleep. We decided that in an effort to keep her tummy full through the night it was time to try some food. My pediatrician said that while they recommend waiting until 6 months, I could start Ella any time between 4 and 6 months if I thought that she was ready. Just make sure to start her on veggies. We decided to start her on carrots because she loves the frozen ones that she has been chewing on while she's been teething. While the first attempt was sooo messy, it was awesome!! Ella loved the carrots. Once she got the hang of eating off a spoon she even started chasing the spoon and opening wide when Taylor would bring the spoon to her. I really went back and forth on whether or not to start her. I wasn't sure she was ready and I really wanted to wait until the recommended age. Now that we have tried it and it was such a huge success I'm glad I went for it.

Summer Days

2011-07-03T16:46:00.004-06:00

As I've posted before Ella is teething. We have started to give her frozen carrots to munch on and she loves them. Taylor caught some pretty cute pics of her carrot eating.

Ella absolutely loves her bath. She has never cried when it comes to bath time. So I thought, naturally, that she must love water. I decided to buy her this kiddie pool for the back yard. I couldn't wait to get her in it and see how excited she was. Turns out, not so much. She cried as soon as I put her in it. There is someone else who ended up enjoying the pool though. At least it wasn't a complete waste. Ella is however, in love with her new jumper that Grandpa Scott and Grandma Kelly gave her. Thanks so much guys. This thing is awesome!! She spent her day in the back yard in her swim suit not swimming but bouncing in her jumper.

She Looks Like An Angel...

2011-06-21T21:09:00.004-06:00

Oh this baby girl! So adorable, so sweet, so angelic. Right? HA! WRONG!! Every time I take Ella to the pediatrician for her routine visits we go home with a packet that explains what your baby should be doing developmentally between each routine visit. Every single packet that I have ever gotten from the pediatrician says to give your child what they want as they are too young and it is not possible for them to be spoiled yet. Well Doc... I'm sorry to say, I have to disagree. Let me explain...

Last Friday I took the day off of work to spend will Ella because she had not been feeling well and did not sleep well the night before. I decided to run some errands later that afternoon with my mom because while Ella was a little fussy, she seemed to be feeling better. We went to Carter's because they were having a sale that I wanted to check out. While we were there Ella got extremely irritable. My mom decided to pick up a toy and dangle it in front of Ella to see if she could amuse her for a while. It worked! Ella instantly stopped crying and seemed to be amused enough that I could finish my browsing. When I was done I told my mom that we could go. She set the toy down so that we could leave and the second she did Ella started to squeal at the top of her lungs. My mom picked the toy back up and dangled it again and Ella stopped crying. The same thing happened 3 times. Each time my mom put the toy down Ella screeched louder than she did the time before. My mom looked over at me and said "well I guess I'm buying this toy." I tried to tell her no but, she of course bought the toy even though it was ridiculously expensive. So we left the store, toy clipped to Ella's car seat, with a perfectly happy child. Not only do I think that it is possible for her to be spoiled, I think this kid knows exactly how to manipulate people into giving her what she wants. I could not believe that she acted like that. I was embarrassed by my child's tantrum and she is only 4 months old! Not sure where we have gone wrong thus far but we better get this under control before it gets out of hand.

Good Things To Come

2011-06-21T20:53:00.006-06:00

Why is this baby so happy? It could be that she has the most awesome parents in the world!! It could be because dad left her shirt on her head when he put her in the tub. Or... It could be that she is going to be welcoming a cousin into the world!!

Melody Cameron Fowler
Due: November 2nd, 2011

That's right!! I'm going to be an Aunt!! My little brother Thomas and his girlfriend Toria are expecting a little girl this fall. It's still crazy to think that any of my siblings will ever have kids. I swear they are all still 5 in my eyes. I honestly thought that Ella was going to be much older by the time any cousins came into the picture and while this was unexpected, I'm excited for Thomas and I know that he is going to be a wonderful daddy to this precious little one. I hope that our girls will grow up to be very close and have lots of great times and memories together. It's amazing how life changes. There are definitely more good things to come for our family.

Our First Baby

2011-06-05T15:52:00.003-06:00

I noticed that I have posted so much about our new baby that I have completely neglected our first baby. Moxley is truly the most amazing dog ever. She is so smart, lovable, snuggly, cuddly, sweet, and affectionate. She has been so wonderful since Ella has been around. She loves her to death and is always wanting to protect her. We couldn't have asked for a better situation. She loves having a strict routine and is not to happy if you veer from the norm. She loves to go on walks, play with her ball, be outside in her yard, and snuggle up when she is sleepy. We love you Moxley Roo. You will always be our first baby.

Teething UGH!!

2011-06-05T15:32:00.004-06:00

More pics fresh out of the tub. Look at that chubby thing. Her rolls are adorable.

Hanging with my buddy Moxley. It looks like Mox is biting her but she is really trying to give her kisses. These two are going to be inseparable some day.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my swing.

Sitting in my new Bumbo seat for the first time. Not sure about it yet. We are still working on it.

Ella has started teething. This was something that I was not expecting to have to deal with a few months. Let me tell ya... Not the funnest part about being a parent. She is cranky and drools constantly. I feel bad because she is normally such a happy baby. Hopefully things will get better for her soon. On a happier note she is just about the cutest thing ever. She has recently discovered her hands and is AMAZED by the fact that she is the one making them move. She also jabbers up a storm. I seriously can't shut that kid up. She always has so much to say and does it with a big smile. If you ignore her babble, she just does it louder and louder until you start talking to her. It's really quite funny. Above are just a few pics of the recent happenings in her life.

