Miracles do happen!

So for those of you that have been on my crazy ride of life with me know how much I have wanted and how long I have waited for my family to be sealed together!!! Well that day is finally coming. On August 16 2009, I received a letter from the first presidency that the cancellation of my sealing to Brian has finally gone through!!!!!!!!!! I cried the whole way home from the mailbox and then I cried some more. I held my hubby and daughter.....then cried more. (I know, I'm a baby) But for all who know how much of a fight this has been, I'm sure you can see why it is so emotional!

It has been a long road for sure. Chris and I started the process back in January 2007 when we got engaged. Since that time, we have had to deal with court, tons of paperwork, people not doing their part, etc. Our paperwork finally went to Salt Lake at the end of July and then only took three weeks to get back!!!!!! So much sooner than we thought! Anywho...so then we had the decision of when to do it. The date we had already picked was farther out because of the time span of getting the letter back, but it came way sooner!

Well, after thinking things through, we decided that we have fought long and hard for this and deserve to do it the way we wanted to anyway! So we are getting sealed in the San Diego Temple on October 31, 2009!!! We talk about it everyday and are just looking so forward to it!

Thank you to everyone who kept us in their prayers and helped us along the way! Our eternal family loves you more than you could ever know!

So finally.....

Finally I got a picture of Chris when he was a baby!! So excited because we get to compare a little more between Isabella and us...it has been a blast. She definitely has her own look but I can see mommy and daddy in her soooo much as she grows! She has my nose, eyes, feet and one ear (yes she has two different size ears...cute, very hard to notice). She has Chris' cheeks, face shape, ear and quirkiness!! We are learning more and more about her everyday!!!! I cannot wait to see how she continues to grow and develop! Life is great these days!

Yay pictures!

Love this distant one...gets ya thinking!

Love the color in this one!

Smiles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yummy tutu!

What are we doing?

So my good friend Mindy finshed up the Calico Basin pictures of Isabella and I am just in love! We had a blast and I am so excited to keep using her for all my special moments!! She will even be taking our sealing pictures in October down in San Diego...so worth the extra expense! http://www.sunbeanphotography.com Check out her site!! She is amazing! Use her if you need pictures!! You won't regret it! I just want her to capture every piece of my life!! Well at least Isabella's....don't ever like me in pics! Tee hee hee!

Baby Gear Galore!!!

So until I was a mom I never realized how many things there are out there to keep your kid busy but I also never noticed how many of those things have a timeline in the life of your little one and how many of them she never needed in the first place! With all that said, it is so cute to watch my first child, my beautiful baby girl, learn and play with everything she has. She recently received a walker from Nana and Papa and has had quite some adventures with it. First off, she has yet to be able to reach the floor in it even at the lowest setting and she has even managed to smash her head into the ball that has Cinderella's carriage in it. Nevertheless, she is still adorable in it. The fact that it is Disney princess doesn't hurt either!

She has also started to sit in her hook-on highchair with us at mealtimes. No, she doesn't eat anything yet, but it is nice to have her close and for her to feel part of the group. By the way, this highchair is amazing! At this rate I will never use one of the stand alone highchairs! I can take it anywhere with me and I just love having her so close to us!
She also received a "Johnny Jumper" from my good friend, Mykee that looks like tigger and loves it! She is able to stand up and dance/bounce all she wants!

Then the vibrating chair!! This things has been a blessing and a curse in this house! Let me explain why....First, if she is in the mood for it, she loves it, if she is not, she throws a fit. Once she is in there happy, she tries to get out because it is just something to do! (That's Isabella for you) Below you will find pictures of what happens when we don't strap her in. First time she did it she was on the floor. This time was supervised, don't worry, but we just had to figure out how she was doing it!

Gotta love kids!

