Darin Jenn and Ivy

The best kind of days

2011-04-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Spring days at the park are some of the best kind of days.

Be Mine

2011-02-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

This Girl

2011-02-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

{my little Kurt Cobain}

Has had a ruff couple of weeks. Among other things, she got the stomach flu and threw up for the first time{s}. It scared her and she just looked at us and asked "What is going on?" There isn't much worse than holding your child as she's dry heaving. And here we are a week later still fighting an upset stomach. As for me I don't know why I thought I could cuddle a sick girl for a whole week and not get sick. Ugh.

This girl has been working really hard on pronunciating all of her words right. So she says things like Earf-th and teef-th and Yell low. She loves reading letters on everything. Signs on the highway, stores, books, you name. She's getting quick and has picked up most of her lower case letters too. This girl still has a huge love of animals. Pups first and foremost, then dinosaurs and dragons. She loves to make cookies, read stories and chase. Her legs get longer every day and she uses them to jump, twirl, dive, race, kick, and dance.

This girl...

needs a nap. I hope that blogger is still around when you are 16 Ivy. You will love this picture ;)

CSN Stores {giveaway}CLOSED

2010-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hello! I've got a little something for you guys today. Have you heard of CSN stores? They sell just about everything you can think of. And they would like to offer one of you Lucky Ducks a $35 gift certificate! There are a million things you could buy. You can even get TV stands for flat screens. Should go great with your new TV you got for Christmas!

So go ahead and leave a comment telling me your favorite gift you got for Christmas! I'll draw a winner probably next Monday, when I get back to regular blogging business.

{all posts this week are scheduled. I hope you are enjoying the Holidays!}

GO HERE TO SEE WINNER

Happy Christmas

2010-12-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

Tuckered

2010-12-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas is wearing this girl out! It is a rare day indeed when Ivy falls asleep in the middle of the day {also known as taking a nap}. We've been making our days Merry and Bright and it finally caught up with the little lady. Our weekend was jam packed full of fun with Ams hockey, hanging with Grandma, playing in the snow and a waffle party. And to tell the truth I'm a little beat too, so I can't blame her. And this week is shaping up to be just as fun and exciting. Isn't it the most wonderful time of the year?! I just wish it would slow down!

She cracks me up

2010-11-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

"My pants aren't very sleddy."

"The Little Lord Jesus needs a pillow."

Last week we were driving to Hobby Lobby. She asked if it was a restaurant and could we please eat lunch there.

My Mom gave her a little stuffed reindeer named Chestnut. Ivy can't quite get it and calles him Peanut Chest.

"We will fall in love and get married when I'm all grown up. When I'm 6."

"Can you come and snuggle the Little Lord Jesus?"

I'm Thankful Week

2010-11-16T08:09:00.000-08:00

I'm having an "I'm Thankful Week" on my little craft blog this week Lots of guest posters with their thoughts on being thankful. I'd love it if you would stop by and share your thoughts on being thankful! We are also giving away some TOMS shoes so come check it out!

Perfect Ending

2010-11-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

Thank you Passionista for the perfect ending to a crazy week. Walking up the the red barn I knew it was going to be exactly what my heart needed. I only imagine these kind of evenings, and this is one I'll love forever.

Thank you Mindy for covering the Cure so that even Darin was hooked. Oh, and uh, any information about where you got your fabulous boots would be greatly appreciated.

+++++

Family fun in the Industrial Park

2010-11-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Ivy's First Annual Pumpkin Party

2010-10-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

We had Darin's family over on Monday night to carve pumpkins! Ivy has been wanting to have a Halloween party in the worst way so we sent out some invitations to come join us. We had some yummy treats and got our hands dirty scooping out the pumpkin guts. Ivy already can't wait for next year!

Thanks Everyone for coming!!!

Bowling for buzzards

2010-09-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

We went bowling with Ivy for the first time last night. She was soo excited! At least for a little while. Then the corn dog showed up and she was into that for the rest of the night. Heres a few photos.

2010-08-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday sweet girl. You are our world.

Watch out everybody!

2010-08-01T22:38:00.000-07:00

Our baby is all growed up. Turning three has been a big deal for awhile around here. Practicing and perfecting three with her fingers so she can tell everyone how old she is, working on {and still working on} having big girl manners, and who knew, but it also makes some girls instantly sassier.

We headed to Portland for the week. On Sunday we had a little party with my family. Of course we had cupcakes even though Ivy only eats the frosting. But Uncle Scotty always comes to the rescue when there is lefover food. On Monday {her actual birthday} she woke up and I started singing Happy Birthday to her. She just told me to be quiet. See. Sassy. Then she explained that she had already had her birthday because she already had her cupcake.

We then packed up and headed to the coast with 75 and sunny as the forecast. First stop, the Tillamook cheese factory. Gotta get that squeaky cheese! Oh and maybe it would warm up while we were in there? Then we can hit the beach. Oh wait.

I forgot that 75 and sunny means 55 and foggy. Thats ok. We still got to play in the sand and see the ocean and explore a pirates cave.

And then the rest of the week is pictureless with shopping, thrifting in Portland, parks, fro yo and nailpainting. All very girly stuff just right for Ivy and her gramma, mama and au pair {aka Shellie} whew. Its tiring turning 3!

Leavenworth

2010-07-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

Its not a tool, its a tool!

2010-06-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

Ivy has always been particular about her speech, but about a year ago she started dropping the "s" off of the front words. Especially words with a consonant next like stop or school. Her uncle became Uncle Cott instead of Scott. That kind of thing. I think it had something to do with her teeth taking forever to come in. (She didn't get the last of her bottom front teeth until December). Anyways we are constantly reminding her to say her s's. A couple of weeks ago she asked me where her {s}tool was. Darin brought it into the bathroom and said "Here is your tool!", purposely leaving the s off just like she does.

Ivy looked up at him and said " Dad its not a tool, its a tool!"

Need Your Prayers {again!}

2010-06-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

You know when things happen and you know its taken a long time to set it in motion, but in the end things happen way too quickly and certain things are out of your control?! Well here we are at that point in our lives again where we need all the prayers we can get.

Last night we were put in back in contact with a friend from Summit County Colorado. She has since moved to LA and we are in Washington. Amy knows of a sweet girl who had something very unfortunate and terrible happen to her. And now being 2 weeks away from delivering a baby that was a result of that she has decided to place that baby for adoption. As you may have heard we have been starting the paperwork for adoption.

I told Amy last night that we were most definitely interested and to put us in contact with whoever we needed to get in touch with. When she called this morning he told her there was another couple interested but he was intrigued by us and our connection to Guatemala. {The girl is Guatemalan, and that is where Darin served his mission.} Amy feels strongly that things can work out for us But we need prayers. LOTS OF THEM!

We love you all and appreciate all of you in our lives and would really appreciate your added faith to ours that we can bring another sweet baby into our home.

Love,

Darin, Jenn and Ivy

Giveaway on Making It My Own

2010-05-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

I'm having a sponsor giveaway on my craft blog this week! Come on over and check it out and enter to win! Thanks guys!

CLICK HERE!

Busy Busy Busy

2010-05-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

We are running around with our heads cut off these days!

