Dustin and Alisha

Sisters

2011-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

These two love each other...

...sometimes.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

We headed to Idaho for Thanksgiving this year. Dustin's parents were hosting the family feast at their house, so Sophie got to help. She loves to help, and I try to be patient enough to let her. She actually does pretty good, and is helpful most of the time. Her job was to fill the candy cups. I'm surprised that any of the candy actually made it into the cups, although I know she had plenty during the process.

Kyla is obsessed with shoes, she seems a little young to me for an obsession, but it's true. She's constantly asking to put hers on. Squeals with delight if you mention putting her socks and shoes on, and loves to wear mine or anyone's that are to be found. I tried on a pair of boots in a store about a month ago and she said, "Oh, yeah!" She may or may not be getting some for Christmas this year. So she can't get into my boots, so she puts them on her arms and walks around happily.

Ashley made the vegetable turkey, it was super cute.

And of course the football game was playing before and after the meal.

Daddy took a nap after it was all said and done. Too much turkey...

Pictures

2011-12-15T12:32:00.000-08:00

These are just some pictures that I wanted to post in case I ever make a book of our blog. Which really I should do, since it's a family journal in a lot of ways.

Anyway, here are some funny pictures....

This is Sophie and Ledger, her one and only boy cousin. She thinks he's the greatest, and wants her own baby ledger now. :)

Sophie scribbled all over the wall during "nap time" one day. I was irritated to say the least.

In October we went to Gardner Village to see the Witches that they have everywhere. Sophie wasn't quite sure what to think.

Kyla pulled this face for quite a while, she's already quit and I'm glad I caught it on camera!

And we all know where my kids get it from...

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-12-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

Dustin surprised me with a get-away to St. George. Isn't he sweet? His parents took the kids, which was incredibly nice of them, and we had a great time. We love our kids, don't get me wrong, but it's nice to get out with just the two of us once in a while.

We started our trip by going to the Temple, and later we golfed (and I'm terrible at it!), went to the movies, shopping, hiked around Zions National Park, and spent time together. Best birthday present ever! I have such a good husband!

Halloween

2011-12-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

I know I'm playing some serious catch-up on this blog. And sadly it's right after I said I was gonna keep blogging. Ok, so here we go...

Halloween was fun this year. I traded a girl pictures for a bird costume. I was pretty sure I could sew one myself (and was actually making plans to do it), when I realized that I was so swamped with photography that I was never going to get around to it. And there is NO way I could have made it this cute.

She did a fantastic job!

Sophie loved being a bird, and she talked about it for a whole month.

She was pretty darn cute, if I say so myself.

If you look closely you'll notice that Kyla has a bandaid above her eyebrow, she fell and hit her head on the corner of our bed. Poor girl, she ended up getting "liquid stitches" (or super glue in non-medical terms). Dustin took her in to get them, and said that she trashed so much on the table that the Dr. actually glued her glove to Ky's head at one point. Glue was all over in her eyebrow too, and we (2 months later) ended up pulling it out after many other attempts of getting it off. So the poor girl has no eyebrow, but you can't really tell.

The little stinkers are so hard to get pictures of together. They are just crazy and extremely mobile. Everyone says that boys are more active and hyper...but I dunno...these girls definitely hold their own.

Trick-or-treating was fun. I'm so glad our neighborhood doesn't do a Trunk-or-treat. I'm not a fan of those. Sophie loved the whole night, and Kyla insisted on holding her bucket herself and if you tried to help her she threw a fit.

Happy Halloween (almost two months later. haha)!

Three

2011-10-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

Sophie turned Three today. She was so excited about everything, it was fun. She requested cereal for breakfast. Much to my dismay. I was prepared to make something fabulous, but to no avail. I made her a princess cake (upon request) and when she saw me putting the frosting on the dress she said, "Oh my goodness!" She was thrilled.

And I will say that I was pretty pleased with my end results on the cake.

We had a family party, with both sets of Grandparents and all her cousins on my side. Which luckily, for this birthday, happen to be all girls. Perfect for a Princess Party.
I made felt crowns for each of the girls, idea ~~stolen~~ inspired from Pinterest. And she loved all her gifts, and actually did a fabulous job of sharing them with everyone (minus her sister).

She was so cute. My mother gave her a hug goodbye and told her happy birthday again. Sophie looked at her and said, "Is it over?" Yes dear, it is.

We went to turn her light out and she had all her dolls in bed with her lined up on her pillow. Her "Favorite Friends" as she calls them. I tried to tell her they were toys and not friends. I got told.

Happy Birthday Sophia! We love you!!!

Let it snow

2011-09-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

We have all kinds of treasures in our shed left from the previous owners. And Sophie and her friend Kenna found some Styrofoam and shredded it. It was stuck everywhere. Even a bath didn't clean it up.

I love Sophie's face in this picture, even thought she's kind of blurry...

Clown hair

2011-09-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

This has been a huge debate of mine. Get rid of the blog or continue it. I didn't hardly blog this summer cause I was/am so busy with my photography. But just the other day I had a realization that loved ones near and far don't get to see the funny things that my kids do or say. And I want them to see how darling and adorable my kids are. So I am going to attempt blogging again.

So here we go again. Nothing fancy, just a blog for people who care. :)

No this isn't another post about my big hair, everyone who knows me already knows I have it. So I'm in love with sponge curlers on Sophie's hair. And when we take them out she has clown hair (Halloween costume?!).

But I love her hair when it's all said and done. So cute (love that fake smile that she gives me now)!

And then when I'm finished I turn around and Kyla is carrying around the toilet plunger. oh, boy does that girl know how to get into mischief!

photo shoot giveaway

2011-07-28T13:21:00.001-07:00

I'm doing a photo contest on my blog. All you need to do is submit a funny picture of your kid(s) and you could win a family photo shoot! Check it out on AlishaPhotography.blogspot.com

"Make-up"

2011-07-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

I might have a makeup artist on my hands. Look at how well she put it on her lips!

New editing technique...

2011-07-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

What do you think?

Fun? Too much?

I'd love your opinion.

Thanks :)

A long and overdue post.

2011-07-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

I've been out of the blogging world for a while...again. Life has been busy, busy, busy! We bought a house! (picture at the bottom of the blog). And we've been busy playing, and working on settling in and I've been busy with weddings this last few months. I keep thinking that life will slow down, but I'm suspicious that it won't. :)

Anyway, enough rambling...here are the pictures.

Sophie learning to golf. This is in our backyard and yes, we have an ocean front view. hehe. The shed/man cave has a hawaiian mural painted on it. Not many people, if any, in utah can say they have ocean front property. It's quite the conversation piece. I'll post a better picture one of these days.

Dancing in the grass.

Sophie playing with our neighbor. She loves having kids next door.

Kyla and Sophie playing in the sprinklers. We LOVE having a backyard!!

Kyla turned 1 at the end of May. She is such a little stinker, and we love having her as part of the family!

And here is our house! Ol' blue. It's so fun to have a house. No buyers remorse here...yet. :)

Hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Hansen.

Easter

2011-04-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

Easter was so much fun. It was the first time that we could "prep" Sophie about the holiday and get her excited for it. I thought about how I could explain the resurrection to her, but I knew that would not make sense to a 2 1/2 year old. So I told her that we have Easter because of Jesus. And that she'll see Preslee (her cousin) again. She got so excited that she was going to see Preslee, but thought that I meant that very minute. And she went looking for her and exclaiming that she was going to see her. I felt bad, cause I just confused her. Ah, maybe next year it'll make more sense.
We also told her that the Easter Bunny was going to come leave her candy, she was thrilled. And talked about it all week. "Sneaky Easter Bunny" she'd say. She's so funny.
Sunday morning was fun, she was ecstatic to get her basket, find eggs and dress up in her fancy schmancy dress.
Here my girls are. They are so funny. And so cute!

Such a ham!

Kyla loved the pillow pet that she got from Grandma and Grandpa Hansen. She wouldn't let go of it. It was pretty funny to watch. She still is obsessed with it.

All the girls with their pillow pets.

In other news: Dustin has finished tax season. HOORAY! We are sooo happy to have him home more. And we closed on a house this morning! We will be moving this weekend!

Bribing

2011-02-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

Lately I've had to bribe Sophie to eat her meals. Breakfast isn't bad, but lunch and dinner are always a fight. I tell her if she eats her food "all gone" she can have _____ (If you have any good ideas please send them my way).

I guess I'm concerned this is going to be a habit, and that I'm starting something bad. That I'll be bribing her when she's 10, or that it'll start to creep into other things... like homework or chores or going to college when she's older. I just don't know!!! Do most mom's bribe their children to eat? I mean, I remember getting dessert sometimes, but not every day, let alone after every meal. What to do?

I found this one ingredient icecream from Our Best Bites (one of my new favorite cooking blogs). All it is is a frozen banana, put through the food processor, and it has the texture of icecream. So I thought I'd give it a go and I busted it out last night. She LOVED it. And I don't have to feel as guilty about it, cause it's just a banana.

Now I just need a better food processor...

But it is still a bribe. Or is it just an incentive? Or are those the same thing?

Any ideas, thoughts or suggestions are sure welcome here.

Some things are worth saving.