More Memorable Moments

2011-05-09T19:36:00.003-06:00

Playin on Daddy's shoulders

Ella fell asleep with her shirt in both hands and pulled up by her face. Crazy kid!!

Year 6 is in the Books

2011-05-05T19:06:00.003-06:00

Today Taylor and I are celebrating our 6 year anniversary. Well... the celebrating is on hold until Saturday but today is the day. On Saturday we planning on heading out on our first real date since Ella was born. We'll be having a pretty standard dinner and a movie date but, I'm still really excited. Year six brought some really exciting changes to our little family with the birth of Ella. Each year together is a little more exciting then the one before and it leaves me anxious to see where year seven takes us.
Taylor - You are the love of my life and my best friend. You are an amazing husband and father and I really couldn't ask for more. I love the way you make me smile. I love how safe I feel when I am with you and how broken I feel when we are apart. Year seven is going to be amazing as we watch our little girl grow and our family become closer than ever before. I love you. - Jess

Bitter Sweet

2011-04-27T08:48:00.005-06:00

My time at home is coming to an end. My maternity leave is almost over and I head back to work next Monday. While on my maternity leave I have come to realize that I could never be a full time stay at home mommy. I need to be able to get out of the house. And though I have been saying for weeks now that I'm ready to go back to work, now that it is really here I'm feeling bummed to see this time end. It all just went by way too fast. Not every day of my maternity leave has been peachy but I will say that now that Ella is a bit older it's been a lot less stressful and a lot more fun. I'm going to miss seeing her all day. I'll miss being the one to get her out of her crib in the morning because that is her happiest time of the day. I'm feeling sad to think that someone else may be the one to witness milestones like her first laugh, steps, and words because I am at work. Oh well.... life goes on. I have to remember that I'm not the first women in history to go back to work and leave my baby with a babysitter. At least I have comfort in knowing that she is with my amazing friend Kendra who I'd trust with my life. Taylor and I love Brandon and Kendra and their kiddos and know that Ella is in good hands there.

On a side note, I can't even believe that Ella is almost 3 months old already. She is growing so fast. She is already cooing up a storm, rolling on her side, holding her head up with ease, wanting to jump and stand when you hold her on your lap, and smiling like crazy. She is developing her own little personality and I have to say that I think I might be in trouble. She even threw her first temper tantrum the other day. Ella tries to suck her thumb and because I come from a family of thumb suckers I will not let her do it (this would be why she always has a binky in her mouth). The other day when she was trying to suck her thumb I kept moving her hand away from her mouth. When I did she would scream and kick her legs. Then she would stop crying and try again screaming and kicking her legs every time I moved her hand. It was quite comical but man...I think this kid maybe more stubborn then her mom and her dad!! She is very independent and most of the time she would rather lay on a blanket by herself then cuddle. She has already out grown cuddle time in less then 3 months! If I get any snuggles any more it's rare. She is feisty yet sweet and I just can't get enough of her.

Ella's First Easter

2011-04-27T08:33:00.003-06:00

Here are a few pics of our little Ella in her very first Easter dress (and a spare of my adorable little red head). Ella got completely spoiled by her Grandma and Grandpa Riley and her great Aunt Krysti. I can't wait until she is a little bit older and can participate in the egg hunt! It will be so much fun. Also huge thanks to Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Nolan for keeping Ella looking so adorable and getting her this fun spring dress to wear.

Bath Time

2011-04-16T10:31:00.003-06:00

Now that Ella no longer has her cord we are able to give her REAL baths and not just sponge her down. It has made things so much easier and much more fun because Ella LOVES her bath. She loves to just sit back in the warm water and relax. Here are some cute pics Taylor took of her bath the other night.

What a Blessing

2011-04-13T20:56:00.005-06:00

Our Family

Ella with her Aunt Rosey

Last Sunday Ella had the privilege of being blessed by her Uncle Cooper. Cooper did an amazing job even though Ella screamed pretty loud the entire time. Taylor's mom and his sister Rosey were able to come down from Washington to share in Ella's special day. Her Grandpa Nolan made sure she looked like a princess and bought her this gorgeous dress and Aunt Michelle made sure the brunch was awesome by making all of the food. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this wonderful day!! It really couldn't have been any better.

Even though the last few weeks have been trying, I can't say enough what a blessing our little girl is in our lives. Every morning when I go to get her out of her crib, she greets me with a big smile like she just couldn't wait to see me again. We love her so much and I could never imagine what we would do if we didn't have her. She was truly meant to be our baby. We love you Ella Bean!!

Growing and Growing

2011-04-13T20:45:00.002-06:00

With Grandma Roberts

Sleeping with my Uncle Cooper

My little family all snuggled up

In my adorable snow suit

Snuggling with Daddy

Here are a few new pics of Ella. I still can't believe how fast she grows. Every day she looks so much bigger than she did the day before.