Ok, so I know there are a lot of people out there that are WAY busier than we are. I mean I can't wait to throw all of Ivy's activities into the mix as she gets older (we are little behind schedule as far as that goes but what do ya do) but we are busy enough without it. Greenies is getting busier and we've got a bunch of events and things going on that are really great. I'm at an employee appreciation thing at Kadlec hospital right now selling stuff actually. Then I'm running to the church to help put together a dinner for 200 people. I will be able to tell you if 150 cups of (cooked) rice and 2 gallons of salad dressing is enough when its over!

Darin is growing his photo business and is now a board member for the Tri Cities Photography club, the Richland improvement district, and some other city counsel thing. He's also taking First Friday at Greenies to a new level and organizing an artwalk type thing in the Parkway with all of the cool new businesses coming in. Throw in mowing the lawn and being the best Dad around and he is one busy {and tired} guy.

I am getting more and more custom sewing orders all the time and trying to keep stuff in Greenies. I'm also teaching myself how to use photoshop for printables and LOVING it. I'm gonna try and do the farmer's market once, maybe twice a month this summer and if I was smart I would start getting ready for that holiday bazaar. But that all gets squeezed in around being a park rat with Ivy and keeping the house clean and all that good stuff.

And guess what? Deep down we like busy. We made a decision to be a part of the community and that's what we are getting. We've made some really good friends and are really enjoying our life here. Of course the sunshine makes it much easier to be positive about that kind of stuff ;)

Once Upon A Time In A Little Kingdom

2010-04-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time in a little kingdom... from Darin Warnick on Vimeo.
Ivy starts every story with "once upon a time in a little kingdom..." This is her rendition of Cinderella in case you couldn't tell!

100 Push Up Challenge

2010-04-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

Darin and I have been doing the 100 push up challenge for the past couple of weeks. Darin got to skip to week 3 to start and I started on week one. In my initial test I squeaked out 10. I'm now in the middle of week three and have really started to see a difference in my arms and I can do A LOT of pushups. Not as many as Darin can, but I contribute that to the fact that he is a boy ;)

I was skeptical at first when Darin said he wanted to do this with me. But it really is great and I even started the 200 squats and 200 situps this week too. Although watching Darin I'm definitely NOT looking forward to week five!

Ivy even gets in on the action and does her pushups. Then she sits on the chair and counts our pushups and cheers us on with a Great Job! She's a good trainer. On Monday she kept making me laugh and she finally said. "Come on Mom, get going!" Sure kid, right after you do all of your push ups...

Sunday portraits

2010-04-11T22:17:00.001-07:00

Easter Weekend

2010-04-06T00:06:00.000-07:00

We went out to Portland for Easter and took a new family portrait.

I stopped by Multanohma Falls on the way back.

Alley Pics

2010-04-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Heres a few from last night.

Whoops, time to catch up.

2010-03-31T22:24:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! Its been over a month since I posted anything on here. Not that anything too exciting has happened in these parts. We have just been busy enjoying the sunshine, playing and reading books. Ivy is getting closer and closer to age 3 which is making me a tiny bit sad. But she is turning into such a fun lady I can't help but be excited every morning to see what she will come up with that day.

She has been loving on the Princess and the Frog and I can get all the kisses I want when I ask the frog for one. Today she said. "Can I get just one kiss? Unless you beg for more!!!" All in a funny accent, and then she slurped her tongue at me. But Princess Tiana doesn't hold a candle to Cinderella. I think about 10 times a day Ivy will tell me the story of Cinderella and her mean sisters ripping her pretty pink dress. Now that I think about it I need to video tape it because the way Ivy tells stories is really cute.

She also got a bike! Its fun to see her ride around and try and figure the whole thing out. Now we just need the wind to stop blowing so she can ride it outside instead of all around the house.

Darin and I are just keeping busy with the same old same old. Business at Greenies has picked up a bit and I'm still just sewing away. My how time does fly when the sun is shining!

Adventure is out there!

2010-02-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

We have been enjoying all of the fabulous sunshine and actually got to get our hike on! Badger Mountain is a one mile hike that is quick and fairly painless. We pulled out the backpack and headed up the trail. Luckily Ivy is a lightweight and still fits in it! It was a little chilly at the top so we didn't hang around for very long but it felt good to get outside. Ivy loved our adventure and we can't wait to have a few more this spring and summer.

Photo Shoot

2010-02-15T22:03:00.001-08:00

We took a spur of the moment trip to Utah a couple of weeks ago to visit our good friends Rob and Stacy. My brother Scott came and watched Greenies for us and we headed for a quick getaway. Stacy is a photographer as well so we did a little trading. Darin took their photos and Stacy took ours. It was super fun and we were glad for the little break, even though Ivy was loopy from lack of sleep by Sunday night. Oh well, it can only get better from here on out right?! Here are some of our photos...

We went to an antique place and old abandoned house in American Fork. Thanks Stacy!

(You can check out her edits and some of the photos Darin took here!)

Potty Training

2010-02-15T22:02:00.000-08:00

Ivy is almost done being potty trained! She is making it through the day without any accidents and has been dry a few mornings. I'm just stoked not to have to buy diapers anymore. Phew. Fingers crossed we are done this week. She actually does better out in public than at home. There's just something about seeing all of the bathrooms in Tri Cities I guess!

Making it my own

2010-02-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

Check out my craft blog Making it my own I'm giving away a scarf. Thanks!

Thanks Grandpa

2010-02-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Warnick made us some hats! Pretty good for a 91 year old. Thanks Grandpa!

Making cookies with mama

2010-01-24T22:09:00.000-08:00

Ivy and I made some sugar cookies today. I wanted to get some made to put in the freezer for Valentines day.

She's come a long way over the last year in her cookie making skills! And her hat and apron fit a bit better too.

She kind of plays with the dough like playdough and just cuts it up and then squishes it around.

I love having her help me bake, but she has a thing for eating the dough. She always sneaks a taste (or 10) and says MMM thats gooood. Then I tell her she can't eat anyore and we need to bake it first.

So in an attempt to be sneaky she grabbed a handful and went and ate it on the couch!

The little tricker!

Princess Party!

2010-01-22T22:40:00.001-08:00

Ivy had an impromptu princess party before Christmas. Nothing too exciting we just ate lunch and played. Aunt Laney had gotten all the girls pink princess dresses for their birthdays, but we had never gotten them all together to wear them and play. Aren't they too cute. Thanks Laney for the dress!
(Keep reading, I just did a few quick posts to catch up!)

Mr Potato Head is Alive!

2010-01-22T22:31:00.001-08:00

Ivy has a Santa Clause Mr. Potato Head

The other day I became her Mr. Potato Head.

2010-01-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

Ivy and actually got to go to Portland for a few days between Christmas and New Years. While we were there we had a freak snowstorm. Oregon gets the perfect snow for making snowballs and snowmen. We built a big one with Ivy and Cory made an army of snowmen on his car!

New years at The Castle!

2010-01-22T22:25:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas Ellen and Wayne took the money they normally would spend on their anniversary and Christmas and put it towards renting a beach house in Lincoln City, OR for New Years. Isn't that an awesome Christmas present? We found a brand new house that would actually fit the whole family and it was way cool. It was a three story house called The Castle. The first floor had two bedrooms and then a game room. It had a pool table, xbox, tv, air hockey and a bar game thingy-don't really know how to describe it. And there was also a rock floored sauna. On the second floor were 4 more bedrooms. Then the third floor was all living space and kitchen. It had a huge table that 20 people could sit at and a big couch, tv. We don't have any great pictures so you could see but it was very cool!