2011-02-16T20:52:00.000-08:00

I am the queen of throwing things away. Dustin will testify that I am always looking for excuses to get rid of things, and he's always reminding me that we might want some of these things when we have a house (we are house shopping! I'm sooooo excited!). My mom saves everything, and sometimes that's good. I'm not totally her opposite, but close. I keep some things, but not very many, and sometimes that's good.

One thing that I did keep was my apron that my mom made for me when I was in Joyschool (You know, preschool done by neighborhood mom's. Great times.) And it was worth it. Look how stinkin' cute my little girl is in my apron! And I don't have to buy or make one for her.

Whenever I put it on her she immediately runs to her room to "cook" something in her kitchen. Darling.

Don't mind the frosting on her face...

Valentines Cookies

2011-02-16T20:14:00.001-08:00

I always love frosting sugar cookies for Valentines day. It's kind of a tradition, so I got Sophie in on the action. She thought it was great...

So did Kyla.

(She sampled some cookie sans frosting.)

And then the posing began. Sophie was a crack-up! I have no idea where she gets this stuff.

See the finger smears through the frosting? That's really how she eats sugar cookies, she slowly wipes the frosting off with her fingers and eats it. Funny girl.

Hope you had a happy V-day!

Sophie Says

2011-02-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

I was doing Sophie's hair the other day, she suddenly says "I can't fly." and drops her head. I said, "You can't fly?" she says, "No." so I asked her "Why not?" she puts her hands on the small of her back and says, "I don't have wings." and sighs.

When Sophie says things clearly Dustin will tell her, "Good talkin', Sophie!"

This morning she chose her cereal for breakfast. I said, "You want froot loops?" she responds, "Yes. Good talkin', Mom!" :)

She makes me laugh. :)

Shhh...

2011-02-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

I love sleeping babies. I don't know how they get cuter when they sleep, but they do. And I never get photos of Kyla sleeping. She is such a light sleeper that I don't dare venture into her room to even look at her.

But today we had stuff to do (aka...lunch with a friend), so I went in to get her up. And there she was, so peaceful, snoring! So I went and got the camera....ohhh so cute.

Aquarium

2011-01-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Sunday, and I'm home with two sick little girls. So I figured this would be the perfect chance to catch up on blogging, and maybe I'll get better at someday. Maybe.

We love Saturdays! I've been trying to plan things out of the apartment. Sophie loves to get out, and I'm having cabin fever. We need spring!!!

Dustin doesn't work Saturdays, so we decided to go to the aquarium. Sophie loved every minute of it!

Kyla didn't appreciate the outing quite like Sophie did.

It was a pretty cool aquarium, they had all kinds of fish, snakes, jelly fish, sharks and other cool things. There was an octopus that Sophie was entranced with. It moved around a lot and she stared with her mouth open, occasionally saying "Scary!"

She had a blast. In fact, she loved it so much that it was all she talked about last night. We re-lived the Octopus being scary and the penguins being cute, and the boy that poked her in the eye at the shark tank and how it made her cry at least ten times.

Dustin started work!

2011-01-30T09:44:00.000-08:00

Some firsts. Dustin started his job on the 4th. He was gone for the first two weeks. He was in San Fransisco the first week and Georgia the second. We really missed him. He has been home for the last few months (studying for the CPA exam, but home non-the-less). So having him gone was a little bit of an adjustment for us.

It's been good though, and it had to be done. The girls got used to things pretty quick, but I feel like I hit a learning curve or something. Like going to the store with two kids, it's a major event... or even just getting out of the house with two kids! It can be hectic!

I've had to adjust things to make the day go a little smoother, little things like, they now bathe together, and Sophie climbs into her car seat all by herself. You know, silly little things, but they help!

All in all, it really hasn't been bad. I love being home with them and Dustin is really liking his job, and he's doing well at it also!
Here are the girls in their first bath together. Sophie still has issues sharing her toys, but she's doing pretty good.
Kyla is growing up way too fast. She's feeding herself her first teething cracker. She has two teeth now and the most stunned face you'll ever see in photos...haha.

New Years Day

2011-01-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

Originally we had planned to go sledding with my family. But it was really cold, so we went swimming instead. I didn't get any photos of anyone else, because I put my camera away before they showed up. Sorry...you'll have to deal with just looking at us.

Sophie loves swimming, but she likes to walk to the deep part and have to have Dustin save her. It's a tiring, and nerve-wracking game. Kyla just hung out with me most of the time. We stayed shallow and she splashed around.

We had a great new year and hope you all did too!

Finally...Christmas is posted.

2011-01-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

It's almost February and I'm finally blogging about Christmas...at least I finally got it done. Right?

Well Christmas this year was fabulous. We made it to Idaho through the crazy weather and bad roads to hang out with family, and celebrate the birth of our Savior. We tried explaining that we were having a birthday party for Jesus, but I don't know how well that sunk in this year.

The girls were absolutely spoiled from Grandparents and Santa. Sophie's favorite part of the day was when I dumped out the candy that was in her stocking. Arms started flapping and she was squealing with delight. (She got my sweet tooth)

Well here are some photos of the exciting events of the week...

Matching Christmas dresses for the girls. Thanks Grandma Jodi!

And here are some other December photos that I thought were funny...

Why do my kids always have this "stunned" look on their faces?

Siddoway Christmas

2010-12-20T20:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We are all moved in to our new place in Salt Lake, and waiting anxiously for the girls to get used to sharing a room, Sophie to be potty trained (today is day one. Only one accident!), Dustin's job to start, and Christmas to come! We made a little 'card' and most of you, if not all, who look at this blog (if anyone does) have already seen in via email or Facebook.

Just click on the link below, and have your self a merry little Christmas!

Siddoway Christmas

A long summer photo blog post

2010-11-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

To end summer officially on my blog I'm just going to do a recap of photos...cause I'm too far behind to blog each thing. This is me, Rebecca, Sophie and Dallin. We were up in Island park for Labor day. We went to West Yellowstone and hung out with family all day.

We took Sophie to the Carousel in Rexburg a few times. She loved it! Kyla hung out with her daddy and smiled. It seems like that's all she does. :)

Sophie playing at the splash park, although she didn't even get wet. She was afraid of it...maybe next year.
Daddy took Sophie canoeing on Grandpa and Grandma Siddoway's pond. They fed the fish, and paddled around. That was the first and last time she'd get in the canoe this summer.
Kyla hanging out in her chair.
Sophie loves to dress up and talk on the phone. She is turning into such a little girly girl.
Sophie loves to help me cook.
Sophie loves her baby sister!

We went to Bear Lake with our friends, the Nielsen's. They have a little girl, Kenna, just Sophie's age. They loved playing in the water and splashing around.

It was a fun summer. Since I've been in denial that summer is over, and it's almost winter, I guess it's time to say goodbye to the warm summer days.

Leaves

2010-11-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Fall! I still have some summer photos to blog, but I never seem to get around to them. Cause I like the new photos I have, so I blog those instead. :)

We went out the other day and played in the leaves. Sophie had a ball. She especially loved sitting in the back of the pickup truck while the leaves were piled in.
It's so hard to get a decent photo of these two together...*sigh*

Don't you just want to eat her chubby cheeks? I sure do!

Halloween

2010-10-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

I've officially been to a "trunk or treat." I'm not a fan. It was too rushed and all about the candy and not about dressing up and going to see people. hmm... I feel like they are good for people that live in scary area's and don't trust the people they live by. But in Rexburg, Idaho....I mean, come on. REALLY?! Next year we are doing real trick or treating.

Ok, it really wasn't THAT bad. We did have fun. Sophie loved getting the candy and putting it in her pumpkin. Once it got too heavy for her I asked her if I could help her carry it. A very curt "no" was the reply. She even found a new way to carry it herself (slinging it on her arm). Now we are just dealing with the after shock of finding out that her candy, in her pumpkin, isn't really hers.

Kyla just hung out the whole day. They are both such cute ladybugs...

People kept thinking that Kyla was a boy. They'd give Sophie a piece of candy and then hand her another and say, "Here's one for your brother." It was kind of funny, I mean who dresses their little boy up as a ladybug?!
Sophie loved dressing up. She kept calling herself a princess bug. She was so funny. She danced and "flew" around with her wings. We even worked on saying, "trick or treat" but all that she got was "treat," which I guess is the most important part anyway, right?

Big Girl

2010-10-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

When did my little baby grow up?

It's crazy how fast time flies.

Lately I have been doing better at my goal of taking more photos and video of my kids and family. I'm glad that my sister-in-law inspired me on those things after everything with Preslee happened. Ashley talked to me a lot about journal writing too. How important it is, even if we don't understand why right now. I used to write everyday, once upon a time, but I don't usually make time for it anymore. But I do want to remember the things that I didn't catch on video. I also want to make sure that I'm writing my spiritual progress down, and the things that I am learning about myself and my family. So I'm doing better at it.

You know, it was really hard for me to blog again after Preslee passed away. I didn't know what to say, I felt guilty that I had kids and that life continued, I still feel guilty sometimes. Maybe guilty isn't quite the right word. My heart still aches for Pat and Ashley and their loss, and I feel like maybe I shouldn't post what good times we are having or something. Life does go on, even for little Pres, but I still find myself wiping away tears when I think of it all. I'm sure many people do. I'm so thankful for the knowledge that we have, for what I believe. I just wanted to say that she is still part of our lives, even though she's not here on the earth. AND I want to thank all my family and friends that reached out to the Sullengers, or prayed for them, or even just followed their blog. I hope that what they have gone through has inspired you in some way. I hope that it has made you a better person. It's has me.

