The Aten Family

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-08-03T15:36:00.001-07:00

Ryan turned 33 on July 21st. He decided to work that day (he always takes the girls bdays off). So there was no way we were going to let him just have an average day at work.
That morning, after he left for work, I woke up the girls. Then I threw some clothes on them, grabbed the balloons that were hidden in the house, plus a couple presents and we were off!
Had to stop at the Donut Spot to grab some treats for us and a few more for his great Guards and fellow workers. What's 3 dozen in the scheme of things, right?

We scared the guards a bit (Apparently, a big red stroller filled with donuts and presents is a security threat), but they helped us out by calling him down to the front desk to surprise him. Aubrey got to ride the elevators and share donuts and milk with her Daddy. Amber was chill, as always, just sitting in his lap while he opened some presents.

Happy Birthday, Honey (and Daddy)! You are the best.

P.S. Next year, we'll bring you less Donuts. ;)

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

Amber is officially 4 months today. Which means there is only 8 months and 1 day until Christmas... :) Easy to keep track now.

I hope your Easter was wonderful. We spent it busy in Church and together as a family at home. It was very peaceful and relaxing.

We really enjoyed the Ruggles Annual Easter Egg Hunt yesterday! It was our 2nd year going. Hard to believe that it was a year ago we were watching Aubrey grab eggs and throw them back on the ground. She didn't understand the "putting them in the basket" part. This year was a bit overwhelming for her, but she eventually filled her basket full.

Amber watched the Egg Hunt in the arms of a friend (Thanks, Kaci!), so Ryan and I could help Aubrey and record it for posterity. That's right, posterity...You better really enjoy all these movies and pictures we're taking cause it takes a lot of effort. Especially when one child refuses to be recorded or photographed most of the time. ;)

Later, sugar meltdown ensued! But, it is so worth it. Kids really only have two days a year to gorge themselves on candy, right? Yep, worth it...

Everything is worth it.

Daddy and his girls...

2011-04-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Love our girls!

2011-04-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

Who wants to do laundry when you can play with these two? (Please ignore the pile in the background). :)

Happy Birthday Aubrey!

2011-03-25T09:37:00.001-07:00

Our sweet muffin turned 3 on March 16th. We had a fun family gathering for her. My parents and Ryan's Mom and Wayne were all there. It was so fun to have both girls in our arms that day. I had envisioned how fun that day would be when I was pregnant, but it was even better than I imagined.

Aubrey is super creative and very inquisitive. She has known her ABCs for a long time now. She also points out colors and numbers. She continues to correct us when we are driving and not going the normal route we take. I can't believe she remembers how to get places, as I STILL get lost.

Her favorite things to do are playing outside, finding snails, telling me the snails are broken (after she steps on them while my back is turned), she loves playing with bubbles, and she has mastered the computer in many ways in the past few months.

Ryan once asked me if I had let Aubrey use the laptop...she had found it closed on my nightstand, opened it, and was searching the favorites bar for the saved websites I have for her. If you haven't found pbskids.com or nickjr.com, they are great! She loves playing matching games and word games on the laptop. I am totally stunned at her abilities.

With all these vast changes, we are continuing to notice that she still has a hard time in social settings, or when there is too much noise. It really throws her for a loop emotionally. She becomes very quiet and even withdrawn around people (and kids) she knows. We press on and hope she will find a way to feel comfortable in new (and familiar) settings with time.

Amber is now 3 months old! It has been very eye-opening to see the differences in our two girls. Having another child 24/7, it becomes very apparent that they are two different personalities and we love that! Amber continues to be very chill. She doesn't like it when big sister is crying and may start crying herself at times, but for the most part she seems unbothered by all the commotion of having an very active big sis. She will sleep through just about anything and calms very quickly.

Amber's nickname is Sis. Little sis, little miss, sweet sis...etc. :) She is very smiley and loves to make eye contact and respond to people talking to her. She can be calmed with a pacifier rather quickly. She takes a while to get to full blown wailing. We have maybe heard that 5 times. She usually just cries out in a "Hey, I'm over here!" kinda way. She loves sitting up with us at the dinner table on one of our laps (We have to get a softer highchair soon!).

Its been really challenging at times keeping Aubrey busy while I feed Amber, but it has been a great learning experience that I wouldn't change for anything! Let's just say I have a truckload of sympathy for moms with 2 kids, now. :) Wonder what 3 kids will bring? That's not an announcement, either!

Ryan's job is going well. I continue to admire his hardwork and dedication to his clients. I am also so grateful for all the time he spends in the Elder's Quorum Presidency. It truly blesses my life to see him serving others so willingly. Good example to me.

I am continuing to learn patience. For myself, my girls and towards others. It is a long journey for me and a very necessary one. I am so thankful for the knowledge that Heavenly Father will never give you more than you can handle. That does not mean things will be easy, but you will be strengthened to meet your challenges. Whatever they may be.

Love you all!!

Amber is here!

2011-02-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

Amber Jeanelle Aten is here! She was born 12/24/10. 7 lbs 8oz and 19 inches at 37 weeks. She spent 5 hours in the NICU for fluid in her lungs and then was able to join us. We had a wonderful Christmas the next day and feel very blessed. :) Enjoy the pictures! She is now 6 weeks old and such a delight in our family.