Ivy's favorite thing was this huge book on sea life. There was also a hot tub out back that she called "the hot water". It was fun to sit out there in the rain. From those windows you could see the ocean.

It pretty much rained the whole time we were there. Add that to Ivy being sick equals we didn't spend much time at the beach. I think she really wanted to be out there but just didn't feel well. The rain and wind didn't help her mood much either.

We made it to midnight! I could have easily gone to bed at 9. Its tough work having a 2 1/2 year old on the road!

On Saturday we went down to Newport and went to the aquarium. We had so much fun in there. I think we were in there at least 20 minutes longer than everyone else. And that was with rushing Ivy. She could have watched the jelly fish and sharks forever.

They have a little pool where you can touch the starfish and urchins and anemones. Once she actually touched one Ivy couldn't keep her hands out of the water. I LOVE that she is so interested in things and wants to learn about animals and sea creatures all the time.

After the aquarium we had to get clam chowder so we went with everyone to a little chowder house for some fish and chips and chowder. What a great way to spend New Years! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa.

So much to catch up on!

2010-01-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas was SO fun with Ivy this year. She got it last year but this year oh man. We didn't even really tell her about Santa coming and bringing presents until Christmas Eve. I guess we sprang it on her when it was time for bed and to put out cookies for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer. I made her a little thank you card from "Santa" that said

"Dear Ivy,

Thank you so much for the yummy cookies. Rudolph loved his carrot too.

Thank you for being a good girl this year!
Love,

Santa

I think it was her favorite part of Christmas because she still carries it around and reads it! It was fun to see her open presents and actually read the books or play with the toys before moving on to the next thing. Thats how it should be though right?

Us after opening our stockings. Luckily we haven't reached the whole getting up at 5 am thing... yet.

The "if you give a..." books are her favorite right now. She can tell you the whole story. Its pretty cute.

We just relaxed the rest of the morning then headed out to Goose Gap for dinner and family presents and stuff.

Hanging out with the family. What a great day! Thanks everyone for a great holiday!

Merry Christmas to all...

2009-12-24T20:41:00.002-08:00

The Spirit of Christmas

2009-12-14T13:36:00.002-08:00

Need a holiday pick me up? I did (I was feeling very Bah Humbug-ish) then I saw this and it got me right back into the real spirit of the holidays. Merry Christmas!

The Spirit Of Christmas

Sorry I'm not super smart at this and couldn't figure out how to load this to my post. But you should really go check it out!

Joy School

2009-12-07T15:23:00.000-08:00

We have been doing a little preschool with 3 other moms in our ward. Ivy needed a little help with going to nursery after her aunt Lolo got put in a different nursery so I thought this would help. Plus having 1 1/2 hours all by myself once a week didn't sound too bad either! We had school at our house last week and we learned about the letter C for Christmas! It is so great to see Ivy making some new friends and learing all kinds of things!

I traced their hands and made these cute reindeer hats. We also had red noses(that are Circles) taped to their noses.

Do you know how hard it is to get 3 toddlers to all look at the camera and smile at the same time?!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-06T21:44:00.003-08:00

Silly Things

2009-11-13T22:51:00.002-08:00

I just wanted to write down a couple of funny things that Ivy has been saying and doing lately.

* Rudolph is Bluedolph the red nosed reindeer.

* Tonight she was calling bandaids bambis.

* She always calls me Mama _______ fill in the blank with any animal such as reindeer, snake, bear, puppy.

*She then refers to herself as the baby version of that animal. I also use this tactic to get her to do something. Somehow she is more willing to do it if she is a baby witch or baby cat. And if she gets hurt its instantly "Mama Snake(or her animal of choice for the day) come here. And if I just say "Are you ok?" She reminds me that I need to say Baby Snake.

* Sometimes she says ya instead of you. Like Can I sit by ya? I know it doesn't sound funny to read but she is very sing-songy when she talks. She uses this when she asks if someone is all right too. "Are you all right? Are ya?!

* Her favorite things right now are mac and cheese, pears and being chased and chasing around the house. As soon as Darin walks in the door its CHASE ME! But we have to pretend to be bears or elephants or sharks or the Grinch.

* Animals are still a passion for her. In case you couldn't tell.

* She is FINALLY getting her last 2 front bottom teeth. Not the middle ones but the ones on each side. Actually I'm sad about it cuz she is so cute when she shows you her teeth and has those little holes. Its even funnier when she does it to Grandma in church and growls at her. Then says Your turn!

*SIGH* Why does she have to grow up?

***Edited to add... She calls popsicles bicycles.***

Thirty Flirty and Thriving!

2009-11-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

I turned 30 on Friday. Darin tried really hard-and succeeded in making it a special day. I'm not gonna lie, I've had a string of not so great birthdays so it was great. Last year Darin was in the hospital with kidney stones if that gives you any idea. I get some fun presents like

his old camera with a new lens (I made that camera strap isn't it cute!) and some soup bowls that are so gorgeous I can't wait to use them. Ivy and I also went and had lunch with Darin at Greenies AND Darin came home early from work. Ahh what a sweet guy.

Darin's sister Ellayne has her birthday on the 22nd, mine and Rob (Ellayne's husband) have our birthday on the 30th, then Darin and his brother Rich have birthdays on November 10th and 11th. So we also had a little party with just adults at our house. It was nice to not have a bazillion kids running around and then everyone have to leave at 8 so those bazillion kids can go to bed. We had some yummy food, chatted, and played a few games. What a perfect, low key way to have a birthday. Thanks to everyone for making me feel so special and loved! Its because of such loving friends and family that I feel so great about being *ugh* thirty!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Ivy has LOVED everything about Halloween. She enjoys the creepy and getting scared (as much as a paranoid mom will let her get scared) and all of the Spookies. Here is her costume parade for the month. The cat costume was given to us by Aunt Laney.

This was the costume I put together for Halloween. She only wore it to the ward trunk or treat party though. I say she was a pirate. She says she was a witch baby!

On Halloween she ended up being a BYU cheerleader. She was crabby and I wasn't going to fight her to wear a costume. My dad gave her this cute little number! We didn't even end up taking her trick or treating on Saturday because she was having so much fun handing out candy to all of the trick or treaters! This is the first year in our 8 year marriage that we have lived somewhere that we actually had more than 3 kids ring our doorbell. So that was a lot of fun. I ended up having to open the last bag of candy (I was hoping to be able to take it back). Oh well. Now to resist the temptation to eat it. Happy Halloween!

Oooh La La, Fancy!

2009-10-18T20:16:00.001-07:00

Ivy picked out these shoes to wear to church yesterday. Nice shoes, but they don't quite match girl.

She made it all the way to the car. It was "kinda shlippery" though! And yes they are on the wrong feet.

These boots are made for running around the house so I don't have to get dressed for church.

2009-10-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

Pearl Jam

2009-09-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

Darin randomly heard on NPR that Pearl Jam had a new album. So he downloaded it. Then he thought "Hey I wonder if they are touring?". Lucky for him they are and just happened to be in Portland four days later. So we closed the store early on Saturday and headed to Portland for the concert. We dropped Ivy off at my mom's house (thanks Cory for babysitting!) and headed up to the Clark County Fairgrounds where the amphitheater is.

Ben Harper and the Relentless7 opened. They were OK in my opinion. They got better as they played more stuff. We had general admission tickets so it was a little chilly. Darin was shivering before PJ even started! It was cold but it made it so the music was the perfect volume-for me anyways.