Sophie's Birthday

2010-10-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Sophie turned 2 on the 15th, and tonight we had her party. She was so excited all day long, we had pink balloons in the living room and she had a blast playing in them. She'll tell you that she's two when you ask, and adds that she's a big girl. It's pretty cute. The presents were put in a pile, but we made her wait until after dinner. She was so frustrated that she could have her presents, even though she didn't really understand what they were. Once we had her open one gift she went nuts! She was engrossed in her new toy until we brought her another gift, then she'd throw the one she was playing with and rush to the new one. It was pretty cute. She is so spoiled...just look and see!

She had an Elmo cake. Dustin and I made it, we should be professionals. :)

The Family photo in party hats

Opening gifts

Playing with the spoils from the evening.

Check out her princess shoes....

Grandma and Grandpa Siddoway

Grandma and Grandpa Hansen

Grandma and Kyla partying.

Sophie was so excited to have both sets of Grandparents there. She loves all of them. And a special thanks to my mom and dad for driving such a long way to see Sophie on her birthday! And I just want to say thanks for the cards and gifts. She's ones lucky little girl to have such a loving and caring family!

The Zoo

2010-10-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo over labor day...yeah, I'm far behind on blogging, I know. But we had a great time. It's funny, cause I'm not really a zoo fan but going with Sophie was so much fun! She was so cute, she ran from cage to cage to see the animals. It was worth it.

This girl climbs everything that is possible.

I love this photo. Soph couldn't resist running her hands along the fence.

We wanted to get the classic head in the Lion's mouth photo, but this is as close as she'd get. Maybe next year...

My favorite goat in the petting zoo...he's short.

The goat in the petting zoo starting eating my shirt....I'm not even kidding!!!

Camping

2010-10-01T20:31:00.001-07:00

I'm a little behind on posting. We went camping in August with my family up in Tony's Grove. Going camping has becomes a tradition every fall. We usually don't plan very well and after driving up the canyon and being frustrating that we can't find a camp site we end up right off the road in the last spot open. So we planned ahead, my sister got us a campsite and we were up in the mountains.

A few highlights from the trip:

The lake that was close by.

The pretty flowers.

Sophie exploring in the forest.

My cute nieces.

My sweet baby.

The "bear" that woke us up in the middle of the night growling....ok it was my dad, but we thought it was a bear. haha (no photo, sorry.)

My sister trying to break the dog bone in half with an ax.

And my mom attempting to snap it in half with her strong thumb muscles. (She has the STRONGEST thumb muscles you'll ever see. Ask her doctor. haha)

And of course we cannot forget our little Sophie's exciting adventure....

She climbed, and ran, and explored and fell down. Ate dirt, bled, got a fat lip, and spilled her hot chocolate all over her shirt. Maybe I'll just show you....

Poor girl. She had a rough morning. But at least life is NEVER boring with her around! :)

ps. I totally got the hot chocolate out of her shirt...thank you oxyclean!

A few photos

2010-09-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

A few summer pictures...

Our first family photo...sad, but true. Sophie loves being outdoors, at the park, running through the grass, and everything. I honestly think that she'd live outside if we let her.

I love this baby! She is so cute. I swear I have two of the cutest girls in the world. :)

PS. Dustin just asked me if I was blogging again to get my "mufasa hair" off the front page. ha. He loves my big hair, he just likes to make fun of it.

Big Hair

2010-09-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

The past 3 1/2 months I've tried to do my hair like I normally do. Straight. I always use a straightener because I have a natural wave in my hair. Sounds awesome but it's actually awful. It's not enough to do anything cute with, and if I don't straighten it my hair looks terrible.

Well now I can't do it straight, it won't straighten all the way, it's driving me CRAZY! So I finally decided it was time to embrace my new hair type. This new type is thanks to having two children and nursing them.

The best part is that Dustin walked into the bathroom and said, "This is your hair?!" Yes, it's my hair, no curling irons, no perm, no back-combing, nothin. Just my hair, gel, and a diffuser. Then he says, "Maybe you could pull some of it back or something." haha (I think it was actually a little bigger than this when he first saw it) I'm not offended, I have BIG hair, and I can't get it to go straight. I can only imagine what one more child will do to my hair.....luckily we won't find out for quite some time. ha

Anniversary time!

2010-08-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm already late posting this, and I don't have much time right now. So this will be quick. Dustin and I had our 3rd anniversary! Yay! He is still my best friend, and by far the most attractive man I know. :)

We went out for a few hours without the girls, wow haven't done that in a LONG time. It was awesome!

So here is to the man I am madly in love with.... I love you Dustin, you rock my world!!

(Yes, he has a beard now. If you read this Grandpa Wightman, I'd like you to work on getting rid of it for me. Thanks!)

Picture Post...it's a big one.

2010-08-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

I always hesitate to take pictures of my kids with my little camera, I'd like to take them with my big one. And I have always cringed a little inside when I post them. I'm weird, and I want all my photos to be "professional". But let's face it I'm a mom. I don't have time to grab my big SLR and capture every moment that I want to. I'd miss a lot if I did that. And honestly I've learned a lot from my niece Preslee's passing, and one of those things is to not be a photo snot and just take "normal" photos so I have photos and memories. Pat and Ashley were so good at taking photos of her, and they have inspired me.

So here some are....

Sophie loves to climb. Anything. Anywhere. in and out, up and down. She's crazy.

Kyla sitting up for one of her first times. She so small still.

I love when Kyla sleeps with her arms up, Sophie used to do the same thing. Love it.

Oh, sweet chubby/gummy smile!

We went to see Toy Story 3 in theaters. Sophie loved it, she laughed, yelled and had a great time.

Sponge curlers. Gotta love 'em.

don't you just love her?!

Everything is a horse to Sophie. She sits on a box and says "horse" and tries to rock it back and forth. She has also sat on the computer, and the arm of the couch. She loves horses.

Everything and more...

2010-08-06T19:50:00.001-07:00

Alisha (our blogger mamma) is always selflessly blogging about others in her life, never mentioning herself. Since today was a blog worthy day, and Alisha is out at a photo shoot, I thought I would try to beat her to the post. :)
Today I walked off of Utah State's campus for the last time as a student, having finished my last class of my graduate degree. Though the diploma may have my name on it, the real degree goes to my beautiful wife Alisha. She has worked and sacrificed 100 times more than I. My part was easy really....show up to class once in a while....pretend to listen to the professor....and then draw nice little pictures on the bubble sheet whenever it was test time.

On the other hand, Alisha did everything and more. Alisha has earned this graduate degree by:

Taking care of three children (two daughters under the age of two, and one 25 year old man child).
Running the household perfectly...keeping things clean and orderly and keeping our stomachs full with awesome home-cooked meals.
Continually proof-reading my papers, preparing and printing my presentation notes, and helping me study for exams.
Helped to provide by transforming a start-up photography business into a professional operation which competes with anyone in the state.
Did I mention the two children under two???? Not easy....(especially when dad's not able to be home very much).
And the most important...she did it all with a loving smile on her face. There were never complaints about the lack of money, or the small apartment, or a husband always gone. Alisha is a great example of selfless service. No wonder her daughters love her so much.

So congratulations to Alisha, the love of my life. And thank you for working so hard for the graduate degree! I love you Lishka!

2010-07-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

What has happened this week in our family can't be said better than it is on Pat and Ashley's blog. Sweet Preslee will always be missed, but we know it's not the end. I know Sophie and Preslee will continue to be partners in crime again someday.

We love you Pres

Pray for Cousin Preslee

2010-07-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Sophie's best friend and cousin Preslee is in Primary Childrens hospital right now. She drowned this weekend and is quite the little fighter, cause she's still hanging on. It's been a roller coaster of emotions for all of the family. Prayers are needed and the most important thing we can do for her. If you would like to help the family out financially a blog has been set up for donations. It would really help them out.

HelpSullengers.blogspot.com

For updates about Preslee:

patrickandashley.blogspot.com

Get to work

2010-07-08T08:31:00.001-07:00

Alright, I hate when people do this kind of thing and here I am doing it...yikes.

Dustin and I have decided that for the rest of the year we are going to try to go full time with my photography. He'll run the business aspect of things and I'll do the photos and editing. Makes sense, since it's more lucrative than his job right now...well, more lucrative if we can get the jobs. Dustin has not quit his job (we only take safe risks), and he only will if we can book enough jobs to really do this. We started Facebook campaigns and we are doing a giveaway, I am going to be in a bridal show in September, and we are trying everything to book more sessions. No, I am not asking you to book a session with me. (but you sure can if you like my work :) I am asking you to please help me out by telling people about me. If you know anyone that needs a photographer, throw my name out. If a friend or relative is engaged, or soon to be please throw my name out. And tell these engaged people that I am giving away an engagement session (two actually) for free on my blog. AlishaPhotography.blogspot.com

So come enter if you are engaged or tell them to come enter, and I guess you could even enter for someone that you know that will be getting married.