Mm-hmm

2010-12-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Aubrey continues to pick up more and more grownup ways of talking. It is so endearing! Her latest feat is simply saying yes with an mm-hmm noise. Like Uh-huh, but with her lips closed. Apparently we do that a lot around here. :)

"Aubrey, do you want some lunch?" "Mmm-hmm."

Her Fisher-Price nativity set is getting a lot of use this year. She arranges the characters all looking in one direction, usually away from the stable. The sheep has replaced the angel on the top of the stable. Only the sheep is allowed to be up there.

She is captivated by Frosty the Snowman. She loves his movie and anytime she sees a snowman character she exclaims "Fwosty!" She pulls me out of my chair so we can march around the room with the kids in the movie too.

Aubrey also calls Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer movie the "Donkeys" movie. Yes, Aubrey thinks donkeys are pulling santa's sleigh.

As for Amber, I had my 35 week checkup today. Everything is looking right on track. She still can move around quite a bit, though she stays to my right side most of the time. It has been really interesting to notice the difference in movement between her and Aubrey (in utero). I used to get surprised by Aubrey's kicks. She mainly seemed to "protest" me resting a hand on my stomach or daddy trying to feel her kick. She would powerfully kick right at the spot of pressure once or twice and that would be it. I would be sitting at my desk at work, rest my hand on the top of my stomach without really realizing and pow! She'd kick right at it. It was really funny cause I'd jump a little. Ryan and I were amazed at her accuracy and felt like she was showing us her personality right from the start.

Amber is not really like that at all. She seems to move her body around where my hand is resting. Or she seems to just move around on her own, not really reacting to my hands or Aubrey sitting close next to me. She's definately going to be used to more noise than Aubrey was. She'll probably recognize Aubrey's shrill scream right away after she's born. haha!

Only about 36 more days until we get to meet her!

Fun times with Santa

2010-12-06T15:35:00.001-08:00

Our ward had a great primary activity, complete with pictures with santa. Aubrey is holding up her Snowman ornament she made. Santa was very nice, but she only wanted to sit on my lap. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Hairstyle by Daddy

2010-11-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

So, obviously I style Aubrey's hair during the day (how long it lasts is another story!). But, daddy is in charge of bathtime hairdos. :)

Snails for Aubrey

2010-11-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

One of Aubrey's favorite art supplies is Playdough. I've made the mistake of creating quite a few animals with the playdough. So she now demands that we make the same ones over and over again. Her favorite animals are snails, spiders and squirrels. If I make one animal, she asks me to make another version of the animal. Like "Ok, mommy, make a daddy snail. Make a mommy snail. Make a grandma snail and an Amber snail" (her little sister's name). She then arranges the animals in a certain order. Usually all in a row. What a funny girl!

Mmmm...Apple Hill

2010-11-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

The day before Halloween we made the famous Aten/Cadle Family trip to Apple Hill. We figure this is a tradition we've beeen keeping for 5 years. Boy, do we love Apple Donuts!

It was pretty chilly, so Aubrey stayed nice and bundled in her stroller for most of it. Our little sweet tooth loved her apple donut. Wish we had another box to enjoy as the first one was gone too quickly (I may or may not have had a dream last night that I was back at Apple Hill enjoying another crumb topped apple donut). :)

No trip there is complete without a Pony Ride to top things off. Despite her face, she was so happy to be on that pony. She begs to see ponies and even rides around the house on her stuffed cheetah calling it a pony. Future cowgirl on my hands?

It was another great trip! Thanks right back at ya' Cadles!

Really?!

2010-11-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

I just timed uploading pictures and typing out this blog post. Before new laptop, I was sitting at least an hour while my sad computer tried to process the few pictures. Then it would quit and I'd be back at square one. That's not even including the blog post I would have written that would also goof up and never make it to the publish stage. So I did what any person with zero patience for continued errors on blogger...I let it sit...

Hooray for a new laptop! Here are some pics of Aubrey's Halloween costume. She was a Ladybug and she loooved her "wings." She had so much fun at her Trunk or Treat party given by her Ward Primary.

Ryan and I were invited to our FIRST grownup Halloween party for the following night and enjoyed once again getting a little creative with our costumes. Yes, those are tattoo sleeves on our arms, not makeup. Soooo much easier to remove and I couldn't wait to see my normal arms again after a few hours. You can only look at Dragons and flames for so long.

We made our first trek to Bishops Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland with Gigi (Ryan's mom). Aubrey was determined to get a green pumpkin. No normal orange one for her! It was a lot of fun and we can't wait to go back next year. Amazing pumpkin pie is served there too...food always gets us back to places.

Speaking of eating, you can definitely tell in the pictures that I'm only about 70 days away from meeting Aubrey's little sister. It's going fast. Thank goodness for Zofran and the ability to eat much more than just popcorn, white bread and cereal (Aubrey's pregnancy). Of course, she was worth every sacrifice! We love her.

Pictures are coming...

2010-10-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

So my biggest block in posting more has been the lack of computer access. Our desktop is maxed out with pics and over 5 years old. It runs all day to just pull up a website. My hand-me-down laptop has been shot for awhile too.