The stage setup was pretty sweet. The backdrop was like an old typewriter with PEARLJAM on it. Darin sang his guts out and I joined in on the songs I knew. They were REALLY good live and rock out pretty good for being old! Haha. I think they are in their 40's or something. My favorite song was actually a duet Eddie Vedder did with some girl that was from Portland. I can't remember the name of the song but when I do I will update. Too bad it takes driving all the way to Portland and Pearl Jam to get us out on a date these days!

Sunday Morning

2009-09-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

One Whole Year

2009-09-24T22:07:00.002-07:00

So we have been in Washington for a whole year now. The time has flown by and gone so slow at the same time. When I think of how much Ivy has grown and changed in the last year it boggles my mind. But now that its been a year here are the thing I do and don't like about Tri Cities...

I LOVE the weather. This summer was amazing, and only snowing in December?! Fabulous.

Have I mentioned how much we love being near family? Seeing babies right when they are born, instead of a year later is awesome. Getting to visit my family at least once a month instead of once a year is more than I could have hoped for a year ago.

Sunsets, the river, farming( we don't farm, just all the farming around us) Greenies, exploring the state of Washington, learning and growing all the time are just some more great things about being here.

My biggest complaint about Tri Cities are the bugs, especially the spiders. As Ivy says Ewww Gross! My only other real complaint I guess is shopping, but that's what trips to Portland are for right?! Besides there is an Old Navy and Target so what else do you need?

The other day we were asking ourselves if it was a good year. Darin and I both said "ehhh sure." It's definitely been the hardest year we have faced together so far. Would I change it? Honestly yes, but not everything, and not what you would think. That's how life is though, right? It never works out how we plan, so you just have to go with it and have faith that things work out. They always do somehow.

Making It My Own

2009-09-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

I started a craft blog tonight so I can keep it separate from our family stuff. Go check it out at http://makeitmyown.blogspot.com/! I'm super excited to start this and hope it works out! Thanks everyone for your support.

2009-09-12T21:30:00.002-07:00

Go BYU!

2009-09-11T16:32:00.003-07:00

Watching football with Grandpa in 2007(4 months old!)

Ready to watch football with Grandpa in 2009(2 years old!)

We were cleaning out the garage since I was getting the fall decorations out and going through some baby stuff for my sister in law. Ivy put this size 6 months BYU shirt on and besides the neck it actually fit. So I thought I would try to fix it so she could wear it this year. I cut out the neck, and cut off the sleeves. I ruffled the sleeves then reattached them. I also cut the bottom off of a white t-shirt that is too short for me. More ruffling, then attached it to the shirt. It needed pants so I made some from another shirt I never wear. Now Ivy is ready for football season!

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-09T07:20:00.001-07:00

How cute is this backpack? Ivy isn't even close to going to school but I want her to have this backpack when she does!

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Craftiness

2009-09-01T22:07:00.002-07:00

So a few people have asked where I got the pattern for Ivy's green dress. And I totally spaced giving credit. It is from an AMAZING blog called Lil Blue Boo. (Sorry I don't remember how do do that link thing) so the link is...
http://lilblueboo.blogspot.com/2009/06/border-fabric-sundress-tutorial.html
But you shouldn't just look at that tutorial. There are tons of cool things on her blog. I get a ton of ideas from other blogs-just look at the links on the side of my blog. On Creative Crate she actually as an awesome link love that has TONS of creative blogs. I'm warning you though. It is super easy to get hooked on looking at this stuff! I warned my friends Carrie and Becky, but it won them over too. So check out those blogs. Just don't get too bummed by how amazing these women are. Sometimes I wonder how they can keep their house clean AND do all this stuff(cuz I cant!)

Ivy Faith is Two Years Old!

2009-07-29T13:11:00.003-07:00

We just watch her with wonder every day. She is exactly what I dreamed of for all those years of waiting for her to come. I wanted to write down some of the cute things that she does so I don't forget.
My favorite is that she calls blankets "blankely". Luckily she isn't attached to a certain one just blankets in general.

Her favorite things are swimming, fruit snacks, watermelon, shoes, sharks and blueberries.

Darin is by far her favorite person in the world and can't wait for him to come home every day. But he is my fave too so I can't blame her.

She can play in the fairlane for a good hour or so while Darin is out working on cars. She goes to the store for groceries and to the park and on trips.

Books are a big part of our day. Some favorites are "Go Dogs, Go"(the mini board book one is much better!), Summer, Richard Scarry books, One Fish, Two Fish, Mercer Meyer books and a new favorite is Fancy Nancy. Ooo la la!

Her best friends are her cousins who she likes to list off all the time.

Recently she has been adding extra "L"s to words. So instead of please she says
Pla la lease. Or blocks is blo la locks.

She is getting better at coloring, stays pretty entertained at church with stickers, can count to ten and recognize some letters.

Speaking of church she is pretty much crazy there. Thank goodness LoLo is in nursery so she will go and has a good time. I just have to make sure I bring enough food to keep her quiet during sacrament meeting. I guess I can't expect TOO much. The girl can't sit still for more than 3 seconds!

Thats my baby Ivy. She couldn't be more perfect! But now that she is two we'll see eh?!

She might be part fish

2009-07-29T13:04:00.003-07:00

Or part shark if you ask Ivy. She LOVES the water. She wears swimming suits over her clothes when we are at home. When you do take her to the pool she squeals the whole time. And she would take 5 baths and showers a day if we let her.

We love summer!

2009-07-29T12:57:00.003-07:00

Have I mentioned how much we love living by family?! Ivy adores her cousins and it is the highlight of her day if she gets to play with them. I mean who wouldn't want to play with these fun kids!

Wanna help support my habit?!

2009-07-13T12:11:00.012-07:00

I really like to sew. Its addicting and I am borderline obsessed with fabric. I love finding just the right thing. Now I'm by no means an expert seamstress but I have learned a lot and I have actually sold a few thing and done custom orders through Greenies. The one downside to moving out of Ellen and Wayne's house is I no longer have immediate access to her serger. Which means my seams look like this...

instead of this.
I realized how much I would actually use one this week as I did a marathon sewing session. I made a dress for Ivy and 3 shirts for me. Plus if I want to be able to continue selling stuff I need a serger. After talking to Darin about it I've decided that if I'm going to get one I need to prove that it would be a good investment as soon as possible by selling some of my creations. SEW(haha) if you want to help me out and get some really fun stuff such as a super cute sundress for a little girl like this one...
or some cute ruffle pants and a top like these...
even baby blankets, bibs, a purse or a breezy shirt like this one...
(it would be an awesome maternity shirt!) then leave a comment or email me and we'll figure it out!
Just give me an idea on colors and what you would like. Which means I'll get to find some really amazing fabric and feel justified in getting it! And I can make some more dresses that AREN'T for Ivy cuz she can only have so any right?! Well enough of my shameless plug. Thanks guys!

Kayaking on the 4th

2009-07-13T12:07:00.002-07:00

Cool Desert Nights

2009-06-25T22:15:00.003-07:00

Goodbyes stink.

2009-06-14T21:25:00.002-07:00

Our good friends the Allens came down from Summit County to see us one last time before we officially moved away. They are some of the dearest friends we have and I get a little choked up thinking its going to be a really long time before we see them again. But I know that when I do, its gonna be just like old times. I love that I have friends in my life like that.