Thanks so much!!!

Oh hey, and if someone you refer to me actually books with me (have them tell me) then I'll give you a reward! (Cause it's awful nice of you to tell people about me) I will give you a free copyright if you book a session with me ($50 value). Or I'll take you out for ice cream if you prefer. So go, spread the word. I would greatly appreciate it, even if it's just a link to my photo blog or website, AlishaSiddoway.com, on your blog.

Cousins

2010-06-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sophie's cousin, Preslee, came to visit with her mom last week. Sophie usually has a hard time playing with other kids her age, but for whatever reason she does AWESOME with Pres. They run around and giggle like crazy, and they even share toys (sometimes). It's very cute. So after a day of playing at the park I finally got the camera out and took pictures of them.

First they took a bath...

Then they jumped on Sophie's bed...

And they sat together in the rocking chair...Aren't they cute?!

Sophie meets Baby Kyla

2010-06-09T11:31:00.001-07:00

To see a few more photos of baby Kyla go to my photo blog HERE

Sophie went home with Grandma and Grandpa Siddoway the weekend that Kyla was born. It was a great help to us, since we stayed in the hospital for three days. She came home on Monday May 31st and got to meet her baby sister, Kyla. She was so excited to be home, and we were excited to have her back...it was lonely without that crazy little girl.
She danced her way into the house and was very curious about her new baby. She held her and gave her kisses and pointed out her features (ears, eyes, mouth, nose, etc.). She calls her "Ky", looks for her every morning, wants to hold her at least once a day, and tries to share her toys and sippy-cup with her. It's very sweet.

Sophie picked up a two word phrase the morning after meeting baby Kyla. She said, while pointing to the bassinet, "Baby Back." Sophie loves to stand by the side of Kyla's bed and look at her. She's so demanding!! She loves to take and give Kyla her binki. She does have melt-downs occasionally, but it's really been much easier than I ever could have imagined. I know that there will be hard days having two children...probably very hard days...so I will enjoy the ease that I am having now with it, and gear up for tough days.
Kyla has been the perfect baby so far, she hardly cries, loves being held, isn't startled when Sophie breaks down crying, isn't loud enough (yet) to wake Sophie up at night, and is soooo cute. Her calm disposition is much different from the colicky, never sleeping, tense baby Sophie. It's a huge relief.I am so grateful for all the help that I've had in the last week and a half. Both of our parents have been wonderful, family members coming to visit and play with Sophie, meals brought by friends, family and ward members, phone calls of congrats (and blog comments). Everyone has been great...and I thank you all!!

Baby Kyla Update & More Pics

2010-05-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

We are still here in the hospital, enjoying the middle of the night wake-up calls and the wonderful cafeteria food (enter sarcasm here). Alisha is doing awesome. She's joined the club of old ladies who speed walk around the hospital halls. Alisha definitely models the hospital gowns better than any other woman here (no sarcasm here).

On a more serious note, Kyla is still in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, but is making awesome progress. They have finally taken her off oxygen and she's breathing on her own now! She has had a few rough moments, but overall is doing really well. We finally got to hold her last night for the first time and Alisha is now able to feed her. All the wires and tubes still make all of this a little difficult though. Here are some more pictures of the little sweetheart:

Kyla Siddoway

2010-05-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome Kyla into the world! She came this morning at 3:42, she was 6lbs 8oz and 19 1/2 inches long. She has big puffy lips and very proud parents. Sophie hasn't seen her yet since she's in the NICU for now, her lungs are having a little bit of a hard time, but she should be just fine once she figures out how to breath by herself.

Siddoway Family Pictures

2010-05-20T10:36:00.001-07:00

This photo makes me laugh every time I look at it, we all look so excited! haha! We are getting ready to jump(if you couldn't tell).

We had family pictures taken by my good friend and fellow photographer Brittany Cascio! She's awesome, you should check out her stuff. Here are some of my favorites from the day...

Someone remind me again, why I consented to have pictures taken when I'm 8 months pregnant!?!

Pat, Ash and Preslee

Grandpa and Grandma with the girls. I love their smiles, so cute!

Here's one of us in the air, after the squatting. :)

Preslee and Sophie (sophie using her classic 'please don't touch me' face)And Uncle Rhett with the girls. He's leaving on a 2 year mission for the LDS church next week. Good luck Uncle Rhett. We will miss you!!!

Hooded with a Masters

2010-05-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

So it's been a week since this event happened, but I finally got the pictures uploaded and so now I can post about it. Dustin walked for graduation. I am so proud of him, and all the hard work he has put into his education. He has two classes left this summer and he is officially done, and he'll have his Masters in Accounting!! He has worked hard through this program, working 20-30 hour work weeks, doing homework, and spending time with me and Sophie on top of it all. We try to stay out of his hair and let him get stuff done, but it's soooo hard, we just love having him home! He was a little worried about his grades this semester, because of all the juggling he did, but he pulled all A's. He's amazingly smart, and so dedicated. Alright, my gushing will stop now...onto the pictures! Excuse the lovely yellow/orange tint most pictures have. Those seats didn't make anything look good. blah.Dustin's proud parents celebrating with us. They came, along with his Ash and Pat (Dustin's sister and brother-in-law), and my parents. Sorry if you felt uninvited...we didn't mean to leave people out. We just thought you'd feel obligated to come to a very long and very boring (yet exciting)ceremony if we invited you, and we didn't want to MAKE you come. We still love you, and thank you for your support!
Congrats Dustin! I'm so proud of you!

In other news...I'm pregnant! Here I am, well my belly at least, about a month away! I am already starting to dilate, which I know doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I am excited because I never dilated when I was pregnant with Sophie. That made doctor appointments depressing and useless (in my opinion). So to find out that four weeks out and I'm starting is HAPPY news! Progress!

Check This Out...

2010-05-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is the new governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie. What a breath of fresh air in the current political environment. Lesson to all politicians: Say what you mean and mean what you say! I especially like what he says about the escape hatch:

Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone'

Idaho

2010-05-01T20:00:00.001-07:00

Dustin has been really busy with finals and getting ready for finals. I feel bad that he always has to go to campus to study, cause he can't get anything done at home between me and Sophie demanding his attention. :)My sister and her family were on their way to Rexburg last weekend for a wedding reception, so Sophie and I hitched a ride. We usually travel long distances at night (or nap-time) just because Sophie hates being the car. But this time it wasn't during one of those wonderful sleeping times. Poor thing. Thank goodness for Stephanie and the suckers she brought along! :)

We played hard for the few days we were there. Chasing the dog, wandering around the yard, going to nursery with Grandma, chasing the dog. (I'm bad at remembering to take pictures, so this is pretty much all we got)We played with cousin Preslee for a day too. I loved watching the two of them together, they are almost the same age (2 months apart), but they are so different (and cute)! Sophie, Preslee and Grandma. The girls loved that statue!

Cousin Preslee

Playing with sticks.

We had a fun weekend hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. Izzy-the dog-was by far the greatest highlight of Sophie's weekend (she loves Grandma and Grandpa too...but dogs beat all right now). Thanks for letting us come and play!! And thanks to my sister and her family for letting us bum a ride!

18 months

2010-04-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Where has my baby gone?! She's growing up so fast, which I guess is a good thing, since we have #2 on the way.

Anyway, here are a few things that she is doing these days, and I wanted to write them down so I don't forget them:
She requests bows be put in her hair in the morning.
First two syllable word (other than dada or mama) is 'Bubbles.' She loves the word so much that she just throws it out randomly.
She loves bath time, refuses to get out even after we've drained all the water.
Hugs my belly when I tell her a baby is in there.
Solemnly folds her arms and bows her head for prayers (usually lasts about 5 seconds)
Pants loudly when you ask her what a dog says.
Announces when anyone around is crying, and signs it too.
Eats a TON.
Jumps from the couch to her beanbag fearlessly.
Grabs Dustin's hand and walks down to her room to play.
Has to look in the mirror after dressing up.
Still calls Dustin 'mom' sometimes or me 'dad.'Loves being outside.

Sophie's trike, which she doesn't understand or have a desire to understand...yet.

Can you believe this was Sophie a year ago?
And the sunglasses still fit! She thinks they are funny now.Can I tell you how EXCITED we are about nursery?! Maybe now we actually listen to the lessons or feel the Spirit or something.

Petting Zoo

2010-04-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

My friend, Katie, and I took our girls to the petting zoo the other day. Highlights from the day included:
lots of animals
the baby lamb
the train ride
and most of all....a balloon
but I think her favorite animal was the cow. She didn't want to leave the pen.
We also went on a pony ride, which Sophie wasn't thrilled about until it started to walk. I think she was more concerned about her helmet falling off than anything else though.
Don't mind that messy face...I had to distract her while we waited in line for tickets, since she's so impatient. :)

Her friend, Kenna, in a bear mask right before we saw the baby bears.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T10:47:00.001-07:00

We had a good Conference weekend/Easter with our family. The day started out with an Easter egg hunt that the Easter Bunny deposited around the house. Sophie loved it!
Then we headed out to watch General Conference at my parents house, hang out with family, eat WAY too much food, and have another egg hunt with the cousins.