Best Friends and Shark Reefs

Last week I was so blessed to spend the day with one of my best friends and her two daughters. I have known Kathleen since we were in second grade. Funny story actually... she was playing tetherball and hit that ball so hard that it flew off the rope and came flying my direction. The ball hit me in the stomach and I fell to the ground. (Still not sure how hard that ball hit me to make me fall to the ground as I have always been a bit dramatic!) When she came over to see if I was okay, I proceeded to ask her if she wanted to be my friend. We have been friends ever since with many, many more stories to tell! Anywho, she is now the proud mommy of two beautiful girls; Shyla and Katie. It was a very adventerous day, at least in the mind of two stay at home moms! We began by visiting my mom as Kathleen hadn't seen her in awhile because her family now lives in Colorado. Then we headed to Applebees for lunch! What a funny thing to e eating in public with two of us manning 3 children, two under two! Fun all the same. We then moved on for a quick ride to see new things on the strip and to the Shark Reef. Katie spent half of the excursion fast asleep in Isabella's stroller. Don't worry, we wouldn't have let her miss it since her and Shyla had been telling everyone along the way that they were going to see the sharks!

All three girls loved it! The touch pool was a big hit since there is water and lots of slimy things to touch! At one point I went to take a picture of Kathleen and her girls but almost couldn't because a huge shark was coming so close to the glass but didn't want to say anything until I got the shot... as you can see I was not lying!

We then went home and played for a bit and visited with her family. That was a blast!!

Baseball games and summer fun!

In July we went to a 51s game and had a blast! It was a first for both Isabella and Chris so that is always fun! We got in for free, got free hats and shirts and just had a great time! What more can you ask for....oh I know....for it not to feel like an oven outside!!!! It was still fun...promise!

Eagle Valley

So Chris went on his first fishing trip with the guys!! Well, and one girl...tee hee hee. It was a work trip and they only have one girl employee...good thing we love her! Anywho...Chris had a blast! Funny thing is that only Gordon caught any fish. It might be because the boys took two hours to just start casting directly (Chris says its because the lines kept getting caught in the rocks....sure!) It was a full day trip to Eagle Valley. Glad they had fun but I sure did miss my honey! This is Gordon, the boss man!

Alex being goofy!

Kosi in the coolest shot ever!

Fourth of July Fun!

Isabella's first Fourth of July was a lot of fun! We didn't want her around the fireworks so we went and had fun with Chris' family (practically) that were eating a lot, swimming and no fireworks! Tee hee hee! Gotta love that!

Chris' parents have known Larry and Laura (known to us and Uncle Larry and Aunt Laura) a very long time so everytime we all get together it is just another memory made!

This is Isabella with Papa

Nana with Isabella

Daddy with Isabella

This is Isabella's cute Fourth of July outfit that Omi bought her....isn't is awesome!

Visting...

So Isabella and I like to get out all the time...must be that stay at home mom itch! Tee hee hee! The other ay we made our way (a whole mile, maybe..) down to visit Uncle David! It was a blast! We had lots of fun playing, talking, sleeping, eating, and just hanging out! We took some pictures (surprise, surprise). My favorite however is this one...

This one is so critical because I managed to get a picture of her wearing a team that I like before Chris could get another on her...now if only I could get a Yankee jersey on her everything would be perfect! (Chris is a Red Sox fan!) Gross!! Tee hee hee! Can't wait til we go over again!

Desert Oasis

So my friend Mindy introduced me to this amazing place in Red Rock Canyon called Calico Basin! Some of you might already know about it but I had never! Since I found out about this oasis in this crazy desert of ours, I cannot get away! I have been up there with Chris and Isabella many times, my youngest brother Anthony, and have even talked about it constantly! I just love it because it is so beautiful. Isabella and I had originally gone up with Mindy because she wanted to take pictures of Isabella.

How could I say no... I only have one so far but am so excited to see the rest! She is such an amazing photographer!

I love this picture of us two!

My brother also had tons of fun taking pitures of us...Totally a "celebrity" dad shot..even if it is Uncle Tony and just my bad picture taking...That's why I leave it up to my friends with talent! LOL!Many lizards, rabbits, road runners, etc up there!

Kooky Uncle Tony...my favorite is that they are making the same face!