Rocky Mountain High

2009-06-14T20:44:00.009-07:00

Ah, Denver. I've missed you my old friend.
Ivy and I came in to town Thursday morning to pack up the house and say so long. Its been bittersweet being here, but I'm excited to get a little more settled in Tri-Cities. I think the worst part about packing is knowing that a week from now I will be unpacking. Yuck.

Ivy and I on the airplane. I think Ivy's bags under her eyes are bigger than mine. She did better than I expected I guess. What can I expect when we have to get up so early. We took a break from packing on Friday and went to the Denver Aquarium. I picked the aquarium for a couple of reasons. Its a good size attraction. Good as in not too big. Especially for a 2 year old that doesn't want to be in the stroller, but is being clingy and won't walk. We saw some turtles and a bunch of fish (duh its an aquarium!)

Ivy was most interested in the tigers. We were standing there looking through the glass at a tiger that was pacing back and forth. Then the tiger saw something-I think it was Ivy- and kind of crouched down with that predator-ish look in his eye. He ran right at us! I backed up and ran into somebody and Ivy was just laughing and saying "Tiger! Tiger!"

Its interesting how little kids have some fears and others are learned. I hate sharks but Ivy was jumping up and down and sqealing about them. She wanted to "touch it" whenever they swam by.

The other reason I picked the aquarium is because we went in the afternoon. And on a summer afternoon in Denver you are almost guaranteed a thunderstorm. I have loved that we have had a bunch while we are here since they are rare in Richland. Ivy says "funder" with a bit of awe in her voice. We have also gone to the park, the farmer's market and played a bunch around the house. Luckily we had a bunch packed up before we left in September or this would have been a much more stressful trip. I have also had a bunch of help from our good friends the Davis' who let me use their car for the weekend and helped pack and a bunch of other things. We sure are going to miss all of our friends here.

Too Much To Do

2009-06-12T20:56:00.004-07:00

So the big news around here is we FINALLY sold our house! I actually arrived in Denver yesterday to pack up our stuff over the next week and take it to Washington. Ivy and I flew from Portland and I have to say she did pretty well for having to get up at 4:30 in the morning. We took naps and then got to work. Getting here made me a little sad cuz I love this house so much. But no looking back now! We are renting a place until next spring since we have to have a a two year history with Greenies. Its been pretty annoying taking a couple of steps back in that way but I found a sweet house that will work for us that has a park right across the street which I am excited about. We have also started remodeling Darin's parents kitchen (started the project with no end in sight of moving out) and luckily I got to leave right when all the hard work began!. I designed it which has been a lot of fun. Maybe when Ivy goes to school I'll get into interior design or something. The only bummer part is not having millions of dollars to do the kitchen but we've made it work. I'll post before and after pics when its done. Greenies is rocking it and Darin comes home exhausted every night. My little brother Cory just graduated from high school this week and he is going to come work with Darin which will be a big help. We had Paddle Fest a couple of weekends ago where we took the kayaks down to the river and did demos along with a couple of other kayak shops. The Hobie rep came to help out and brought those paddle boards. They are like big wide surfboards that you stand on and paddle around. I am in love with it. Its so much fun but the river is FREEZING! Ivy is growing up way too fast. I'm having kind of a rough time with the fact that she is turning two next month. Well thats just a little update of how busy we are. I've taken some fun pictures this week but I'll have to wait until I get back home to post them and fill you in on all the fun adventures we are having!

Best Buddies

2009-05-02T15:09:00.004-07:00

These guys are the best of friends! We wake up to Ivy yelling DAAAD! I have to tell her he is at work all day and she is so excited when her friend comes home from work to wrestle and chase her around the house. Not to mention going to the park and working outside and mowing the lawn on the tractor and on and on. Darin is the best Dad and Husband. I love you!

Random Fairs are Fun!

2009-05-02T14:41:00.006-07:00

We went to the fair last night. It was just a little thing in the parking lot of a store. There were a few rides and some games and stuff. Nothing too exciting but probably just the right size for Ivy. We went with Rich, Laurel, Claire, Lytton and Darin's parents to check it out. I haven't been on a ride in probably 10 years which is sad cuz I love em. I think it has something to do with Darin's aversion to large crowds of people and carnival rides. All Laurel had to do was say the magic words and away we went. Those things get more rickety the older I get. I was crying I was laughing so hard. And its not very often you get to see Tri-Cities from the sky. Good times! So until the big fair comes to town we will sure enjoy the random little ones!

Laurel and I went on the Ali Baba. Oh man I was laughing so hard.

Ready to go down the super slide with Dad. My little slider was in heaven!

The carni helped Ivy pop a balloon to win a prize. I kept trying to steer her to the cow but in the end Ivy snatched up a blue salamander. What a great $5 toy!

Ivy with her Salamander. She even took it to bed. What a fun evening. I love getting to see everything likes its the first time by watching Ivy.

Fairlane Feeling!

2009-05-02T14:28:00.004-07:00

Its that time of year again. The fairlane decides what we are doing pretty much every weekend from now until the nice weather goes away. We went to the cruise in at Wendy's last night and quickly learned that a DJ makes all the difference at those things. There were some cool cars and nice people but nothing to keep us around for very long. Hopefully we can find some more cruise ins that know how to jazz it up. Darin and Ivy went to the Benton City car show last weekend and had a blast even though everyone came home a little pink cheeked. Yay for sunshine!

Heading to the cruise in

Just blowing in the breeze!

Ivy eating, imagine that.

Slides

2009-04-08T14:11:00.008-07:00

Ivy's favorite things at the park are the slides. She kind of 'tolerates' the swings, but you can tell she is not having that much fun. She also wants to do the big kid slides by herself. She throws a tantrum until you let her, then you have to cringe as you can hear her tumbling down the tube slides. She always comes out a wacky way, but she loves it so what are you gonna do.

Kvew TV

2009-03-30T15:45:00.003-07:00

http://www.kvewtogo.com/news-video/

Click on Good Morning Northwest or just search for Greenies!

We did a Bike and Kayak interview, but they only published the bike section to the web. When I get the DVD, I'll upload it for everyone.

(This is Darin doing a TV spot for the local morning show.)

Sew Mama Sew!

2009-03-28T21:27:00.006-07:00

I have been sewing a lot lately. I think it has to do with the trying not to bake. Since I'm not going to be pregnant I've got to get ready for swimsuit season! Anyways I've got some pictures of all the things that I have made but I'm not technologically capable of downloading them. And why should I when I have Darin. But I have done some really fun things and have so many projects that I want to do its ridiculous. I have made a crochet hook roll for mother in law, a purse (with a mini me one for Ivy), some blankets, a table runner and an apron. I've been loving looking at recipe blogs but right now I'm loving sewing blogs. Well I saw the cutest spring sewing project and it shot straight to the top of my to do list. These eggs are so cute and I'm a sucker for a quick and easy project. So go to Retro Mama and check out this super cute tutorial on fabric Easter eggs. I'll try em out and post some pictures with all my other projects.

Besides sewing I have just been running around feeding Ivy. She has a huge appetite lately and I just can't figure out where all of that food goes. She is a serious fruititarian which is not a bad thing. The other day she passed on the candy Aunt Laney was passing out for the grapes. I made rice krispy treats with craisins and dried cherries in them and she ate out all the fruit! I love it that I have to worry about her eating too much fruit in a day. She is talking more and more and has an intense love of being outside. Its a fight all day when its too cold. I just keep hoping that the sunshine will make more than a one day a week appearance.