Cousin Hannah
Cousin Kenzie

Did I mention that my sister, Stephanie, and I are both pregnant and due within a day of each other?! I am due June 10th and she is due the 11th, but looking at her past record she'll have the baby weeks before me. bummer (for me). 10 weeks left! YAY!
And...we can't leave her out....Shaelynn (my younger sister) is getting married two weeks after our due dates! What an exciting month June will be!

New Website!

2010-03-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

I liked my photography website, the guys that made it for me did a great job. The problem was that I couldn't update it myself, and I felt bad constantly asking for changes to be made by it's creators. So I opted for a website that I can change to my hearts desire. It still is simple, like the previous one, but a few little differences. I like it!
So check it out and let me know what you think!!!

AlishaSiddoway.com

Wild Thing

2010-03-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

Here is our little wild thing (or she could pass for a Tasmanian devil...) When she takes her bows out this is what she looks like. And that cheesy grin is a new development, one that she does ALL the time.
She went crazy in the bathtub and was making such a mess splashing, but it was so funny that I just had to laugh and take pictures.

Here's what else we've been up to...

Sophie has way too much fun outside. She goes nuts when we let her wander around... it's going to be an interesting summer with her and a newborn. I love that she loves going outdoors, she makes that face you see above and makes monkey noises as she runs around. I laugh everytime. It really makes me wish I had a backyard for her to play in, but the parking lot will just have to do this summer.

The tragic fall that cut her hand open and ended parking-lot-play for the day.

Finally

2010-02-24T08:07:00.000-08:00

She has hair! Well, kind of. I was so excited to put two pigtails in her hair this morning. I know they aren't much, but it's a lot for Sophie. haha. (oh, and please ignore the uneven part, I am still working on how to keep her sitting still...any advice?)
p.s. we put up a poll of what gender you think our next baby will be...

Love of my life

2010-02-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition for V day, it just kind of happened, and I love it! We stay home and make a meal we normally wouldn't. Doesn't have to be expensive, just something new for us. This year we chose lobster tails. YUM! Plus, nothing beats being at home with the one you love the most!

It's so much fun to make dinner together and to have the end result be so fabulous! Dustin claims that next time we are buying the whole, live lobster and boiling it. I don't know how I feel about that. He'll probably have to do it all. It's not really my forte to see my food alive right before I consume it.Sophie cheesing it up for the camera.

I have a lot of fun with my little family, and I'm excited for our new addition! Here I am, large and in charge at 5 months, 4 days (but whose counting)!

Eating games

2010-02-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

Meals and snacks have become quite interesting at our house lately. My little miss has decided that she is a big girl, and that means no one can help her eat. at all. You can't even hand her the food. It needs to be placed in front of her (all of it, not just a piece). If she is handed anything, even a snack she shakes her head and says, "no." So snacks, like pretzels and crackers and such must be put in a baggie for her to carry around and pick out herself. Who is this girl?!?!
Chicken nuggets won't be touched unless she can 'dip' them in sauce. Same goes for pretty much any finger food. I was pretty sure that this kind of thing didn't happen until later....like 8 months later! She makes me laugh, cause she is so particular about things.
Today I watched her carry her pretzels from the kitchen to the living room one at a time, where they were placed in a row and then taken back to the kitchen one at a time. I'd love to know what she thinks she's accomplished.
She also announces when someone has finished their food by yelling "gone!" repeatedly while looking at them trying to get their attention. Maybe she thinks she's the only one that noticed and she better help out. I dunno, but she's pretty funny!

Over the Hills We Go

2010-01-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am pregnant, sorry for any confusion. :) I am due the 10th of June , so I am almost half way (I think. I haven't been to a doctor yet, Friday is my first time) woo-hoo!! I have been ignoring the fact that I am pregnant as much as possible(not because I don't want the baby or it wasn't planned or anything), it seems to be helping it go by pretty quick. I would like a boy this time, just so I can see the differences... and he'll be tougher so he can handle Sophie beating him up, but I will be more than happy with another girl too.

Here is where you can get angry with us...we aren't going to find out what we are having. We didn't with Sophie, and it was fun! I could give a million other little reasons for not finding out (nothing medical of course, just opinion), but I won't bore you. You can find out with your children and that's great, it's just something we like to not do. I think it's a boy, and Dustin thinks it's a girl (it was the exact opposite last time around).

I am feeling fine, just growing pains every now and again. My belly popped out just last night (I kid you not!). Which I was hoping wouldn't happen for a little longer, but hey, it's my second baby, it was bound to happen sooner.

Ok, now that you've had your pregnancy update and questions answered...onto the real post

On New Years day we spent time with my side of the family. We took the girls sledding, and while her cousins were having a blast Sophie was indifferent (go figure). I took pictures most of the time, because that's what I like to do, but Dustin did get me to go down with him a few times.
After we'd had enough of the snow we had homemade hot cocoa at my sisters....yum!
Anyway, here are some photos!Dustin rode down the hill on the baby sled, and totally biffed it at the bottom. He thought it was funny, but Sophie just cried when it happened.

Grandma Vickie going down the hill with Hannah. Hannah isn't a fan of sleds, but really enjoyed going down on her bum.Mike and Steph

This is the shot of Sophie looking the most pleased, which isn't much. She just stared with that famous blank stare the rest of the time.

2009-12-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

Big sister in training:

(Yes, this is an announcement! No, that is not our baby, it's her cousin.)

Pretty

2009-12-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

Sophie got a Christmas dress from her Grandma Jodi, and every time she wears it she gets a pleased look on her face and runs to the mirror to check herself out. She's definitely a girl!!We've been practicing smiling for photos, since we usually get the stone face, and she's doing really good! :)

We spent our Christmas holiday in Idaho with Dustin's family. We had a great time at the family parties and spending time with people we love. We love Christmas!
One perk of having a very small child on Christmas is that Grandpa Trent can't get us up at 5:00am to start the festivities. Thank you Sophie!
Sophie was spoiled and got toys, and bows, and books. But her favorite gift was the rocking chair that Santa brought.She looks so big, I can hardly stand it!

Here a few pictures from the rest of the Christmas eve party and morning....Preslee really liked Sophie's buttons.

Dad and Sophie

Grandpa Trent got an awesome hat in the white elephant gift exchange (too bad someone stole it from him later that night)

Uncle Mark taking a picture of his new baby in Uncle Greg's arms.

Coming down to see the spoils.

Grandma and Grandpa Siddoway

Dustin with our 72 hour kit. Awesome gift!

Uncle Rhett got luggage cause he's going on a mission this next year!

Crafty Sh-mafty

2009-12-03T12:12:00.001-08:00

I have these secret ambitions that pop up once in a while to be the cute-crafty housewife. You know, like sew a cute dress for Sophie or make all sorts of things from the Makeitandloveit site. Luckily they only come in spurts.

I saw this wreath on Nannygoat, and I knew I had to have it. It was so cute. I needed this. I followed her instructions of buying my ornaments at the dollar store, and bought various sizes and textures. The wreath was so easy to make, everyone should have one. (Now I just need to work on my bow making skills.)

Merry Christmas!

Owie

2009-11-27T09:37:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving, good food, good family, good times! The day before however....
Sophie had an accident. Grandpa and Grandma Siddoway have a glass fireplace and Sophie, being the curious little bug she is, had to put her hand on the glass to get a better look. Ouch! We ran it under cold water hoping for the best, but soon the blisters appeared and it was obvious that she was in excruciating pain. Poor baby.

We took her to the ER where they drugged her up pretty good and bandaged her little hand. They are pretty sure it's only 2nd degree burns. We've had to go back for treatments the last two days and who knows for how much longer. She's adapted to having one hand quite well, but I think it's throwing off her balance.
I feel so bad for her!

Fort Night

2009-11-23T09:04:00.001-08:00

We love it when dad is home to play, he's so much fun! He made a fort and Sophie was automatically in love with it (but you can't tell from the pictures, cause every time she see's the camera she gets that 'deer-in-the-headlights-look' haha)!

The fort in all it's glory

Sophie Hugs

2009-11-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

After getting every sickness that is going around this season, (I really think we've had them all) we are finally better! I don't know if it was being sick that changed Sophie's personality or that she is just exploring her loving side more... but she is cuddly, and gives hugs to us all the time, and to her little friends. She puckers for kisses now and is so sweet. I like it.
Sometimes her loves are expected, and sometimes they are a surprise. Poor Kenna didn't know what to think about loves from Sophie...

Anyway, It's cold now, and I thought I'd show off her super cute winter boots and coat... wish I could find me some boots like that.
They are a little big still, but that way they'll last all season...hopefully.

Poodlie Doodlie

2009-10-31T15:11:00.001-07:00

Sophie was a pink poodle for Halloween, thanks to Grandma Jodi who found the costume for her. She was so cute with her chubby little cheeks!
Dustin's work had a trick-or-treat night and Sophie really didn't understand how this was supposed to work. She would take the candy out of the bowl and put it back in. It was pretty funny.
She made a friend there, the scariest dressed person, and she loved her!

My Baby is One!

2009-10-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

Sophie turned 1 on the 15th. It's been a whole year, and she still doesn't have hair...
Here are a few pictures from our fun parties. She was spoiled rotten by all the Grandparents (Thanks for the presents!) and she loved the attention, and being able to play with her cousins. She didn't really eat the cake at the first party, she kind of just squished it in her hands. But the second party she got a little more into it.

this is her "mad" face. It's one of my favorites.