So I'm happy to announce that in 7-10 days a new laptop should be arriving at my doorstep! Hope to get pics up soon. Our little Aubrey isn't so little anymore. :)

Great to be back. Thanks for the love, everyone.

Well, hello again!

2010-10-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Sooo... It's been awhile since my last post.

Lots of changes since then, for the better! We moved in May to a 3 bedroom house with a yard and a garage! After 7 years of apartment living, we are so grateful for a little room to stretch out. It's been a huge blessing! Ryan's mom moved out of the house he grew up in for something more managable and we are renting from her. It's been great.

We are also excited to announce that Aubrey is going to be a big sister in less than 100 days! I'm 26 weeks pregnant with another girl. We are so happy. Every time we would ask Aubrey if she'd like a brother or a sister, she'd say "umm, I think I will have a little sister." she was right on.

Ryan's work location has changed also. Same job, different building. With less of a commute, we get more time with him now. Love that!

We are now in the Tempo park ward activily serving away. It's been fun making new friends.

Life has been very good to us. So we've been busy living it! I hope to update a little more frequently.

Love you all!

Insert Clever Lion Joke Here

2010-03-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

Last month, Aubrey and I went to the Wild Animal Park in Southern California with my siblings and parents.

Uncle Orrin and Aubrey. Aubrey and her cousin, Lily. They are only 4 months apart and such buddies already.

It's Auntie Beck!

We couldn't take our eyes off the majestic lions. Then a lioness came walking over to our glass wall and started watching us. They are really massive, but Aubrey didn't seem to mind the "big kitties."

Yahoo for Coupons!

2010-03-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

Any guesses on how much I spent on all this at CVS??

$4.09!

If you haven't tried using coupons on some things, you might want to check it out. It's really fun! CVS has some great coupons like $5 off a $20 purchase. Combine that with coupons for other items you need and you get a low total everytime. Great way to stockpile some essentials and even some candy for all your Young Women's lessons too.

If you need more info: check out www.Moneysavingmom.com (she's a pro in Kansas) and www.myfrugaladventures.com (she's a pro in Roseville, CA).

Have fun!

I'm two!

2010-03-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday on the 16th, sweet girl! We love you!

PFAQ: Possible Frequently Asked Questions

2010-03-17T14:40:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,
I'm back. As in I hope to be back blogging regularly again. Now, I want to introduce a one time only segment called "Possible Frequently Asked Questions."

i will take the time to try and think of questions you might possibly have for me while I've been gone. Here goes...

Q: Arianna, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Its been months since you've been posting anything.
A: Well, that is VERY true. The answer is that while I love to blog, show pictures, and share my latest projects...it's the first thing to go when life gets a little...interesting.

Q: What do you mean by interesting?
A: We enjoyed a wonderful Holiday season, complete with staying at my parents for Christmas. Ryan has continued to stay very busy at work with lots of traveling. We both are in the YM/YW presidencies in our ward. That is crazy busy and fun(emphasis on crazy and fun). After everything was starting to get back to normal, we found out I was pregnant!

Q: WHY HAVEN'T YOU TOLD ME YET?!

A: We decided to keep this tidbit to ourselves until we saw a sweet little ultrasound picture. Hardly anyone knew. It was tough. Morning sickness kept creeping up at each passing day. Luckily just a lot of "I'm feeling so sleepy and my stomach is on a carousel" feeling and not the "I'm going to throw up everyday" feeling.

Aubrey and I laid very low. It was raining ALOT so we stayed inside, did art projects (without food) and watched movies and cuddled. Sadly, I miscarried at 11 weeks on Feb 23rd without ever seeing anything on the ultrasound screen. We were warned by the Drs, which made it a little less of a shock.

Q: ...I don't know what to say. How are you doing?
A: I am actually much better now. It was quite the experience (including going into labor and being at the ER 7 hours). But, the Drs took great care of me, as well as my family. I had my tears and hugged Ryan alot. It will be okay. I think the best thing for anyone to say to ME is that they are thinking of us/love us. We have felt so much love through all of this and it is so wonderful.

Q: What/How are you doing now?
A: Currently, I am doing amazing. It is very bittersweet to be happy about having energy back and no morning sickness. I am catching up from all the laying low. It feels really nice. I am looking forward to a beautiful spring and going outside with Aubrey. I am also a returning coupon junkie and getting enough courage to finally admit it! You may see some recent deals on this blog. It's so fun! Time to restock our food storage...

Q: What is Aubrey up to?
A: She just turned 2 yesterday! She is such a joy. I catch her reading out loud to herself from her books in her little language. She loves to sing songs and give me hugs. I am so grateful for her cheerful disposition.

Q: How is Ryan through all of this?
A: He is doing well. He continues to work so hard and readjust to growing demands from work. I am grateful to have him in my life and he is such a best friend to me through the fun and tough times. He works with the 12-13 year old deacons in our ward and has such a strong desire to help each boy succeed in the program. I truly am blessed.