Darin is keeping busy at Greenies cuz Greenies is keeping busy. Business has really picked up this month. We have sold 15 bikes and there are 2 more business days left! He is also going to be a tv star. This monday he is doing a segment on the bikes and on the kayaks for the local news. He keeps trying to convince me that I should do it but there is no way. Besides I'm not fully operational at 5am. So thats what has been going on out at Goose Gap. Not much but we are happy!

Cookie Time!

2009-03-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

Ivy goes to the childrens museum in Portland

2009-02-23T12:56:00.001-08:00

Ivys Tricks

2009-02-16T15:42:00.005-08:00

25 things about Jenn....repost from Facebook

2009-02-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

25 things about me
Share
Today at 12:17pm
1. We own a store called Greenies. I am working there right now.

2. I don't really know how to swim. I should probably take lessons.

3. I would do a triathalon if it didn't have swimming (see above) or running.

4.I took German in high school but can only remember how to count and some random words. Also I can sing a couple of Christmas carols.

5. I took piano lessons all the way through college. It is something that I need to pick up again. I don't like to play classical stuff though.

6. I hate walking around barefeet. I wear slippers in the house year round.

7. My best friends are from college. Which means that they are allover the country and I don't get to see them enough. Cruise anyone?

8. My favorite food is cheeseburgers in the summer...speaking of summer...

9. I love summer. I love going for bike rides and car shows in the fairlane and bbqing and camping and oh man I can't wait.

10. We have 1966 Ford Fairlane Convertible. It is red with red and white interior. I love the fairlane feeling. I helped re-cover the seats when I was 8 months pregnant. Not very wise cuz it was really really hard.

11. I heart snowboarding. I really like doing rails but I am terrified of jumps. Darin taught me how and he is my favorite to ride with cuz he pushes me to try new things. Even though we tend to get lost and have to hike out. Hiking is my least favorite part of snowboarding.

12. I learned how to surf in Mexico. I did ok and would really like to do that again someday. I should learn how to swim so I don't die doing it.

13. I got stung by a jelly fish while learning how to surf. It was the tiniest sting probably ever but it hurt like a mother.

14. I hope to go to Europe one day. Especially Germany. That stems from taking German in High School. I am intrigued by WWII and love any books or movies about it.

15. I love baking and like cooking. My favorite is trying new recipes. I can spend a descent amount of time looking at recipe blogs and love to read cookbooks. Ivy and I try to make cookies once a week. She just wants to eat the cookie dough and gets really mad when I don't let her. She also likes to help me cook.

16. I learned how to can this past fall. We have hundreds of quarts of pears and peaches and applesauce and pickles( I came in time for applesauce) in the basement.

17. Broccoli is the worst smelling thing in the world.

18. If I was really rich I would have someone wash and comb and do my hair every day. I love the way it feels. Its worth the money to me to go to a salon for a haircut, even though I know quite a few people who are excellent stylists.

19. It is hard for me not to put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. As in right after Halloween.

20. I think family is the most important thing in the world.

21. I play guitar hero until my wrist hurts so bad I can't play anymore. You would think I am better than I actually am. Maybe thats cuz I have my favorite songs that I like to play.

22. I think Bella Swan is the dumbest, whiniest character ever.

23. I hope that Ivy thinks I am the best mom ever cuz I think she is the best daughter ever. Even when she is getting all of her teeth at the same time.

24. I teach the 12 and 13 year old sunday school class at church. I think the kids are really cool and I worry about teaching them right.

25. This took way too long and was kind of hard. I actually despise that these surveys crossed over from myspace to facebook.

On the road again....

2009-02-02T21:43:00.003-08:00

On our way to Denver.

Ivy on Christmas Morning

2009-01-21T14:18:00.005-08:00

Christmas 2008, Ivy loved opening presents!

Fairlane Update

2009-01-21T12:30:00.002-08:00

From the summer. Here are a few pics of the latest restorations. Added a MSD ignition, new door panels, mirrors, dyed the rear panels, and uh....polished the valve covers.

More Ivy Pics

2009-01-15T12:24:00.003-08:00

She is growing up so fast it is really unbelievable. She cant reach the pedals yet but loves to ride around on the bike!

Silver Mountain Pics

2009-01-13T17:38:00.003-08:00

We had a great weekend up at Silver Mountain. (thanks ellayne and rob!) They have a fun indoor water park and the worlds longest gondola. The mountain was a bit lacking in new snow, but could be super fun on the right day. Lots of steep tree runs and wide open sweepers. We slayed the corduroy in the morning and even made a few pow turns! After getting slightly lost, (powder hounding it OOB) we had to hike out of a ravine for 20 minutes. It felt like an hour, but it was fun.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T12:28:00.003-08:00

Tasty Treats!

The Brothers Grim!

Jenn is a guitar master!

We rang in the new year at Rich and Lolos with lots of food and a little Rock Band.

Tri City Americans Hockey

2008-12-22T15:39:00.004-08:00

We went to another Tri City Americans hockey game with Rich and Laurel last week. Rich get tickets through Tyson and its always fun to root for the home team!

This did not end well for the Blazers.....KO!

We beat them in the fights, they beat us on the score board.....cant win em all!

Jenn's checkup

2008-12-22T15:23:00.002-08:00

Its that time of year when you take a look at things and realize Hey, I've met my insurance deductible is there anything else I need to get taken care of?! Well I figured I should have surgery. Not a fun thing to do at the end of the year, but it had been a couple of years since my last laprascopy so I had to get checked for cysts. Of course there were a couple of them growing and also some other things going on so I got it taken care of. Ivy and I drove over to Portland and I left her there with my parents while I flew to Denver to have my surgery. It was a quick trip, and I had some great help while I was there. It was actually the best surgery I have had as far as waking up from anesthesia and that kind of thing. So I am glad I had it taken care of. Next up is our third and final round of IVF. Hopefully we will be able to have a brother and/0r a sister for Ivy! Ivy had a marvelous time with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Cory. I'm feeling pretty good these days and am thankful for really good insurance and really good doctors. Hopefully it will be another couple of years before I have to do it again though.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-22T09:32:00.010-08:00

So after all of my bragging about it not snowing very much in the Northwest we have been hit with a week of snow storms! Its always great to have a white christmas so it has been a lot of fun actually. I think I like it cuz I know it wont stick around until April. . Church was cancelled yesterday so we had a full on snow day. For breakfast we had gingerbread pancakes with lemon sauce. Then we made some cookies and candy and played games. Of course when it snows you have to have chili. Then it was outside for Ivy's first adventure in the snow!

The girls getting ready to play outside. Of course she didn't leave them on but we looked cute!

We really wanted to build a snowman for Ivy since she loves them so much but the snow was just too powdery. More like a really good Utah snow. Although amazing for snowboarding it doesn't pack very well making even snowballs impossible, let alone a snowman. Thats ok though since I don't think she was too fond of the white stuff. Especially standing in it. She was alright when Darin was right next to her though.

I was trying to get Ivy to eat the snow. She wasn't too stoked on it.

Ivy getting pulled on the sled by Darin. She kept saying WEEee!

This is Ivy throwing down her gloves. She was definitely done. Not bad for a cranky 17 month old. I can't blame her for only lasting 15 minutes. It was pretty chilly.