A few fun facts about what Sophie does now:
She signs "Dad", "Dog", "Bird", "Milk", "Eat", "More", and "Ball"
She is walking ALL the time, and she is so proud of herself for it!
She loves her daddy. She get's so excited to see him when he comes home and she cries when he leaves for school or work.
She has a biting problem...any suggestions? "Problem" as in- bites when she is mad, wants attention, or just need some stimulation I guess. I dunno.... do I bite her back? Oh, and she is still a "beaver" gnawing on her crib...drives me mad!
She is crazy, but she's also a lot of fun. I love that little girl and I can't believe it's been a year, but thank goodness it has!

Some REALLY Good News

2009-10-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

I know I still need to post about Sophie's Birthday, which was last week, but Dustin has the pictures on his laptop that he is currently using. But I am dying to blog about this good news...

If you read earlier then you know that Dustin has been in recruiting season here. The Accounting firms do all interviewing about a year in advance for jobs and internships. It has been a crazy semester so far, Dustin had lots of events (which I went to with him), interviews, and several second interviews too. He drove to Salt Lake five times in two weeks...not a fun drive from the valley.
Dustin really wanted to start his career working for one of the "BIG FOUR." If you are unfamiliar with who the "BIG FOUR" are, they are the top four accounting firms in the nation. Starting your career with one of them opens a lot of doors down the road for really good jobs.
Well....
We got a call back one night, letting us know that Dustin was officially being offered a JOB (not an internship) with the #1 firm in the nation!!!!! (according to Business Week)
He's amazing! So, naturally, we are accepting it, and he'll start when he is finished with his Master's degree. The firm is Deloitte, and he'll be working in Salt Lake City. We are both so excited, we can hardly wait. Dustin really liked the people at the firm, and I really liked everyone I met too. I am so proud of him, he's such an amazing man! Yay Dustin!

A Case of the Giggles

2009-10-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sophie can get really silly when she's tired, and I got proof of it! I know it's kind of long, but about half way through she get's really funny.
She holds a piece of mail up in my face, and I move my head out of the way while blowing. I love it when she gets like this!

Happy Apple

2009-09-27T11:11:00.013-07:00

Last night we had a unexpected visitor come knocking on our door. With a gift bag in his hands, Jerry, one of our neighbors gave Sophie a "Happy Apple." He told us that these aren't made anymore, and one found in mint condition is valued at about $50.00 (ours in not in mint condition, visible in the picture posted, but still a very nice and thoughtful gift). Jerry doesn't have any family, so he said that he likes to remember other peoples birthday's and give gifts now and again.
It was very kind of him, and now Sophie is a proud owner of a vintage "Happy Apple" toy.

Food Fight

2009-09-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up my younger sister sat across the dinner table from me. One night, while eating dinner, we were joking about throwing potato's at each other. I actually got the courage up, with my parents still sitting there, and I scooped up potato's on my spoon, turned it towards her, and flicked it! The potato's made a direct hit on her cheek, score! She was furious and started to bawl. I thought it was funny. I don't remember what my parents did, but I'm sure that I was in trouble.

Sophie had potatoes tonight for dinner. She didn't even feed herself, and she doesn't have a sibling to fling them at her, yet somehow she managed to get food all over herself. Amazing. She likes to play with her food... and there is no stopping her even if it's already in her mouth. I try to squelch this new habit, but no such luck. So instead I get to laugh at Sophie while she has a food fight with herself.

A Little Bit of Everything

2009-09-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

This is the fountain at a wedding that I shot last Saturday. I captured it with a very fast shutter speed to freeze the drips in mid air. I love how it looks like rain. fun!

Blogging has definitely taken the back burner in life right now. I apologize in advance, since this will be a long post.
Sophie is now 11 months old, and she's so much fun. I used to help her touch her "touch-and-feel" books, but now she takes my finger and rubs it on the texture. Adorable. Sophie had a record number of steps yesterday, 13 (in a row) to be exact! She finally learned how to clap two days ago (we tried to teach her before, she's just too stubborn to let us move her arms.) She has a fake laugh, which also sounds like a fake cough, it's my favorite. She will join in laughing with us. She loves peas, and won't eat beans anymore. Cold cereal for breakfast is her all time favorite meal of the day. I love that little girl!

Dustin is in the thick of recruiting season here. Every week he has some event that he will (or we) go to. He meets the firms, puts in an application for either a job or an internship, and sets up interview times. It's been fun, and hopefully something comes of it all. I'll keep you updated...

I have been busy, very busy, taking pictures and editing shoots. I come up on the first page of "Google" if you are looking for a photographer in my area. Dustin somehow got me on there, he's amazing. I feel very blessed to be able to do what I love, and still be a mom. Even though sometimes I wish that the only thing I did was mom stuff... but it's good to have a hobby :)

These frames are what Dustin and I put together this last week. His Aunt Nicci supplied the supplies... I painted them... Dustin put the plexi-glass in place... and I glued the embellishments on. I like them... although I kind of wish I had painted them white. I don't know why, but I do. (pardon the angle... I was trying to get a shot without a glaring light that was reflecting from across the room...and I was too lazy to go cover the mirror with something.)

Bucky Beaver

2009-08-24T09:24:00.001-07:00

This morning I noticed that something had been destroying my furniture. I was perplexed and wondered what on earth could be scratching things up like that. Must be a beaver or something... oh yeah... Sophie has her top teeth and likes to chew on things....
Help! How do I stop this?!?!?!

Two Years

2009-08-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was our two year wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast it went, and yet how it seems like we've been together forever (in a good way, of course). When we were sealed in the Temple our Sealer told us to go back and do sealings on every anniversary. It's a special thing, and I love doing it. This year we were able to go back to the Temple that we were sealed in. Then on a hot date afterward... thanks to Grandma Vickie for coming to watch Sophie.

I am glad that I have such a good husband and father of my baby. He's amazing.

Another great anniversary celebration was that Dustin got a job! He was looking for a part time job, since he starts his graduate studies soon. It was harder than both of us imagined, but with a little help from a friend and some awesome interview skills (and help from above) he nailed it! It was a good day! I look forward to the many years to come!

The Zoo Park Thing

2009-08-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

We went to the Zoo Park last week with Avery (Dustin's cousin) and her little family. We had a lot of fun. First we had some fried chicken and potato salad (doesn't get any better than that), and then we headed off to see the animals. I would post pictures of the animals that we took, but I think you all know what monkey's and ducks look like... at least I hope you do!

Avery, Avah and Wes checking out some monkey's.

Ok, so I posted one animal, even though I am pretty sure you all know what it looks like, but I thought the Bald Eagle was pretty cool. It's a pretty cool shot by my fabulous husband, Dustin.

Avah and Sophie loved the pheasants, they were very bright.

Then we went to the swings, which ended up being the highlight for Sophie (other than dinner).

I thought these last two pictures were sweet. Dad's pushing their little girls on the swings. awh!

Family Pictures

2009-08-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

It was time for family pictures, and I'm a photographer....so we decided to give it a try and I'd take the pictures and photoshop myself in....
What do you think?
Dustin took this one, obviously I wasn't going to photoshop myself in. He did a great job, don't you think!?

Check out the photo blog for more!

Adventures

2009-08-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

This last week has been very exciting for us. We moved to Utah, where the days are hot and so are the nights. We have a fabulous apartment that has Hobo spiders (not fabulous). Yuck. I hate spiders. So we bombed the place. no, we didn't blow it up, we did a bug bomb to kill everything living in here. So we'll see if anything else shows up. I will post pictures of our apartment soon (I still need to take some).

Dustin is currently job hunting, but I think he'll find something soon. At least I hope he will. But I am loving the time that we get to spend together right now.

Our ward is pretty awesome. We attend in one of the oldest building in town, it's pretty cool. Relief Society is hilarious. All the old women sit on the very back row, and whenever someone reads a quote or answers a question they make it known that they can't hear. So most people end up walking to the front to use the microphone. They have a saying here about the make-up of the wards..."Nearly dead and newly wed" ours is kind of like that with some exceptions.

Sophie is growing up fast. She discovered the joy of knocking blocks over, and trying to catch mom and dad's tongues. (she even tried to bite them.)
She gave up the worm crawl for real crawling. I'll have to post a video of that, it was pretty funny. But you'll have to watch this one instead... it's her laughing as she tries to catch a tongue.

9 months

2009-07-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

Sophie is 9 months now. She's healthy and not a chubby as I thought. She weighs 19.6 lbs (63%), her head is 17.5 inches (hasn't grown at all in the last 3 months, putting her also in the 63rd percentile.) and she is 29 inches tall (93%).
She lives for food. If anyone attempts to eat something in front of her without sharing, then life is over. She eats EVERYTHING. We gave her a tiny piece of a pickle to see what she would do. She didn't even pull a face, she ate it and smacked her lips. She got her dad's taste buds, cause he likes everything too.
She has recently given up the worm crawl (which looked like the dance move called "the worm"), and has moved on to real crawling. I'm glad, cause now her clothes will be cleaner in the belly area, and she will learn how to read and she won't be a criminal... or something like that.
She pulls up on everything, and has started to babble a ton. She says her m's, b's, d's, and y's. She's so much fun, and so curious!