Q: Anything else I should know?
A: I just returned from my sweet Grandmother Herterich's funeral. It was nice to be with family. I have also had my ipod touch disappear through all of the commotion at my parent's house. That is my link to my email. So I am not ignoring you if you don't hear from me. I am just waiting the 30 minutes it takes from my ancient desktop to decide to start working. Sometimes I just give up and go read a book instead. Please don't be offended.

Q: Well, glad everything is ok now.
A: Yup, everything is ok. We love you all and will now be rewarding you with pictures!!

Love, Us

We love you grandma...

2010-03-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

My Grandma Herterich passed away this morning after a long battle with throat cancer. She is joining my grandpa who died a little over a year ago. I love you grandma and grandpa. You always made me feel so special. I miss you both.

I'll post an update about what we've been up to these past few months - later.

Merry Christmas soon!

2009-12-19T21:50:00.001-08:00

We are looking forward to Christmas day! We have had fun at christmas parties, looked at Christmas lights, gone shopping, read Luke 2 to Aubrey , sang in Christmas choirs, bought toys for charities, enjoyed Christmas movies by the light of our tree, and now it's time to slow down before the big day.

Confession time! As our photo Christmas cards were lost by CVS and then reported ready TWICE, I do not have them and will not be taking the time to redo those cards in time for Christmas. So, if you sent us one, sorry that you didn't get a card from us! I always send to those who send to me and I appreciate all the cards we got. Your families are beautiful and the letters are so sweet. Thank you for thinking of us!!!

I am really excited to begin focusing on some things that have gone by the way-side (like this blog) now that Christmas prep is done.

Merry Christmas!!

2009-11-16T08:22:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Package from Grandma and Grandpa

2009-10-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

We love getting our holiday packages from my parents. The halloween box is great. I love the battery-operated tealights, mom! My favorite!! Also her quiet book for church was perfect.

Aubrey's favorite goodie bag was filled with rainbow goldfish crackers. She had a ball.

"What a good mommy." We always say that when she's treating her babies sweetly.

Happy Birthday 25th Jeremiah!

2009-10-23T21:33:00.001-07:00

Here's to all the Sonic the Hedgehog, walks to the Community College library, and shared favorite SNL clips. Thanks for being a great brother. Love you, "Joe."

Singing in the rain

2009-10-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

This was about a week or two ago. It was raining and Aubrey was begging me to go "ahside." So outside she went with a couple layers on. She would have played all day out there in the rain. She loved it.

Surprisingly, we got quite a bit of rain coming through the upstairs porch. No neighbors living there now. We like it that way. :)

----
"Hey, Aubrey. Look this way for a picture!"

"No, over here. Look this way, Aubrey."

*me making crazy sounds to make her look up* "Look at Mommy, Aubrey!" Sigh. Apparently pulling jalapeno peppers off the bushes are more exciting than taking pictures. Don't worry, I took them away from her. Otherwise, what would I feed her for breakfast tomorrow?!

Gotta love her!

We have a new little one

2009-10-22T00:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's not a baby! It's a goodwill find! I need a night stand. Well, I need a better one. After reading some blogs on the subject, I decided to refinish this puppy.
Tools. Alright, SOME of the tools.Primer. Welcome to my backyard. I think it's a .000012 acre. Perfect size for small painting projects! Think of what I will paint in a real backyard...ahhh, dreams.In progress...
Is it odd that I find myself wandering outside to ~~lovingly caress the smooth surface~~ check on it every couple of hours? I think my kitchenaid mixer is jealous.

More coming soon... Want to try it? Here is a tutorial (I am not following this one exactly- but very inspired by it!).

"I thought you were watching her." "Well, I thought you were watching her."

2009-10-22T00:37:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Farm

2009-10-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

We spent Columbus day together as a family. First we went to a great Indian restaurant and enjoyed their lunch buffet. Ryan and I LOVE indian food. It's just chicken, rice and bread a little spicy and saucy. Everything was amazing (stop making gagging sounds Marc!).

Aubrey chilled in her stoller.

Aubrey cracks up over Ryan's drivers license picture. It was not a flattering one either.
Necessary Mom-in-picture pic.Puppies and elephant all packed and ready to go.I don't know who likes getting out of the car more.
It's amazing the variety of gourds, pumpkins and squash. I loved this display. Different chickens, turkeys and ducks to see.With a random pig thrown in every once in a while. Aubrey knows what a pig says and she made sure we knew too!She stopped... Poor brown pigeon. Forgive me for letting my toddler have at you. It was too cute and my blog needs pictures."Where did that brown feathery tweet-tweet go?" The golden pumpkin has been chosen!..and put back...and chosen!...and put back...Aubrey could never decide. So we left empty-handed. A lot like my clothes-shopping habits. Right, honey!??

It was a good day. I love that sweet face.

Hi Mom! waving

2009-10-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with my mom. After telling her about some of the finished projects around here she exclaimed "You have to blog them!" So sorry if this is boring to any of you. This one's for my mom. :)

Also it's a little late (10:56pm) and I'm not tired. It could be the open package of M&M's sitting next to me, but I digress.

TANGENT ALERT! Why is it when you are eating both plain and peanut M&Ms out of a bag - you feel a little disappointed to get a plain M&M instead of a delicious peanut M&M. However, when there are plain M&Ms in your chocolate chip cookies - you jump for joy!? And if you were to have a peanut M&M chocolate Chip cookie - you would look at it feeling overwhelmed about the big boulders in your cookies?