Resting Easy

2011-04-13T10:23:00.002-06:00

Things have become a little more relaxed in the last week. Not only have we managed to get Ella on a routine and sleep schedule but, we received the last bit of results from her blood work and all is well. Looks like she just had a really stubborn umbilical cord. Now if we could magically get the plumbing fixed without paying an arm and a leg I think we might even start to see some smiles again :)

Getting Better

2011-04-04T19:42:00.002-06:00

This morning I went to change Ella's diaper and when I went to pull the diaper down so it didn't touch her cord, I noticed that it was gone!! Her cord finally fell off!! We still haven't received her lab work back yet to see if she has L.A.D but this is really promising news!! Things may be looking up at the Riley house!

Cut The Cord

2011-04-01T10:31:00.003-06:00

Let me first start by saying that the past 6 weeks have been some of the hardest and most trying of my life. Not only did I have an extremely difficult delivery and recovery with Ella, but I have also had to deal with the general frustrations of being a first time mom all while the plumbing in my darling yet extremely old house decided to completely break. (we had the pipe that connects to the main line under the house break) Just when I seriously thought that things couldn't possibly get any more difficult for us I got a scary call from Ella's pediatrician. So here is what is going on...

Last Monday I took Ella in to the pediatrician because she was 6 weeks old and her umbilical cord still had not fallen off. No big deal really. The Dr. put some stuff on it to freeze it off and we were on our way. The cord would fall off in a couple of days and all would be good. Or so I thought. On Wednesday the pediatrician called me back and said that when she saw Ella's cord something wasn't sitting right with her. She said that the cord didn't look like anything that she had ever seen before. Not wanting to freak me out at the time she decided to do a little research. After looking into it further she contacted a pediatric immunologist at Primary Children's. The immunologist recommended seeing Ella as soon as possible because she thought that Ella may have what is called Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency. I had never heard of this before so the pediatrician recommended that I look it up online to get more familiar with it. When I looked it up my heart just sank. Basically this condition is an extremely rare condition where the body is unable to fight off bacteria. This could be why her cord isn't falling off. There have only been 400 reported cases in the world. But the part that scared me the most was that all of the infants who have had this were normal healthy babies. They were not born premature, they were on track developmentally, and had no problems with weight gain or eating. But, more than 75% of those babies died before they reached their first birthday. There is no medication for the condition and the only treatments are stem cell and bone marrow transplants. I know that we still have to do the blood work to know for sure but just the thought is making me sick. It's all I can think about. The immunologist office said that they couldn't get Ella in until May 4th but we are doing everything that we can to get her in sooner. I can't wait a month to know if this is what she has or not.

I know that we all have our trials but I honestly feel like I'm going to have a complete meltdown. I know that many of you think that I may have some postpartum depression and at this point I would say that you are probably right. With everything that is going on right now I don't see how I couldn't. We were finally able to get Ella on some what of a sleep schedule and now I'm not sleeping because I'm so worried about everything else. It's just been so much at once.

Calling All Mom's

2011-03-21T00:50:00.003-06:00

Ok all you mom's out there, I am in need of some help. How in the world do you get your babies on a sleep schedule? Ella is a great sleeper in that she will sleep for a good 6 hours straight. The problem is that she doesn't like to fall asleep until about 3:00 in the morning! Up until this point we have just kind of worked around it hoping that we would be able to get her on some kind of a schedule. I just figured that she was a newborn and in time she would get on better sleeping terms. So for the past 4 weeks I would go to bed around 11:00 pm and then around 5:00 am I would wake up and Taylor would then come to bed and sleep until around 11:00 am. This as you can imagine, is not a good sleep schedule for anyone including Taylor and myself. Now I'm starting to freak out because he is going back to work next Monday and I can't be up all night and then be home alone with her all day too! I don't know what I'm going to do. I've tried to keep her up during the day so that she will be tired at night but have you ever tried to force a 5 week old baby to stay awake? It's impossible!! So we decided that we were going to start a routine where we would feed her, change her bum, turn on some lullaby music and just leave her in her crib to fall asleep on her own. We started at 10:30 tonight and she literally spent the last two and a half hours in her crib screaming! I changed her twice during that time so that she would be dry. Each time putting her right back into her crib and turning her music on. Now granted she is asleep now which is two hours earlier than normal however, she is almost ready to have a bottle again so I'm afraid the sleeping silence is not going to last long. This went on last night as well. At this point I'm discouraged to say the least and completely exhausted. I don't know how to fix it! If any of you have some advise for this stressed out first time mommy it would be greatly welcomed!

Cutie Patootie!

2011-03-17T15:49:00.003-06:00

Here are some new pics of our little cutie! I can't believe how fast she is growing. She is getting so big so fast. Moxley absolutely loves Ella. She is very protective and always is so concerned when she cries. I'm truly so blessed to have such a great little family!

Just Kickin Back

2011-03-02T18:32:00.003-07:00

Taylor went to check on Ella while she was sleeping and found her like this with her arms behind her head. Too cute!

Amazing

2011-02-27T22:48:00.003-07:00

This man is AMAZING!! I can not even begin to imagine what I would do without him. Not that I didn't think that he would be a great dad but, I have to say that he is the most amazing daddy to Ella. He is always willing to take on diaper duty, make bottles, give baths, feed her, get up with her in the middle of the night, anything that she needs. All of this is done on top of helping me recover from a major surgery and dealing with my crazy post pregnancy hormones. I'm completely weepy and cry all the time and all the while he just sticks by me and tells me everyday that he loves me and thinks that I'm beautiful.