It's up!

2009-07-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in a while.... I haven't even really checked anyone else's. Sorry. We've been moving and it's been crazy... I could find a million excuses, but it doesn't change the fact that I TONS to blog about still.... and I will. But right now I wanted to let you know that my website is finished! I want to thank Trevor Erikson, Joe Anderson, and Tyler Moss for making the site for me. These guys have some awesome talent when it comes to web design. It's a great website:

The guys did an awesome job... so check it out... http://www.alishasiddoway.com/ (or click on picture above) and let me know what you think!

Spoiled

2009-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dustin and I went apartment shopping this weekend, in anticipation for our move. The first place we went to wasn't bad, but it was far from everything, and a little ghetto, but nothing that we weren't used to. :) The price was right though. We ventured on looking at apartments and sizing them up to the first one that we checked out. Some places hadn't even vacuumed the carpet, or they had strange smells to them...gross.
Then we found a sign on the side of the road... FOR RENT. we called the number and got the details and the apartment number. It took my breath away (which isn't hard to do, since my only specification for an apartment was TWO bedrooms.). It had new carpet, new tile, tons of windows, and it felt like a home almost, compared to what we are living in now. Don't get me wrong. It is still an apartment, but talk about an upgrade!
Another couple walked in the door to see the place, so we left and called the owner. We signed up, and got it since the owner liked us. She told us that she already had two applications in, but she wanted to rent to us. sweet!
We went back to the apartment to check out what we had just gotten ourselves into. You know, just to double check.
I have a kitchen twice the size of what I have now. including a dishwasher, disposal, and.... this is exciting.... not one, but TWO lazy susans! I am so spoiled!
And TWO bedrooms! No more rolling the port-a-crib into the living room at night. And I have a washer and dryer!
And the best part is... it isn't costing us anymore than what we pay right now. amazing.

Cabin Fever

2009-06-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

Lisa B. one of my first friends ever (we might have been around 3 years old or younger when we starting playing together) came to visit us a few weekends ago. We went up to the cabin since it is a little roomier than our one bedroom. go figure.
It was fun to catch up with an old friend. We probably hadn't talked for maybe 7 years and then a few months ago we got in touch with each other again. Good story. sigh.

Sophie loved the cabin, she was loving it so much that she wouldn't sleep. it was too new and too exciting for her. Boy, oh, boy was it exciting. Dustin fried his arm hair off starting the grill. His arm hair was stinky after that. He was lucky he still had eyebrows :)

Why is it that men seemed to be fascinated with fire?! haha
And of course I couldn't not post a million photos of Sophie....

This is my favorite. She looked back right when I took the picture. Too bad you can't see it that well.

She loved the water. It was mesmerizing for her, but then again, a lot of things are :)

Little Munchkins

2009-06-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Don't you just want to squeeze them all?!
Playing at the park is so fun with company! Just look how happy they all are. I just wish we could go together more often, but working around baby schedules can be difficult. Especially when we are transitioning from 3 to 2 naps a day.

Summer Fun!

2009-05-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

I had to buy Sophie a new swimming suit, because she already outgrew her other one. The only thing that I could find was 18 months. I got it anyway, hoping, praying and crossing my fingers that it would work. It fits great. My child is huge. haha!

I gave Sophie a taste of my Popsicle... bad idea. She ate the whole thing.

Sophie plays with Addie these days. They go swimming, and to the park and swinging. She has lots of fun playing with her. I hope she'll show Sophie how to crawl... but I kind of think it's a lost cause. And I think Sophie looks like a pirate, or something, in this last picture.

Oh yeah, if you haven't seen my new sister-in-law.... click this link here!

Oh yeah again, we decided on a school for Graduate studies. We are going to Utah State.

See Sophie. See Sophie Excited. Shake Sophie Shake!

2009-05-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

Sophie has a quark...when she gets excited, she shakes intensely. Things that make her shake include food, seeing herself in the mirror, babies, food, animals, people paying attention to her, and food. Check her out:

The Mother of All Mother's Rooms

2009-05-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

The first time I walked into the Mother's room in our church building I was expecting maybe 3-4 chairs. When I turned the corner I saw this and almost laughed out loud! 12 chairs! It's the greatest thing in the world, and amazingly most chairs are filled most of the time. Gotta love the married student wards.

Maybe

2009-05-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

Bedtime: 8:00 pm
Wake up crying: 12:00 am
Fall back asleep: 12:15 am
Wake up crying: 3:00 am
Fall back asleep: 3:10 am
Wake up crying: 4:30 am
Fall back asleep: 4:50 am
Wake up crying: 7:00 am

Sophie has been doing this for the last 3 nights. I am a zombie. Even if I don't get up, it still kills me. My head hurts, my eye is twitching(which always makes me laugh for some reason). When I finally fall asleep for a nap she wakes up from hers.
This morning I found the culprit. Until now it was just a bunch of "maybe's":
1. she recently has decided to roll over every time I lay her down. So maybe it was that she doesn't like being on her stomach. maybe.
Or 2. she could be teething. maybe.
Or 3. she is sick, and her stuffed nose is preventing her from getting a good nights rest. maybe.
Don't you love the "maybe" of being a mom. Since you really don't know what is going on in that little persons body or head everything is a maybe.
But when I stuck my finger in her mouth this morning I found it. a tooth. It already broke through, which would explain the nights of pain. I guess I thought it would take longer.
I was so happy to see it though! I might, just maybe, know what is going on now!

Another Wedding

2009-05-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

I photographed another wedding this last weekend. I was more nervous for this one, because I was only photographing the wedding, I didn't really know their personalities very well. It just made me nervous!
I got to the Temple in plenty of time, and there were FOUR weddings all pretty much at the same time. Yikes.
Since I just started my "business" I don't really have tons of equipment, or a crew or anything. I pretty much looked like a friend with a nice camera waiting for her friend to come out of the building. My confidence would have been shot, except for some great advice that a photographer gave me once. He said, "it's not the camera, but the photographer that makes the shot." True (to a point, a point and shoot can't do what an SLR can).
I plan on getting more equipment as I get more jobs. It was good fun, and the Hill's were a fun couple. Check out a few of the wedding shots HERE

6 months

2009-04-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

Stats
Weight: 17.4 lbs 76%
Height: 26.5 in. 75%
Head: 17.5 in 93%

So the height is actually wrong. The nurse put her on crinkled up paper and mark her head and foot, then she straightened it when she measured. I know Sophie isn't that tall, her 'capri's' are all pants. I love my chubby girl!

A Trip to Moscow...

2009-04-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Moscow, Idaho. Not Russia, unfortunately. The University of Idaho is trying to recruit us (well, Dustin) to go to Grad school. They told us they would pay our way up there, get us a Hotel and show us around campus. We took off right after tax season ended (Dustin was working for an accounting firm) and drove up. It took about 10 hours to get there, and Sophie was an angel. It was a miracle. literally.
I was impressed to see a 0 exit. You don't see those everyday! (Dustin thinks I'm totally a dork for this picture)

We drove through Montana, and I totally agree...they have BIG SKY there! It felt huge, and I'm not being sarcastic. see for yourself.
Moscow was much like where we are living right now. Small college town, farms all around it. The University was really good to us, taking us to dinner and paying for things for us. It was really fun to be pampered like that. They are offering us free graduate school, and a job for Dustin while he studies. Sweet deal.
We couldn't give them a decisive answer though, we aren't sure yet. We need to visit the Utah State this week and see what they are offering us. Then we need to weigh our options, try to figure out where we want to work after grad school and then fast and pray about it. Unfortunately we are both indecisive... so we'll see how we are feeling about things after this weeks trip.
While we were there we got to hang out with our friends... Curtis and Jenny! While Dustin was off being shown around Jenny and I hung out. They were both great to us, but Jenny especially. She keep me entertained and I had a great time!
We attempted our first batch of cake balls (if you visit this link remember not to judge us, it was our first time!) They were yummy!I wanted to shout out to Curtis and Jenny and say thanks again for everything! You guys rock!

Answer

2009-04-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are curious....the answer to the previous post is B. She is wearing Dustin's hat. Yes, he has a furry hat. He served his mission in Russia, and they wear shopka's (furry hats). I thought she was cute in it, and I wish she had hair like that.

Quiz Time!

2009-04-08T08:07:00.001-07:00

Alright.... the big question is What is happening in this picture?

a) Sophie decided it was time to grow some hair, so wa-la!

b) She is wearing Dustin's hat.

c) I did this in Photoshop.

d) we got a cat, and it likes to curl around her head and sleep there.

2009-04-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

I shot a wedding today! I wasn't nervous until I woke up and saw that it had already snowed 4-5 inches and that it wasn't letting up...I mean, I knew it was going to snow, but I hadn't planned for THAT MUCH snow. Yikes!
So her mom asked if I was just going to take "one or two pictures." I smiled and when she left we stayed out for about an hour :) I couldn't only take 1 or 2. It was their wedding day for crying out loud!
I think we got some fun ones, and the snow made it much more beautiful than it would have been! I will probably get them posted in the next few days, if you want to check them out they'll be on my photo blog soon.

Who Are These People In My Bath Tub?