*rustles in M&M bag* Ugh. Plain.

Back to my post!

Below is a picture from Pottery Barn kids. I love this room. Especially the curtains! But, I did not have $59.00 plus shipping for them. So I did what every blog copier does...

I saw it. I wanted it. I copied it.

BEFORE: This is the charming window treatment gracing Aubrey's window as of late. It is a tan fleece blanket hanging onto the pole for dear life. I had to keep the light out of her room somehow!...

MORE BEFORE: Or maybe I was just hiding this beautiful disappointment of a sheer curtain-thing. Yes, I can make bread from scratch and sing soprano (kinda)...but I cannot measure windows.

AFTER: Finally! I found some light green fabric on sale at Joann's for $3/yard and a Blackout Panel from Big Lots for $10.00. Total cost: $20.00.

I now just let them hang like in the PB picture. I'm not sure about the pink ties.

I hear some snickering from lurkers. What? Your daughter doesn't have an electronic drum set in her room?

Also, Mom. (You're still here, right mom?) Here is the wall finished with the frames. Vinyl from Joann's (where else?). Just need some other things to fill in the white spaces. Will work on that.

Finally, if my 23 month old niece, Lily, learns how to navigate the computer and suddenly happens to come across my blog - I apologize in advance for spoiling your birthday present! Just wanted Grandma to see the reversible jumper I made for you.

That's it! Love you, mom!

Aubrey's first blog post

2009-10-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

Aubrey: Hi, everyone. I wanted to introduce you to my good friend, Holly. She is two days younger than me and loves to play with blocks, watch Elmo and share my stoller. She's the best friend ever! Are you getting all this written down, mom? Ok.
Aubrey: Whellp, that about does it.Aubrey: See you guys later.

Aubrey: MOM!!! NO MORE PICTURES!! This interview is over!!

Holly: Can I go home now?

Tabletop Runner: Finished

2009-10-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

Nice to start and finish my first quilting project. Here the binding is complete. I love it. Thanks Camille for the great inspiration!

Uh oh...

2009-10-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Someone in our house has the crafty bug. Many visits to Joanns, late nights with chocolate, an invaded dining room table and a very patient husband and daughter.

Learning to quilt a tabletop runner. Want to make your own? Go here

Just need to finish the binding. I made this in one night! I love the harvest colors, they were a charm pack at Joanns named "Carnival" by Fabric Central. The squares were already cut out. I love quilting. Thanks mom for the great sewing machine! I love it.
Butterfly shoes for a newborn babe. I was hesitant to post these pics before they got their gift. But, I'm sure they are too busy snuggling with their baby to check my blog! It is supposed to look like a distressed edge butterfly on the shoe. It looks like that, right? Right? Oh dear, I may have stayed up too late these past nights. :)

My Scrapbook Hybrid. I DON'T scrap pictures into albums. I like to scrap into frames so people can actually enjoy my scrapping. This was a "Nocturne" Scrap Kit from Joanns also. Frames bought there too. I love those 40% off coupons.

Thanks for looking! It feels good to get creative again. I'd been just reading other's blogs and decided to get to it.

The fairy princess has landed.

2009-10-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

I can't get over these cute pics of Aubrey. She is such our girly girl! A typical day for her is dress up, carrying things around in baskets and pushing her baby doll in her stoller.

We love her and her fire-engine-driving ways.

Aubrey and potty training...

2009-09-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

Aubrey has really been expressing interest in the whole potty thing lately. Although I feel like we are very far away from actually GETTING her to use the potty, I thought I'd role play with her doll.

Her doll got a little potty awhile back and she was practicing putting the baby on the potty. Right before this video was taken, I got the amazing idea to grab some raisins and Ryan grabbed the camera.

Here is what unfolded..

Why we love having a girl!

2009-09-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

5. Because watching her put eye shadow on her cheeks is too cute!

4. Because she cordinates her shopping purchases better than I do.

3. Because she's the best mommy to her little dolly.

2. Because a tutu goes with any toy.

and..

1. Because (despite being so stinking sweet and girly) she's not above eating dirt from outside!

We love you Aubrey.

...

More swimming...

2009-08-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Gone swimming...

2009-08-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be wondering where we've been. It's been a fun summer and after a small timeout from blogger, we are back! I couldn't get blogger to get our pics up, after 4 times I put it in timeout.

Aubrey is really growing fast. Her mind is grasping many concepts like animal sounds, and copying the words we say (like blueberry and applesauce). It's really cute. She is 16 months now and almost ready for nursery on sundays. We have taken her in a few times and she loves playing with the toys. Her favorite toys are baby dolls. She wraps them in blankets and holds them, giving them little pats on the back - just like we did with her. Sigh. She's so darn cute!

Oh, how I love food blogs...

2009-06-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here is one thing most people do not know about me. I love food blogs. Love. Them.

I could spend hours reading recipes and drooling over pictures of French Breakfast Puffs, Caramel Walnut Upside-down Banana Cake, Onion Strings, Challah and The Best Chicken Pot Pie.