Babe - Thank you so much for being the most amazingly wonderful husband and dad!! I'm so grateful that you have been able to spend this time at home with me and Ella. I could never get through this without you. You are my best friend and I love you more than I could ever tell you. I know that Ella does too!

Ella's Journey

2011-02-20T14:29:00.005-07:00

Now that our little one has finally arrived, and many have wanted to know the story, I thought I would document her rough journey to get here.

It started Sunday Feb, 13th. I had been having some crampy feelings and lower back pain all day. I thought that they were contractions but since the pain was pretty much constant I was having trouble timing them. At around 5:00 I told Taylor that I was packing the bag and we needed to head to the hospital. We packed the bag and headed to Jordan Valley. When we got there, I got hooked up to all of the machines so they could properly monitor my contractions. After 2 hours of being monitored I was sent home because I was not dilated and my contractions were just not close enough together. I was frustrated to say the least. We made it home and I was in labor all night long. I couldn't sleep and the pain was crazy. When I woke up the next morning I went to the bathroom and noticed that I was bleeding. I looked at Taylor and said "I think we are going to have to go back." After a quick call to the hospital to confirm that I should really go back in, after all I didn't want to get sent back home again, we were off. When we got to the hospital I was checked in again and once again hooked up to all of the machines. This time my contractions were much more consistent. This was it!! It had to be!! Then two nurses walked in the room. I was confused as to why there were two nurses but quickly found out that one was still in training and the other one was there to supervise. So the nurse in training checked me and said that I wasn't dilated at all. How could that be?? I mean my Dr. had at least been giving me a 1/2 a centimeter for over a month now. I couldn't have closed up. So they agreed to monitor me for an hour and then check me again. After an hour the same nurse checked a and said that I was 1 centimeter dilated. I was so upset. I couldn't be sent home again. This had to be the real deal. I was in a ton of pain and had been since the day before. Before they could send me home the supervising nurse had to check me and when she did she said I was dilated to 5 centimeters!! Are you kidding me?? How could the other nurse not tell that I was a 5!! This seems like it should be a pretty standard thing right? The nurse in training then looked at me and said "is it possible that you have a second cervix?" Um what?? don't you think that after being pregnant for 9 months that if I had a second cervix my Dr. would have noticed that?? All I could do was stare at her with a completely irritated look on my face. Obviously she needs a lot more training. Anyway, at that point I asked if I could please have my epideral. This was it after all. We were going to have a Valentines baby. I got my epideral and things were good but I was progressing slowly. It took me from 9:30 in the morning until about 6:00 at night to go from a 5 to a 9.5. Even though I was not quite a 10 they decided to have me start pushing. At this point I was physically exhausted. I had been up for over 24 hours and had been in labor for most of that time. I hadn't eaten anything since 10:00 the night before I was just done. I had a fever of 102 and Ella's heart rate had started jumping. At this point the decision was made to do a C-section. They wheeled me into the operating room and got started. I was told I would feel pressure but I was feeling something more. It was painful. I don't know if the drugs didn't kick in properly or if I am a wuss but it was really painful. The next thing I heard was my Dr. saying "put her under." Two hours later I woke up to find an extremely worried family. After they got Ella out my uterus would not contract back down and therefore I wouldn't stop bleeding. I lost a ton of blood. I found out later that they almost had to do a complete hysterectomy to get the bleeding to stop. I can't even imagine how I would have felt if I had to wake up to that news. While they were able to get the bleeding to stop, I had to be monitored very closely. Of course my mom and dad were freaking out! I'm just glad I was knocked out and don't remember any of it. Once I woke up I was still pretty out of it and didn't have enough strength to hold Ella until she was about 12 hours old. I didn't get to see her first bath, hear her first cries, I didn't even know what she looked like. All I knew was that she was here and she was completely happy and healthy. That was enough for me! I've had a rough recovery and I'm still in it. Before I could even leave the hospital I had to have a blood transfusion due to the amount of blood I lost. My Dr. told me that this was the worst possible situation that could have ever happened but I made it through. For the first time in my life I feel tough!! Maybe I'm not as big of a wuss as I thought I was! I will say this... She is totally worth it and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Here are some pics of our crazy experience.

Our Finished Product!

Holding Daddy's Hands

Seeing Ella for the First Time

After My C-Section. Still Out of it! Lookin Hot!

Ella has arrived

2011-02-16T01:42:00.003-07:00

Jessica is fast asleep and I took a lucky guess at what her password was for her blog. I am happy to report that Ella Darlene Riley was born at 7:30 pm on Monday, February 14th, 2011. She is very healthy and weighed in at 7 pounds and 6 ounces. She was 19 and one half inches long. Jessica had some complications but is in high spirits. She had to wait 12+ hours to hold Ella for the first time.
The funniest moment of the evening was bringing Ella into the nursery. The blinds were drawn so I was able to take Ella to her station without the family watching. The nurse asked me if I was ready and then opened the shades. Our family came running like a pack of puppies at meal time. They were all bouncing like prairie dogs in excitement. It was a moment I will never forget.

Update

2011-01-14T16:34:00.002-07:00

Just a little update. Last Friday I went to the Dr. for my regular 2 week appointment. I've been feeling pressure from this little one since the beginning of the third trimester but it had gotten worse since the new year. My dr. decided to check me and we found out that this little girl has already dropped, I'm 50% thinned out and dilated 1/2 a centimeter. I was not expecting to get checked and have my dr. say "Yep! There's her head right there." The good/bad news is that the dr. doesn't think that she will come early. The really bad news is that I'm really feeling the pain. I'm going to have to cut back my hours at work which totally bums me out. I wanted to work as long as I possibly could but we have to do what we have to do. In the mean time I'm staying off my feet as much as possible and taking the pain meds the dr. prescribed me.