That powdery snow is hard to resist if you have a snowboard lying around and a hill with homemade rails! I haven't been on a snowboard in 2 years and have been chomping at the bit. So I hiked to the top of the hill and with Darin's commentary egging me on I headed down. Not only did I get in some powder turns, but I hit the rail perfect!! I guess snowboarding is like riding a bike. You just never forget. Now I've got to pull out my new board and binding and get all set up. Bluewood here I come!! Darin had to show me up of course on his big boy rail. But thats ok, he is sure hot when he snowboards! (He's hot all the time by the way.) After our little jib session it was back inside to play with Ivy and warm up.We ended the day with an awesome football game and some wassail. I love snow days!

Ivy's Check Up

2008-11-20T11:48:00.002-08:00

Ivy had her fifteen month checkup this morning. She has grown a bunch in the last 3 1/2 months! She weighs a whopping 21 pounds and is 31 1/2 inches long. Basically she gained 3 pounds and grew 2 inches. I knew she had gotten taller cuz she is shooting out of all her pants. So she went from the 10th percentile to the 25th for her weight and from the 55th percentile to the 75th for her height. (I think only moms appreciate those kinds of tidbits of info.) She has been talking like crazy lately, and is a master of animal sounds. Even random ones like turkey and snake. I think her favorite is the monkey. She still loves to read all the time, but right now she is obsessed with peek a boo. Not just hiding behind her hands but jumping out of doorways and hiding behind things. I still can't believe she is here after almost 16 months. Mom and Dad love you baby girl!

Hanging out at Greenies

2008-11-07T12:49:00.003-08:00

8 Favorite TV shows I love to watch:
1. The Office
2. So You Think You Can Dance
3. Sunday Night Football
4. Pro Football
5. College Football
6. The Hills
7. hmmm
8. thats it.

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Helped Kristal get her car
2. Dr.'s appointment
3. Went to Target
4. Took a shower
5. Made dinner
6. Played the piano
7. Watched The Office
8. Played with IVY!!

8 Favorite places to eat:
1. Cafe Rio
2. Churro cart in Mexico
3. North in Cherry Creek
4. Ruth's Chris
5. Home
6. Farmer's Market
7. Downstairs at Eric's-Breckenridge
8. Darin loves Backcountry Provisions in Steamboat

8 Things I am looking forward to:
1. The Christmas craft show tomorrow
2. Going to Denver, for a day anyways
3. Thanksgiving in Portland
4. Christmas
5. Going to Mexico again someday
6. Snowboarding this winter
7. Selling our house(s) in CO
8. Buying a house in Washington

8 Things on my Wish List:
1. Having another baby someday
2. Selling our house(s) in CO
3. Most anything at Williams Sonoma
4. New brown shoes, I can't find mine
5. A house on the river
6. Ivy to grow up happy and healthy
7. A white Christmas
8. Greenies to continue to do well

Family Pics Fall 08

2008-10-20T10:15:00.001-07:00

Greenies

2008-10-11T12:02:00.008-07:00

This is my new favorite picture of Ivy. She is growing up so fast. Anyway. Here are some long awaited pictures of our new business! We have been open for 10 days(although Greenies has been open for over 6 months now.) Business is pretty good. Our busiest day is Fridays thanks to the farmers market that is literally right outside our door. We have sold a few bikes and a bunch of organics. We are working on getting snowshoes for rental and sale for the winter. Thanks for all of your love and support! We couldn't have done this without it.

This is the food side of our organics part of the store. We carry coffee, tea, food, cleaning products, baby products, clothing, skin care and a whole bunch more I just don't want this list to go on forever!

This is the view from the corner. We are one block from the Columbia river. There is a huge park right here too with 26 miles of bike trails and a fun playground for Ivy. We rent the kayaks and bikes so its the perfect location!

The HobieCat Kayaks. SOO fun. You actually pedal them instead of paddling.

The front of the store. Supposedly 25,000 cars pass by every day. How do they even tell those kind of things?

A shot of the awesome Electra cruiser bikes we sell. My sister Shellie will drool over these! We also sell electric bikes and semi recumbants.

Here is Greenies! This is a shot of the back door. Its actually the second front door.

Ch-Cha Changes

2008-10-04T13:23:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to post a quick note to let everyone know whats going on. We have moved to Tri-Cities Washington! We have been trying to find a way to move closer to our families since Ivy was born. An opportunity came up a month ago and we snagged it. We bought a business called Greenies. We sell cruiser bikes, sea kayaks and organic stuff. We took over the business on Wednesday and things have been going well so far! Its been crazy completely changing our livers in 1 month. We put our house in Denver up for sale and our condo in Dillon is also for sale. (If you know anyone that would be interested let me know!) We have moved in with Darin's parents until those sell so any prayers for that to happen for us would be greatly appreciated. Ivy loves it here. All of her cousins are so fun to play with, she is just exhausted at the end of every day. We are also much closer to my parents in Portland. Hopefully we will get to head out there soon to see them. So as you can see we have been super busy. We are so grateful for this opportunity and thanks to everyone for your love and support!

Golden Super Cruise

2008-09-09T11:07:00.012-07:00

Our favorite activity in the summer is the Golden Super Cruise. It is the first Saturday of the month June-Oct in Golden Colorado. Everyone brings their classic cars and goes to Sonic, parks along the main road and hangs out. There is a DJ who plays oldies and has raffle drawings. Then between 7 and 7:30 the DJ sounds the siren and everyone cruises down Main Street. People sit line the streets to see all the cars. Last year there were probably about 500 cars there. This year there have been more and more cars every month. In August 1100 cars showed up! There is every kind of muscle car and rat rod and creation you can think of. People even get dressed up in 50's gear. This last weeked was my favorite cuz our friends came to check it out. Darin has talked about it so much to Rob that he flew out from SLC this past weekend specifically to go to the Cruise. I'm sure he was blown away since there were more cars there than even I could have possibly imagined. It was fun having Rob here for the weekend. He and Ivy were smitten with eachother! Thanks to the guy that puts this on. We look forward to going every month!

Darin and Ivy checking it all out.

Ivy and I at the August Super Cruise

Ivy and her new favorite, Rob

Ivy and Rob checking out the cars

Ivy stole Emory's chicken nuggets and carried around like they were her favorite toy.

The fairlane is looking good

This is the Sonic. Just a small idea of how many cars are really there.

A couple of pictures

2008-09-09T10:31:00.004-07:00

Last nigh Uncle Daniel came over for dinner. Ivy of course pinned him down and had him reading books in no time. They didn't get to play much cuz Ivy had to go to bed but hopefully they will get the chance in a couple of weeks. Thanks for coming Dan! Glad you are enjoying CO!

Here is Ivy getting dressed up. She loves sunglasses-obviously cuz Mom and Dad wear them all the time. These ones actually stay on here head! She puts everything on. Ivy has also taken to putting things in random places. I always have to check the garbage can to make sure there isn't something important in there, like her books.