2009-03-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

We went to Green Canyon last night, where the pool is heated by natural hot springs. Now don't go getting too excited all you people from my home town, it's equivalent is the good old Clearfield pool (which was actually evacuated once because of...well, never mind. ok, it's not that gross, it's just old and slightly moldy looking.)

Well Sophie loved the water. We thought she'd be a spazz and splash like crazy, but she was totally chill. Maybe it's cause she's a little under the weather. It probably felt good to sit in warm water, I like it when I don't feel my best.
She is a people watcher, and the whole time she just watched and got prune-like.
Her little swim-suit was the envy of all the other babies, thanks Grandma Jodi!

And this is the only picture that we have of the three of us since we blessed her. Sad huh?

Why on Sunday?

2009-03-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Why does my child have to blow out of her diaper on Sunday? Why ONLY on Sunday? And why ALWAYS during church? You would think that it would be like any other day of the week, but no. There must be some kind of training in the pre-existence for this kind of behavior. Or maybe it's just her "natural man" tendencies... and this is how she expresses that she doesn't want to go to church...
I just finished changing her outfit for the 4th time today due to a major blow out. Gross.

Food Storage

2009-03-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

These days I don't have too many obligations that arise, so I stay at home most of the time. And I love it. Well I made plans with a friend to go the cannery and can potatoes (I know, sounds weird, right?). The night before we went I had a hard time sleeping. You know those dreams that you missed your alarm and you aren't ready when they come to get you. I hate those. Then I would wake up every few hours just to check the clock. I hate that also.

Well, truth be known... I had never even seen a cannery building in my entire life. Pathetic, I know.
The reason that I decided to go was because I have been feeling the weight of the Prophets council to have food storage on my shoulders. At least 30 days is the council for students.
I guess I kind of always looked at the food we bought as being food storage, since we bought about a month or two at a time. And that is about all the room we have in our little apartment. But the more I thought about it, I decided that it wasn't going to cut it. I needed something that was going to be there even after we'd eaten through our grocery supply. I'm talking REAL emergency stuff.

So I went and canned. It was a long morning, especially after my sleepless-dream filled night. But I had a good time. I was amazed at all the things that you could get at the cannery. I was feeling self-reliant, I canned my own potatoes! (now what I will do with canned potatoes is still a mystery. If you have any fabulous ideas then let me know. Potato salad was a good one I heard of.)

On top of those lovely potatoes (at least they weren't pickled potatoes, yuck.) I got some powdered milk, rice, potato flakes (it was a potato day), and dried apples. I feel like I almost have enough for a month. I think. We may be eating potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but hey- we have food!
I guess I'm so proud of myself that I thought I'd let you all know about it!

Yummy!

2009-03-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Sophie has a very demanding personality. If you've met her, you probably know. She doesn't like to be left out of things (like meals) for the most part. So we solved the problem by putting her in the bumbo seat and letting her join us. She was totally happy with this, then we started rice cereal.
After eating a few times from a spoon she's learned that what goes in your mouth is food. And she is always opening her mouth and reaching for things that we obviously aren't going to share with her.
Grandma and Grandpa Hansen came to town to visit this weekend. They thought her interest in food was hilarious, so Grandma (being the wonderful spoiler that she is) offered her what she had in her glass. It was just water, so big deal.
No one thought she would really drink it, but here is the video to prove that she did and that she liked it.

Here is another video to show her excitement when it comes to food.

Warm Weather, Where Are You?

2009-03-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

With not much to do around here, (except nap and eat) we busted out the sunglasses anticipating the arrival of warm weather!

2009-03-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

Do I even need to say anything?

The Government Run Post Office

2009-02-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

I sent my camera to Canon. I paid to have it tracked. A few days later I decided to see if my camera had made it to it's destination. The message I got was this, "Undeliverable as addressed. Package being sent back if appropriate information is available."

I was disgruntled that it hadn't made it, but didn't think that it was the Post Offices fault. Maybe I gave the wrong address, or maybe Canon gave me the wrong address. A number of things could have happened. So I waited for it to come back to me so I could investigate the problem. A week later, nothing came. I'm still waiting.

I was about to call and find out where my camera was, but I got a letter in the mail from Canon. They told me that they have fixed my camera and I should have it in 7 days. What? I mean, that's great news! I was just so confused. I had paid to have delivery confirmation and USPS was telling me that they couldn't deliver it?

That's the Government for you....

I called in this morning to ask if they knew where it was, just to see what they would tell me. They said it was being held for 14 days, but I should have my package back by the 7th of March. I will be interested to call back after the 7th and ask what on earth happened to my package. I also insured it. So if they can't find it then they will owe me the amount that I insure it for? I wouldn't do that, because I know where my camera is, but they have no idea. Talk about accountability. Oh, but nothing will happen, no questions will even be asked, because all workers are protected by Unions.

And this country wants government run banks and health care? Can you imagine?

"Where is my money that I deposited a week ago?"

Banker: "We aren't sure, it says here that it was undepositable as entered. But I'm sure that it'll come back to you in 15 days."

"Doctor, where is my prescription that you said you'd call in for my life threatening disease?"

Doctor: "We aren't sure, our files indicate that it was un-call-in-able. Call back in 15 days to see if it's gone through yet."

I tell you what, it all may sound great to have free medical care. But I have a proposition for you.... go to any country that has socialized medicine, (oh, I know that's not what we are going to do here. It's called something else, but in reality it's the same thing) try to get some health problem taken care of. Come back and let me know how you liked it. They'll probably tell you that they have to get the governments permission before giving you any drugs to fix the problem you are having.

Maybe it's because I've seen it first hand (and even lived it somewhat) and it's not great. In fact, it's not good.

Have you ever noticed that if people need serious medical attention they come to the United States!? Well they do, from Canada, England, France, Russia. You name it, they come here. But we are going to do what they are all doing. Fabulous. I can hardly wait.
Sorry for the venting. It just makes me mad.

2009-02-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

My brother got married this last weekend! We never thought it would happen, cause he's a little strange (and no one else in my family is). But he found a lovely girl that we really like, Pam, and somehow convinced her to join the family. They got married in Nebraska, on a very cold yet snowless day. I am now going to steal a quote from my sisters blog about the wedding, "Jared was resplendent in a white tux, and of course he had a cane. We were all surprised he chose white. If I remember correctly, lime green and frilly was his favorite for my wedding. :)" Shae found a fabulous hat for the event. We took cool pictures of it, but they are on her camera. It was an Audrey Hepburn type of hat, as you can kind of see. It was awesome.And here is the mustache picture. Yes, Stephanie is hilarious, feel free to laugh at her! Welcome to the family Pam!

2009-02-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! This is Sophie speaking. I was kind of bored so I thought I would jump online and let you know how my weekend has been going. If you didn't hear, mommy's brother Jared got married today, so mommy left on a plane to Nebraska Thursday and won't be home until Sunday night. I couldn't believe my own mommy would leave me all alone with my daddy like that, but she did... It's alright though, we've been dealing with her absence ok. In fact, today went really well:

First daddy dressed me:

Then dad fed me breakfast:

Then dad let me drive into town all by myself:

So, as you can see, me and dad have had a pretty good weekend...good food, great entertainment, and not even a problem with diaper rash. However, I'm totally ready for mom to come home. As much as dad tries to be cool, he doesn't even compare to my mom. She is the perfect mother. She always knows what I need, she is always completely patient with me (and with daddy), and she always feeds me as soon as I get hungry in the middle of the night (unlike dad who requires me to scream loudly for at least 10 minutes just to get him to wake up). So come home soon mom, I miss you!!!

2009-02-18T17:57:00.000-08:00

Sophie had her four month visit to the doctor today. I was dreading it, since the last time she went to the doctor she screamed the whole time. And after getting shots she cried for two days afterward. Not to mention that it made me sad for her.
This visit was completely different though, she smiled at the nurses and enjoyed looking around the room we were in. I had also drugged her up on tylenol before we went, hoping that it would help. The nurses came in, commented on how happy she was, and then ended her happiness with shots. When her face turned bright red the nurse said, "she's not so happy anymore!"
To my amazement she stopped crying after I picked her up. She did such a good job! She's been a really good baby all day long...weird.
As for percentiles, (since life revolves around them when you have a baby), she is in the 59th for height, 56th for weight, and 39th for her head size. She's shrinking, she used to be in the 95th for height.

Pay It Forward

2009-02-18T08:29:00.001-08:00

"The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me during this year. When and What will be a surprise. There's a small catch though....Post this same thing on your blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift."

So fun! I got this from my sister, and I thought it was such a great idea. Post quickly friends!

Timber!

2009-02-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

Since all I really do anymore is spend time with Sophie that's all I have to blog about! Ok, so it's not ALL I do, just mostly.
Valentines day was fun, Dustin didn't have to work which is the best thing ever! We spent the day together doing romantic things (like laundry). But really, we made a new chicken recipe that my Grandma sent me...yum! Dustin was naughty and got me chocolates (we weren't doing gifts this year), but I love them and him! He's waaay to good to me.
Back to Sophie... today was quite exciting, she's been getting better at sitting up, so here she is. She actually stayed up for quite a while before she tumbled down. I especially love the wide eyes she has all the way down.