Third Trimester

2010-12-03T20:48:00.002-07:00

Well here we are!! I can't believe that I have already reached the third trimester of pregnancy! This little girl is going to be here before we know it. So far pregnancy has gone like this:

1st Trimester - ROUGH!! I had no idea that it was possible to feel that run down and tired all the time. Time was dragging on and it felt like pregnancy was going to last forever.

2nd Trimester - A BREEZE!! It was like a switch turned all the bad stuff off as soon as I hit my second trimester. I felt like I had more energy, I wasn't sick, and some days I even forgot that I was pregnant. Time flew by and I was feeling great.

3rd Trimester - Here are my predictions for the third trimester. ROUGH AGAIN!! I'm starting to feel achy. My hips and lower back hurt almost everyday. I don't sleep very well anymore because I'm uncomfortable the bigger my belly gets so, as a result I'm feeling more tired again. The crazy thing is everyone keeps telling me I'm tiny for how far along I am. Tell that to my hips!!

On a positive note, with the holidays, birthdays, and baby showers that are up and coming I'm thinking that this last trimester will fly by just as fast, if not faster then the last one. Which is good since everyone, especially her daddy, is getting excited and anxious to meet Ella.

Things I've Learned Since Being Pregnant

2010-11-07T16:49:00.005-07:00

I have learned a few things since I've been pregnant and here is what I've learned...

1. You always think that you are bigger than everyone else does. People have started telling me that I've just started showing and I've felt like an enormous cow for 3 months now. I try to keep in mind that no one else sees me naked which is truly where it shows the most. Clothing can cover quite a bit!!

2. Feeling your baby move and kick is one of the coolest things ever!! Now I'm not saying that I'm one of those women who loves to be pregnant but, feeling her in there is unreal.

3. The movie "Juno" is 10 times funnier when you are pregnant. I loved the movie before I got pregnant but it has some pretty funny lines in it that you wouldn't find as funny if you had never been pregnant.

4. Random people will always touch your tummy. There is nothing that you can do about it. People will never stop. It just happens.

5. When you're about to get in the shower and your husband looks over at you and starts to giggle and says "your body looks like a roller coaster" try not to cry cause as soon as you look in a full length mirror you are just going to realize that he is right. Unfortunately!!

6. Picking a birth plan is hard. I'm currently under the dilemma of trying to decide on an elective C-section or a good old fashioned vag delivery (with drugs of course). I've always said that I wanted a C-section and my doctor is totally willing to do one if that's what I decide but, is it the right decision?? It's hard to say when you've never done it before.

7. This baby is completely stubborn. If I roll on to my side at night and she is on that side of my tummy, she will continuously kick me until I roll back over. Heaven forbid she move!! I shouldn't be surprised. She was bound to be stubborn since both her mommy and daddy are.

8. I'm already seeing a glimpse of this little one's personality and she is her father's daughter. Taylor is a huge Michael Jackson fan and we were watching "This Is It" on blu ray the other night. We had the surround sound going and every time a song came on this little girl would kick and move like crazy. As soon as the song was over she would stop and then start up again on the next song. Taylor thought that she might just like music but she has never done that before or since then even when I'm busting out the tunes in my car.

9. Overall pregnancy isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The first 12 weeks were rough but since then it's been pretty ok. I know that I haven't reached the miserable huge stage yet but for now I'm just kind of along for the ride.

10. People keep telling me that I'm all belly and that from behind I don't look pregnant at all. To them I just say "Thanks!!" Losing the belly is going to be hard enough. I would hate to have to lose a backside too! If I can keep this all in the belly then I'm doing good!!

11. Sneezing and peeing your pants is a real thing. People told me it could happen and I never believed them. Turns out it's true.

Those are my thoughts for now.

Coming Soon

2010-10-16T17:46:00.005-06:00

I know that by now most of you know our big news but for those who don't let me start by apologizing for waiting so long to post about this. We had to wait until Cooper got home to post about our little secret. We were keeping the secret from him until he got home from his mission and he would read our blog on his "P" days. Now that he is home we have no more secrets. So now here it is....

COMING SOON:
BABY GIRL RILEY (Ella)
Due February 18th 2011!!

Taylor and I are both so excited to be welcoming a daughter to our family. She is already completely spoiled by all of her grandparents and she still has a ways to go before she gets here. She so loved by her mommy and daddy and we can't wait to meet her.

I'm 22 weeks and feeling great! Our little bean is quite active and kicks a ton. Taylor was finally able to feel her kick last week and it was one of the coolest experiences. The look on his face when he felt her was priceless. We had our full ultrasound last week and she is healthy and growing great. We got some pictures and I can already tell that she is going to be a little chunk. She has her mom's chubby cheeks and chunky looking legs. I can hardly wait to see who she will look like more.

So that's our news for now. I'm sure there will be plenty more pregnancy posts to come. It's been so hard to not be able to make a post until now.