2008-08-31T13:49:00.003-07:00

So I keep waiting for pictures to post but obviously that hasnt happened or I would have posted sooner. We are winding down our summer now that Darin is heading back into the busy season for work. My mom and youngest brother Cory came out to visit and play with Ivy. She loves having new friends around. Just more people to read her books over and over. Forget the basket of toys she just wants to sit on someones lap and read books. Well mostly she likes to turn the pages and occasionally kiss the page. I can't complain though. I can only hope that her love of books continues. She is turning into quite the talker with her vocabulary growing every day it seems. She now can say hi, dada, mama, hot, hat, car, dog, light,uh oh and my favorite-ouch. Its fun to see her try and say words, she is VERY expressive. Some other fun things are her dancing, and her love of dogs. Every time Ivy sees or hears a dog she sticks out her tongue and starts panting like one. Its so cute but of course I think just about everything she does is cute. Besides Ivy nothing much is going on with me. I'm excited for fall, so I am having a hard time not pulling out the fall decor. It has to be the right day when I can feel it in the air! I am starting to learn that I have to do my projects before a season starts so I can actually have them out and enjoy them. Well I'll try and get some pictures taken this week so you can see how big my baby girl is getting.

Ivy's Big Day

2008-07-28T21:33:00.003-07:00

Its true. Time flies when you have kids. The last year has flown by and now my baby is one. She is definitely the light of our lives. Its like we didn't know what we were doing with our lives before she came along. On Saturday Ivy had her first birthday. We invited some friends over for cupcakes and root beer floats. Now that she is walking Ivy can keep up with the older kids a whole lot better. She was in heaven with all the kids and people around. Her favorite part was probably eating her cupcake though. She dug right in and I think ate the whole thing in about 2 minutes. Ivy can't ever imagine how much we love her. We thank Heavenly Father every day for bringing her into our lives. Here are some pictures of her big day. The blue dress is from her Grandma Warnick, along with the hair bow. The other pictures are from Ivy's party. So here is to my big girl. We love you!

Ivy's Tricks

2008-07-23T22:29:00.003-07:00

Ivy can walk! She took off last Friday and is getting better and better every day. It helped to be around all of those older kids in Utah. She also started clicking her tongue and the spitting is her .driving a truck. What a silly girl. She lights up our life every second of the day!

Amber's Wedding

2008-07-23T07:03:00.005-07:00

Amber's wedding was so much fun. It was a lot of work but I had a good time with my best girl friends. Its amazing how you can go months without seeing or in some cases talking to someone and pick up right where you left off with out any awkwardness. These girls are the very best! And I will even wear my bridesmaid outfit again. I'm so happy for you Amber, I love you! Good luck with that whole married thing.=0)

July is good so far...

2008-07-11T09:00:00.002-07:00

We went to the zoo the other day, as you can see by the pictures Darin put up. We had to be over that way for a Dr.'s appointment and thought we would make a day of it. Ivy was definitely more interested in all of the kids at the zoo but seemed to have a good time. She is such a little social butterfly. She is at that hard stage where she is so squirmy and wants to be let free everywhere we go. But she takes off like a shot and gets really dirty crawling on the ground. She is walking farther and farther every day and it looks like she might be pro by her first birthday.
Ivy and I also went up to Summit County with Darin for the last couple days and got to spend time with our good friends the Allens. Ivy was in heaven playing with the two cutest boys around. Taggart and Jack treated Ivy like a queen and she even rewarded them with her cutest baby doll laugh and even hugs when we left! She isn't very affectionate so that was a big deal. Every time I see Ivy having so much fun with other little kids it makes me hope that someday we will be able to give her a little brother or sister. But that is in the Dr.'s hands so we'll see...

Denver Zoo

2008-07-10T22:26:00.004-07:00

Ivy's Tails and Cottage Cheese

2008-07-07T20:38:00.007-07:00

Ivy's hair has finally gotten long enough to put ponies in. Today we tried the pigtail approach. Although it is pretty cute, she does resemble a bug or a martian the way they stick straight up. So we will be sticking with the one pony. The biggest bonus of having her hair done is we no longer hear "Oh what a cute little boy you have!" Ivy tends to try and pull them out when Mom isn't looking though so I am always worried she is going to choke on a rubber band. I'm pretty sure she has swallowed at least one.
As for the cottage cheese face, its cuz I don't like to sit there and feed her, so I just plopped some cottage cheese on her tray and she went to town. She loved it and just so you know cottage cheese is not the easiest to clean up. It just kind of smears around, meaning we found cottage cheese everywhere.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

2008-07-03T22:36:00.003-07:00

We rode the bikes down to Clement Park tonight to watch some fireworks. It rained for a bit, but we managed to stay dry. Ivy wasn't sure about the fireworks....they didn't really keep her attention. She liked seeing all the dogs and kids though. Riding back home in the dark was interesting.

Rockies vs. Padres

2008-07-01T07:29:00.002-07:00

Ivy went to her first baseball game last night.
When we first got there she had this worried expression on her face, she wasn't so sure about what was going on. But as more people showed up she got into it a little bit more. Ivy actually lasted a lot longer than we thought she would making it all the way to the 7th inning. Of course that is right when the game started to get good. We don't know who won but we sure had a great time!

2008-06-22T16:37:00.001-07:00

Uncle Cory got bored today. Apparently he thinks Ivy is more than meets the eye!

Being sick stinks! Part 2, Plus other stuff.

2008-06-22T16:28:00.003-07:00

We went to Utah this last week with Darin for a trade show. It actually worked out to go early and see my family at a wedding. My cousin Dallas got married, so that was fun to see my mom's side of the family. Plus hang out with my parents and 2 brothers. We also went and saw Aunt Jacquie and her fun family. Then DOOM! Ivy got sick. She had a 103 temperature for 3 days. It is so sad when all a little baby wants to do is lay there. So that put a damper on the rest of our trip. We ended up leaving a little earlier then planned and I didn't get to do anything really. Oh we also saw our fun Baird cousins in Cedar Hills. We have a lot of fond memories of living in Utah and every time we visit we get a little homesick. Especially since we have so many close friends and family there. But every time we come home I am reminded of how lucky we are to live where we do. Oh and to finish Ivy's being sick saga she broke out in hives on her face on Friday and a viral rash on her body. Her fever ended up being roseola. Luckily she is feeling much better and we have our happy baby back!

2008-06-10T20:27:00.003-07:00

ABC's...

Just cuz Rachelle said so!

a-attached or single: I don't even remember life being single.
b-best friend: Darin and mi madre.
c-cake or pie: Pie for sure.
d-day of choice: I try to enjoy every day. But I like days when Darin gets to play.
e-essential item: water
f-favorite color: red for decorating and right now I'm diggin yellow to wear.
g-gummy bears or worms: chocolate covered gummy bears
h-hometown: Beaverton OR
i-indulgence(s): ice cream and natural cheetos(although I don't know whats natural about them)
j-January or July: Both have there pros and cons
k-kids: Ivy Faith who is quickly approaching one. CRAZY!
l-life is incomplete without: Who knew that life was incomplete without Ivy, and I'm sure we'll feel that way about any other kids we are blessed with.
m-marriage date: June 1, 2001
n-number of siblings- 3 brothers and 1 sister.
o-oranges or apples: Apples
p-phobias or fears: Losing my family, being trapped
q-quote(s): Anything Michael says on the Office.
r-reason to smile: Ivy talking on the phone.
s-season: I love every season. I really look forward to the change of seasons
t-tag five: uh, sure.
u-unknown fact about me: I hate walking in bare feet.
v-vegetarian or oppressor of animal: If I liked more vegetables maybe, but I love hamburgers
w-worst habit: being lazy
x-x-rays or ultrasounds: Depends on the kind of ultrasound
y-your favorite food: fruit-any kind, any time -except Papaya
z-zodiac sign: Scorpio