As I read, I go over the entire process in my mind and practically want to lick the computer screen!! I have tried many things. Whole wheat tortillas, Amazing BBQ Meatballs, Cowboy Beans, cakes, muffins, breads, cookies, soups, etc....it is all so good!

So I thought I would share my top five favorite recipes sites (not in any particular order).

1. www.thepioneerwoman.com/cooking - She is sassy, down-to-earth and cooks a lot of "cowboy food." The photo above is from her site. Thanks PW!

2. http://www.bakerella.com/ - She is an amazing artist with food and quite the cupcake and cake decorator.

3. http://www.smittenkitchen.com/ - I am new to her blog, but amazed by her photography. She uses more "uppity" ingredients and reads "gourmet"...and I love learning from her.

4. http://www.tammysrecipes.com/ - Simple, nourishing and good home-cooked recipes. Plus a few things you wouldn't expect (like homemade pepperoni)

5. www.passionatehomemaking.com/recipe-index - Some new ingredients, but almost all recipes are whole foods, or whole wheat based. Very healthy and the best Tortilla and Pizza dough recipes - ever!

There you have it. Now go devour your own creations.

Also: if you need a laugh, check out http://www.cakewrecks.com/. Some people should leave the decorating to a professional...oh, wait. They were....ouch.

Great Grandparents...

2009-06-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

Got a cute picture with Aubrey's Great Grandparents in California. Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa John (Diana's parents). They visited a couple weeks back. Boy did we have fun.

Hint - hint - Grandma Phyll! I know you read this blog and we need an updated pic with you too! :)

Back in the saddle

2009-06-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

I just got a new calling at Church last Sunday. I'm the 1st Counselor in the Orangevale Ward Young Women organization. I've served about 4 years in my previous ward and loved it. I am looking forward to getting to know some great girls and having fun with Wednesday night activities again.

Ryan, Aubrey and I are looking forward to a nice vacation in Carlsbad soon. It's a family tradition and I've missed out these past two years. I'm really looking forward to showing Aubrey the beach for the first time. Be on alert for cute waterbaby pics to come!

A.

Hello Kitty BandAid to the rescue!

2009-06-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

Being a big girl now, Aubrey has begun collecting bumps and bruises. She got her first scrape on her knee a week ago and was in desperate need of a Hello Kitty BandAid. She's got a Trader Joe's balloon attached to her while she explored a box of BandAids for the first time. Aren't they cute?!

We really wish she was a happier child..

My big helper..

2009-05-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Aubrey helped me clean the bathroom yesterday. What a big helper already! Today she's cleaning the leaves out of our rain gutter (I hate climbing ladders). :)

Guess who's walking!

2009-05-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

It's true. These last two weeks were big ones for Aubrey. In a few days she went from crawling and cruising around the furniture to taking big steps. On Wed the 6th, I came home from a Temple visit to a smiling little girl in the tub and a proud daddy telling me that she took a lot of steps while I was gone.

Now she is a great walker and all over the place. Great job, Aubrey!

Mommys rock!

2009-05-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

I got the best Mother's Day present from my mom. One whole week of us three girls! Ryan was in Washington DC for a GSA conference and so we had the house to ourselves. Lots of Ben and Jerry's, shopping and relaxing. Thanks for coming, mom! We love you!

It's true...God is good.

2009-05-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

Now, I love to read other's blogs. It is so fun that I get caught up and don't update my own. I have come across some amazing women out there who are great examples of christlike living in their home. Many of them are of other denominations, and many LDS. Their testimonys of Heavenly Father's love in their lives really has me thinking.

Although, it feels a little unfamiliar when hearing phrases on the other denomination blogs that I don't normally come across in the LDS culture (such as "God is Good, Praise the Lord," etc as opposed to "I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father," "I feel my Savior's love," etc). I have come to enjoy reading blogs of all our fellow sisters.

I find myself more happier, and looking forward to praying to my Father in Heaven and reading scriptures when I feel so many other women honoring Him with their family blogs. So to all you gals out there, great job! You truly are an example to me and I am learning so much from all of you.

So you are what I am grateful for on this Gratituesday! What is Gratituesday? Click here to find out! You might find another great blog for your blogroll!

Funny little girl...

2009-04-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

We just got back yesterday from visiting Utah for my sister's BYU graduation. (Go sis!) We had a great time and got to visit with friends and family. We miss good ol' Utah.

At a layover in the Las Vegas Airport, Aubrey started to get a little restless. So I walked around a bit with her on my hip (our usual mode of transportation) waiting to board the next plane. Now, we think Aubrey is cute and others have told us she is...so I usually don't think much when other people smile at her or say hello. Usually Aubrey will wave or smile back. So I found it weird that at this airport people were laughing when they saw her? They were laughing and then turning to their friends and laughing more! It kept happening the more I was walking around. I started making my way back to Ryan because it was so weird and I glanced in her direction...

She had her finger in her nose (past the first knuckle -mind you) and was just keeping it there. She looked at me with her finger still in her nose - and I started laughing... hard. She started laughing back (finger still in place) and continued to relocate her finger as I tried to remove it while laughing. Of course my laughing only encouraged her. Funny little girl...