Relief

2010-09-14T16:34:00.003-06:00

Once again this post comes with mixed emotions. I found out that Matthew was rejected from the service due to a medical condition. Matt was born with no hearing in his left ear. He was told that this wouldn't hinder him from joining the army if he could get a doctors release. He got the release but was unsuccessful in making it into the army. I feel some what guilty at how relieved I was to hear this. He was so excited to do this and I feel terrible that he is not able to do something that he had his heart set on. On the other hand knowing that my brother isn't going to the middle east to blow up bombs feels really really good. My heart goes out to those with friends and family to serve in the military. It's an amazingly brave thing to be a soldier but it is also so hard to sit back and watch someone you love do it.

Accidents Can Be For The Better

2010-08-22T09:26:00.007-06:00

Two and a half years ago, after a winter of pretty bad snow storms, I told Taylor that I wanted a 4wd vehicle. I was tired of sliding off the road and feeling unsafe. We decided to get a Honda Pilot. I loved the Pilot! It was great in the snow and had the potential to be a great long term vehicle for us. My only problem with the car was that I felt it was a little to big for me. I'm only 5 ft tall and that's really big car. Taylor assured me that with time I would get use to driving it and everything would be fine.

Turns out not so true. About 6 months ago I was leaving my Aunt Michelle's house on my way to sign some final paper work on my house, and I backed in to my Uncle Bob's car in the driveway. Luckily his car only had a scratch on it. Mine wasn't so lucky. No dents or anything but there was a good amount of paint taken off the bumper. Then last Tuesday I was leaving for work and I backed into Taylor's car in our driveway. His car was not as lucky as Uncle Bob's. The front end of his got a nice big dent right in the driver's side front fender. At that point I was done! Obviously I wasn't getting use to driving the Pilot. It was just too big for me!! Lucky for us we had leased the Pilot and our lease was up 3 1/2 months anyway. So we took the car in to Carmax to see what they would give us for it. I was totally expecting to maybe break even. Turns out we had $4000 in equity in the Pilot!! So we turned it in and after many, many years of waiting I FINALLY got the car that I have always wanted. Yesterday Taylor bought me a 2010 Honda CR-V!! I love it! I've wanted a CR-V since they very first came out in 1998. My Aunt Michelle had one and would always let me drive it. I've wanted one every since then but for one reason or another was never able to get one. But now it's mine!! It's still 4wd but is small enough that I don't feel like I'm going to take out anything and everything that comes near me when I'm driving it. It's still big enough to accomodate the size family that we plan on having and will hopefully be the last car that we buy for a very, very long time.

Mixed Emotions

2010-08-20T16:39:00.002-06:00

A couple of days ago I found out the my baby bro Matt had gone and enlisted in the Army. I didn't know what to think about this. I mean we are living in a time where deployment to fight in the middle east is pretty much a guarantee. But, the more I thought about it the more I became proud of Matt. He's really excited to serve his country and just because he is in the army doesn't mean that he has to go out fighting in the front lines or anything. This could be a really good thing for him. He needs a little structure and responsibility in his life.

So last night we all went to my mom's house for dinner. Matt was super excited because he was going to tell us what he signed up to do. So we all gathered in the kitchen to hear Matt's news only to find out that he is going to be an E.O.D. If you are not familiar with what an E.O.D is, they are the people who go in to try and defuse bombs. It's a super dangerous job. My heart just sank. It was everything that I could do to hold back my tears, my mom was already crying enough for the both of us. I know that I need to be supportive and I'm really trying my best but I am so scared. He's only 18!! I'm soo close to my siblings that the thought of any of them being in a dangerous situation like that is just terrifying for me. I just don't know how to feel about this. When I think about it I just cry.

Grandma Burnett

2010-07-16T10:55:00.003-06:00

Two years ago I watched my dear sweet great-grandmother break down as she buried her only child when my grandpa passed away from lung cancer. Tuesday night at the age of 93 she was reunited with him again. As I get older and more and more people slip away, it makes me so appreciative to have such a wonderful family. We'll miss my grandma but know that she lived a very full life and it was her time to go.

Matt's Graduation

2010-07-16T10:34:00.002-06:00

My baby bro graduated from high school last month leaving me feeling extremely old!! Matty I'm so proud of you!! I know that you are all grown up now but you will always be my baby brother! Good luck with whatever life throws at you! Here are a few pics from his big day.

Brown Topper or Dipped Cone?

2010-06-09T17:47:00.003-06:00

For those of you who did not know, this is a brown topper. It's a vanilla ice cream cone dipped in chocolate that hardens and gets crunchy. You can get these at Artic Circle although I just found out that they simply call them "toppers" now. Taylor says I'm crazy and that this is a called a dipped cone. To him I say "FALSE" it is a BROWN TOPPER! And the battle continues in our house as to what we will call this delicious summer treat!! Everyone run out and get one!

Weight Watchers Round 4

2010-06-01T16:54:00.003-06:00

I started Weight Watchers for the 4th time last week. I've done it in the past and had success but lose my motivation fast. Hopefully this time around I'll stay motivated. I'm down 6 lbs in a week so I'm feeling pretty good. Wish me luck!

Brown Topper

2010-06-01T16:48:00.002-06:00

OK fellow bloggers, I'm doing a little poll. How many of you know what a Brown Topper is?? I was under the assumption that anyone who had ever spent a summer in Utah knew what this was however, Taylor had no clue. Not only that but he is certain that my family is crazy and made this up. So whether you do or don't know what this is, leave a comment. I'm curious to know.