Four Months Old, 2nd Anniversary, and Vegas Staycation

So wow two years already! Chris and I spent our two year anniversary with each other (of course) and our beautiful baby girl! We started the day off with some Taco Bell dollar menu for lunch and then headed to the Fashion Show mall for nice indoor "weather." Too hot to take a walk outside!!! Then we drove from there all the way down the strip to the Mandalay Bay to go to the Shark Reef. As we drove the strip, we noticed we hadn't been down there in forever! There are buildings going up all over the place, new hotels, and lots more road construction..gotta loved that strip!



I also noticed the Mirage was celebrating its 20th year! We moved to Las Vegas just about the time it was opening so that was such a crazy feeling to see that it had already been up 20 years! Where does the time go! After all those nostalgic memories we finally made it to the Shark Reef!





This is one of Isabella's favorite places to go (I actually swear she gets mad when we leave!) Chris and I love to take her because we get in free!! Yay us! For my anniversary gift I told Chris I would love to have the picture they take when you walk in and the awesome frame to go with it!! So he got it for me!! What a guy!

















As you can see we had a blast, yes there are pictures of Chris but he hates them all over the place...such a boy! Tee hee hee!

So I haven't learned!!!...

but oh so cute anyway!

We went to the park after our date this morning to celebrate Isabella's five month birthday! LOL! Cheesy right, but it was such a nice day! Don't come across those too often in August here!!! I cannot believe she is five months already! She is just growing and growing! She is in her jumper, walker, swing, bouncer, stroller, car seat, and mommy's and daddy's arms all the time! She loves to be active! She is starting to teethe..so sad. Wish there was more I could do! She loves to go to the Shark Reef (Chris and I getin for free), so we go often! She is finally in the next size clothes and diapers! Yay me! A few more scraplings of hair are coming in! She still hasn't grown into those ears but that's okay! Chris and I love her so very much and are truly blessed to have her in our lives!

Three Months and Growing

So I know that Isabella is now on her way to the four month mark...but I still wanted to get these up. I had to wait for the disc first, (I bought the rights to my pictures...gotta love that!!!!!!!!!) Anywho, it was an adventure as this was her first time in a studio. Pretty crazy but a lot of fun. We only got on shot of the first pose because she was just not having it! Looking at me like I was nuts! Tee hee hee! I held her, calmed her down and then all was well. We got some great pictures out of it! Then came the moment where I had to pick some! I wanted them all!!!! (Which I do have now on this disc!) We all know how expessive pictures in a studio can be! First, I had to decide which pose I wanted in my New Mom package. That was the original reason I went...I got a free package just for having a baby! That's how they get you! So after that decision and my brother buying a nice size package, we were on our way!

This one with a boa on I just think is so adorable!!! I love when she is on her tummy anyway but this pretty purple just makes the shot!

I hope you all enjoy these as I just love them!!!!!! She is so precious and I am so happy to get to see her grow every step of the way!

Anthony's Graduation

Dinner with the crazy clan after graduation

Graduation with Dean and Isabella

Anthony's Senior Awards

One of Anthony's mentors, Shimp. This has been his drama teacher his whole high school career!

Wow this past month has been crazy! Not only have we just been busy with life in general...See other post..lol...but my little baby brother graduated. Between emotions and family in town, it was a fun month! It all started in May when we attended Anthony's last play at Valley High School. He has been in many at his middle school and then all eight in high school! He had the major, major male lead in this last one titled Just Another High School Musical. Way cute, especially since I went in thinking it was going to be a mock of Disney's or other recent musicals, but it ended up being a mock on on the musicals they had done in the last few years! So hilarious! Then toward the end of May we attended his Senior awards! I'm so very proud of him! Then June 9th rolled around and the family headed to the Orleans for his graduation! We all shed a tear as this chapter in life was closing. Mom's last child was graduating and moving onto college like her previous two. This same year, Chris and I had the first grandchild into the family and family that we love and miss very much came to visit! Like I said...emotional time!