Why did the Turkey cross the road?..

2009-04-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

...To get away from Ryan!

We recently saw this gobbler not far from our house. Ryan had to take a picture of it. Watch out, Turkey!

Goodbye Kitty...

2009-04-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

We sadly have lost our dear kitty. She was 19 years old. Ryan got her as a little kitten when he was in 6th grade. She had a good life, but we will miss her furry little self around here. She was so good with Aubrey. We buried her yesterday.

We love you and will miss you, kitty.
(Here are some pictures from last month)

Cooking without the "whine"

2009-04-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Update: Apparently my blog is now being blocked by some Net Nanny programs because of this post. So I changed the wording a bit to see if that helps. ;)
---------

I love to cook and bake! However, it seems more and more recipes have "whine." As I am too shy to even consider buying these items (I know, the whine cooks out) - I found a great resource for alternatives I thought I'd share!

Wholefoods.com has a great alternative list here: here

Also, a basic list from dining.byu.edu: here

Happy cooking!

Happy Easter Day!

2009-04-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

We wish you all a wonderful Easter. We are reflecting on the gift of the Savior's sacrifice on our behalf today. We had a fun day yesterday visiting our extended family in Pleasanton. It was a great day trip and Aubrey did so well on the 4 hour round trip drive. We love her.

I found a really neat idea online today that I wanted to share with anyone looking for a neat way to teach about the Savior's resurrection on Easter. We'll be doing this next year!
http://articles.urbanhomemaker.com/index.php?article=910

Here are some pictures from last week. My favorite was her "swimming" in the newspaper with her birthday balloons! Also some bath pictures...

Good golly miss molly!

2009-04-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems like forever since we added more pics. As always -your patience shall be rewarded!

Aubrey turned 1 on March 16th. We had a really fun party a few days before with family and friends. It took awhile before she really got into the cake. Ryan even pushed her hand into it!

We are so happy she is in our lives. We love her so much and can't imagine how we got along without her. :)

More pictures...

2009-02-01T23:28:00.000-08:00

You've all been so patient. So here are a few more...
Aubrey in her chair, "cooking with mommy." I give her spoons and she watches me cook. Aubrey and her friend Cameron:
Mmmmm, pistachio ice cream!
"You called for a medic?"
I just can't resist these two...:

Many "firsts" for Aubrey

2009-02-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

Aubrey has had a pretty eventful past few weeks. She has four teeth on top and two on the bottom. She crawls and cruises very quickly. She says mama and dada. She brushes her own teeth and plays peek-a-boo to us. She is almost eleven months old. We love her...

Her first Hammock ride:

Learning to ride her Fire Engine without help:

Her first drum set (Ryan and I can't get over her face in this pic):

Solving her first puzzle (she sticks her tongue out for extra concentration):

Her first walk down the Pier:

Her first Pelican encounter:

Her first time getting stuck while exploring (she couldn't figure out how to get down):

Her first cartoon impersonation (using a handy squishy-pillow). No, the car is not in motion!:

That's all for now. Join us soon for many more Aubrey "firsts!"

Happy New Year!

2009-01-15T13:45:00.001-08:00

Yes, it is the 15th already. But, we've been getting over colds, visiting family and other stuff. But, we are back. 2009 is looking good.

Aubrey has 4 teeth already with 2 more coming in quickly. She only seems bothered at night, which is fine - I think it would bother me all day! She also now pulls herself up and seems so happy with herself. She'll be on the ground and then pull up to the coach and bebop up and down while she sings to herself. It's really cute.

Looks like it is time to change our background. :)

Arianna

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-28T21:43:00.000-08:00

We had a fun time preparing for Christmas by looking at Christmas lights, baking cookies and decorating the tree. Aubrey loved coming out to the livingroom every morning to see the lit tree. More pics to come...

Past Photos

2008-12-28T21:24:00.000-08:00

Here are some sweet photos of Aubrey in her Pumpkin Suit asleep from a couple weeks back:
Our Little Pumpkin...

Another cute duo. Fresh from a bath in her favorite towel and daddy:

Whew!

2008-12-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd give an update from the previous post.

Yes, I tried to bake again after all that! I was able to make two dozen amazing smelling white rolls and a loaf of bread for dinner! Ryan made Bob's Bars that night and they turned out delicious. :) They are a no bake cookie that Ryan's dad always took to work at Christmas. He would say "It's an old family recipe...I got from an old family." They take time, but they are worth it. Here's a picture:

May Your Christmas Prep be merry!

2008-12-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a morning. So I woke up bright and early full of Christmas prep cheer! I thought about getting some baking done today so I’d be ready for our trip this weekend to see family in San Luis Obispo. Here we go…..warning: it’s long.

*******
Decide to make some dough for rolls in breadmaker, make some butter cookies and then try peppermint meringues’ with the egg whites that were left over from the egg yolks that were needed for the cookies. Realize I’m so smart to use ingredients that others would probably waste!

Set up Aubrey in her high chair with some snacks at 9am. All ingredients out.

Into the breadmaker goes the ingredients and with a push of a button it’s ready to go. Love this recipe for wheat roll dough and use up the rest of my brown sugar. Glad the brown sugar container had enough! Think how this was all meant to be today!