He's Coming...

2010-05-22T16:02:00.003-06:00

...and I'm going!! My amazing husband bought me tickets to see Paul McCartney!! As I am sure you all know, I'm a HUGE Beatles fan and could never pass up the opportunity to see one of them in concert. I'm so excited!

Love

2010-05-17T17:01:00.002-06:00

Every night when I get home from work Moxley jumps up and sits on my lap. But she doesn't just sit like a normal dog. She sits up like a person, leans her head into my shoulder and has me scratch her back. And when I'm done she gives me a kiss on the nose, jumps down and goes about her business. It usually only lasts about 5 minutes or so, but I seriously love these moments. It's one of the highlights of my day. Just our special time together. It reminds me of the unconditional love animals give. They don't care about the things that you may have done or said. They love you anyway. No matter what. We are so lucky to have her.

5-5-5

2010-05-15T08:42:00.002-06:00

Five years ago on 05/05/05 I married the greatest man in the world. I'm sure we all say that about our husbands but I'm certain that I've really got him. Sorry ladies :)

This year for our 5 year anniversary I decided I would post 5 things that I love about Taylor. Of course I have way more than 5 but I don't want to get too carried away or you all could be reading this post for days.

1. Taylor can always make me laugh. Even when I'm mad I can't stay mad for long because he always gets me laughing and smiling. He keeps the mood in our home light and fun even on the grouchiest days.

2. I love our history. I love that we can talk about times when we used to ride our bikes and play house when we were kids. If we only knew then that someday we would be playing house for real!

3. I love that all he has to do is pull me in and snuggle me against him and all the problems in the world just melt away. Nothing makes me feel more safe.

4. I love his infectious laugh. Any one who knows Taylor will tell you that when he starts laughing you can help but start laughing too. Even if what he is laughing at isn't really that funny :)

5. Most of all I love how he tells me and Moxley every night "I love my little family." I know that he loves us more than anything. The way that his face lights up when we talk about expanding our "little family" makes me excited about what our future holds.

Tay - I love you more and more every day. The last 5 years have been so crazy, but so amazing too. I wouldn't trade them for anything. Happy Anniversary. I can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring us!

Next Time

2010-05-11T17:57:00.000-06:00

Things I said I HAD to have in my next house...

- A fire place
- A jetted tub
- An open floor plan
- More than 2000 sq ft.
- A 2 car garage

My new home has NONE of these things and I am completely in love with it although, I have made a new list of things that my next home MUST have...

- Bigger closets
- 2 bathrooms

That's it. Short and sweet but next time I'm really not bending. One bathroom is fine until you both have to go #2 at the same time. No one wants to go after the other person has made it all stinky. This surprisingly happens a lot at our house.

I Looked Out the Window And What Did I See...

2010-04-17T16:41:00.003-06:00

Popcorn popping on the apricot tree... Ok not really. We don't have any apricot trees in our yard but we do have two gigantic trees in our front yard. I know that its still cold but I've been looking at these too huge trees wondering if I should just cut them down because they are so big and ugly. That was until last night when I got home from work and saw this....

These two trees literally bloomed over night and they look amazing. These pictures don't do them justice. Spring has sprung! These trees have earned their spot in my yard. I know I'm going to be waiting for spring now every year so that I can see this again.

A Little Behind The 8 Ball

2010-04-15T20:49:00.001-06:00

Taylor and I will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary on May 5th. I can't believe it's already been 5 years. But, what this really meant was that we have been married for nearly 5 years and never went and picked out and ordered our wedding pictures. We FINALLY went tonight and got them all picked out and ordered. When we got there the girl who helped us asked us when we got married. When I told her it had been 5 years she laughed and said that we hold the record for the longest pick up time. The prior record was 3 years and we beat that out by 2 whole years. Yes!! I'm kinda excited to get these now. I'd just kinda put it to the side for so long I'd forgotten how fun the pictures were.

Finally Settled

2010-03-28T16:04:00.000-06:00

I'm happy to say that Taylor and I are FINALLY all settled in to our new home and loving every minute of it. Between packing, moving, unpacking, setting up, hanging pictures and buying everything we needed, we are ready to relax. I will post some new pics of the house with our stuff in it as soon as I can. Our camera took a spill into the sand in Mexico and doesn't really work very well anymore :(

Packing!! UGH!!

2010-03-03T16:21:00.002-07:00

The joy and excitement of buying a house is quickly being over shadowed by the fact that I have to pack and move again. I've moved 9 times in 9 years! It's all for the better right??

Super Fun Date Night

2010-02-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Taylor and I went out last night on one of the best date nights we have ever done. Have you ever been out to dinner with friends and you feel like you are being rushed out of your table? You'd love to stay and talk but the server keeps coming back or the restaurant even starts turning the lights off on you? This seems to be the case every time we go out with our friends Brandon and Kendra so Taylor had a great idea. Why not do a progressive dinner? I'm sure you have all heard of these. You go to someone's house for an appetizer, the next person's house for dinner and so on. My family always does a progressive dinner at Christmas time so that we get to see everyones decorations. Well last night we decided to do a progressive dinner at downtown restaurants and it was a blast. We started out having an appetizer at Squatters, moved on to dinner at P.F. Changs and ended up with a dessert at The Melting Pot. It was so fun to go from place to place. We never felt like we were getting booted out because we knew we had to get to the next place anyway. It was a little pricey last night but you could definitely go more reasonable by going to some less expensive places. There are so many different restaurants that the possibilities with this are endless. Plus it gives you the opportunity to try new places or places that are maybe a little expensive. For example, Taylor and I have wanted to try the Melting Pot but didn't know if it would be worth the money. By just getting dessert there last night we were able to try it but not have to drop a full bill going there. I would seriously recommend trying this date night out with friends. It was a ton of fun!

This House....

2010-02-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

...will be ours on March 10th!! Taylor and I were able to find this adorable house in Murray, in the same neighborhood that we already live in, and we instantly fell in love. We put an offer in this weekend and it was accepted last night! We will be closing on March 10th and we couldn't be more excited! We will finally have a free standing house with a yard for our little Moxley and the best part is we won't be leaving the neighborhood that we have fallen in love with. We will still be within walking distance from Aunt Michelle and our good friends Sherie and Todd. Its gigantic at just under 1200 sq ft but is perfect for our needs. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, cozy and cute. Just what we needed to get us through the next few years.

It's Here!

2010-02-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

VS.

GO COLTS!!

So Where Were We......

2010-01-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

We were here!

Watching these guys...

try and make their way here...

for the 2nd time in 4 years and.....

THEY DID IT!!! The Colts beat the New York Jets in the AFC championship game and we were there to see it all!! The Colts are headed to Miami to take on the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl in 2 weeks!! Now if only we could afford to make it there ;)

Spontaneous Weekend Trip

2010-01-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

Where are we headed??? More details and pics to come when we get home on Monday night. Few hints...

1. We are taking a plane to get there
2. We are going for a specific event
3. Taylor and I have never done this but have both wanted to for a long time

Any guesses???

Great Christmas

2010-01-14T12:27:00.001-07:00

Two of the greatest presents I've ever gotten and they both came this year for Christmas. Thanks to mom and Nolan for my rockband game! It's sooo fun. And thanks to my amazing hubby for getting me the Beatles Anthology DVD box set. I've seriously wanted this since I was 13!!

Ek' Balam And More From Mexico

2010-01-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

Eating Lunch at a beach side place just before heading home

Pics of the house we rented. It was really nice.

This cute dog lived next door. She was really scared of us when we first got there but by the end of the trip she was super excited to see us every time we came home.

I had to talk Taylor out of buying this. I think he was seriously considering it.

More Puerto Morelos Pics

This was a really pretty church at a town we stopped at on our way home from the Ek' Balam Mayan Ruins

From the top of the tallest building at Ek' Balam. The view was amazing but I'm too afraid of heights. I couldn't bring my self to go to the top.

Michelle and I stayed at the bottom. We were too chicken to climb to the top.

Ek' Balam was really cool to see. It is amazing how old these structures are and surrounding it is nothing but jungle.

These are pictures from the Cenote. Mexico has tons of under ground rivers that flow into the ocean. When limestone wears away over time they create these natural sink holes or centotes as they call them. We spent all day at this cenote going off the zip line and playing rope wars as you an see in the above pics. This has to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Just beautiful blue water surrounded by jungle. It was amazing. This was by far our favorite day in Mexico.

Taylor and Russ went night snorkeling and were able to see some really cool fish. Taylor's wet suit was just a tad sung.

Hola from Mexico!

2010-01-08T18:21:00.001-07:00

Taylor and I were able to spend 10 amazing days in Mexico. We stayed in a small town called Peurto Morelos which is right n between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen and also happens to be the town where my cousin Laura and her boyfriend Russ live in the winter. Here are some pics from the first half of or trip. Unfortunately our camera was knocked into the sand on New Years Eve and broke so I have to get the rest of the pictures from my Aunt Michelle's camera.

Beach Pics

Everyone hanging at the house we rented

Taylor, Jess and Aunt Michelle

Me and Todd hanging at the beach bar

Taylor and I waiting for the sun to rise on the beach

A super nice kid from Canada that hung out at the beach made me this sweet bracelet out of beer can tabs and hemp.

This sign at the bus station was hilarious. It was for the emergency exit but Michelle and I determined that it was really trying to say that if you are ever being chased by large arrows you should run as fast as you can right at each other.

Playa Del Carmen

All of us at dinner in Playa

Laura and Russ

Sheri and Todd

Me and Michelle with Amelia (from our favorite movie "Merry Madagascar")

Everyone on the beach on New Years Eve

New Years bonfire on the beach

Me and Tay snuggling on th beach waiting to ring in the new year

This iguana was in the back yard of the house we rented

Blogging Vacation

2010-01-07T21:14:00.002-07:00

Sorry I've been on a bit of a blogging vacation but who has time to blog when you're here?!! More of our awesome trip to Mexico to come.

Why??

2009-12-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

Why does Christmas have to be so stressful?? It should be happy and fun and Christmas day usually is but, every day leading up to it just seems to be non stop STRESS!!

Another Confession

2009-12-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

I am a car jammer!! I love to crank up the tunes and sing at the top of my lungs while I'm driving. I don't even care what kind of music it is. If I'm in the car it's on and it's LOUD. I've almost blown the speakers in every car that I have ever owned including my current soccar mom special. So if you ever come up on a silver Honda Pilot with the speakers blaring there is a good chance it's me just rockin out by myself!