The butter for the cookie recipe is out and almost room temperature. The dry ingredients were mixed two days ago to save on time. Smiling at my own genius.

Ready to start mixing, the recipe says use a food processor, but will use a handheld mixer instead. Separate the eggs and fish out pesky shell. Aubrey starts crying so put separated eggs in fridge while I change a diaper. Wash hands, Aubrey back in high chair. Butter still not room temp, but decide to start mixing as it is pretty soft. Cookie dough now lumps of butter and flour, flour is everywhere because mixer’s low setting not working. Will set aside and start meringues to let butter get softer.

Egg whites out of fridge (pretty cold?) and added with Sugar in metal bowl over simmering water pot. Whisking to mix, phone rings, talk to mom about her Dr appt. Aubrey doesn’t like electric whisk sound and starts shrieking. Aubrey in left arm, phone at ear and other hand whisking. Can’t wait for this to turn out! Imagine family member’s delight that I could make the meringues! Remove bowl from simmering pot and continue whisking. Put Aubrey back in high chair. Say goodbye to mom.

Bread Machine beeps, check dough. Not risen enough, push “bake only”according to manual to give it ten more minutes of rising. Where am I going to shape the rolls to let them rise?! Counter space flooded with pans, mixing instruments and recipes.

Forgot to preheat oven for meringues! Is there a 175 degree on my oven? There is! Get out cookie sheet pan and set it on pot of cooling hot water for a minute. Prep pastry bag with star tip. Hand Aubrey a toy to play as hers are all on floor now.

Meringues not making stiff peaks after 5 minutes of whisking?? Consult Betty Crocker. Try adding a little sugar. Little more sugar. Even more sugar. Add mint extract, smells like toothpaste? Mental note - Should have gotten peppermint extract.

Give up and start scooping white goop into pastry bag. Start piping into cookie tray, which has been left too long on hot water pot and is now really hot. Meringues melt into a puddle. Took three meringues before I realized that the pan was melting the meringues.

Try meringues on another cooler tray. Goop doesn’t form pretty meringues like Martha’s pictures. Glad she is not here to see my mess! Aubrey shrieks. Put in exersaucer.

Bread machine beeps. Dough has not risen - It has cooked!!!!! Outside cooked and crusty!! Not risen! Burn fingers trying to remove bread pan from maker. Yank pan out of maker. No place to overturn it! Make space. Overturn pan, both fall on floor because bad grip. Bread dough falls out of pan on floor. Whole thing collapses into doughy crusty mess. Thrown into trash, with a nicely placed footprint in the middle. Angry at bread manual!!

Turn to toothpaste meringues and try to pipe one more. Goop stuck in pastry bag. Won’t come out. Use more force. Goop explodes out of top of bag onto hands. Whole thing in sink. Scrape out gritty (from added sugar) meringue into sink and watch it disappear with all future meringue attempts with it. Aubrey shrieking.

Turn to cookie dough. Last saving grace. Get yolks out of fridge. They are now very cold and not beating very well. Don’t care, Aubrey shrieking more. Want to finish so I can burn down kitchen and never return.

Add eggs to lumpy dry ingredient butter dough. Cold egg yolk balls scatter all over powdered mess. Not mixing. Ruined also. Shaking head in disbelief. Throw powder into trash can, “kick” trash can to settle the contents better…Aubrey still shrieking. Tell her to play with her toys.

Look at war-torn kitchen. Decide that fast food is a likely candidate for future meals for family – forever. Leave kitchen, get Aubrey, and return to bedroom.

Still in PJs from this morning…it is now 12:00. Calculate the cost of all the ingredients now in sink and trash can.

Dry tears in bedroom, smile as Aubrey laughs and snuggles with me. Apologize for losing temper with her…. Realize that Martha has a staff of 25 to help her. Feel better.
Write a blog entry. Go to save it, lose entire post. (Okay, so the last sentence was a joke) ;)

Merry Christmas!!!!

P.S. If you want to see an amazing gal that actually finished her meringues...check out http://jennyfersculinarycreations.blogspot.com/2007/11/peppermint-meringue-cookies.html

Getting that Christmas Spirit

2008-12-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

No we haven't given up on the blog. But we are having problems gettings pics off our camera. Here's a small concession for your patience:

Aubrey has become quite the dancer these past few days...

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/Hj4hEdPr9N0zCep1ghMR

Enjoy!

A visit with a Kitty Cat

2008-11-22T14:52:00.000-08:00

Aubrey had a nice visit with the cat the other day. She loves to giggle whenever "the kitty" walks by. She's even grabbed the poor cat's tail a couple of times. Overall I think this visit went great. :)

Chicken Pot Pie

2008-11-05T08:02:00.001-08:00

I made an ahhmazing Chicken Pot Pie. The crust even has cream cheese in it. So very filling and delicious! The recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs... http://www.tammysrecipes.com/

Click Here for recipe!!

We had a fun night "Trunk or Treating!"

2008-11-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

We had fun Halloween night at the Fair Oaks Trunk or Treat. The children are given candy from our car trunks instead of from houses. There was also face painting and bobbing for donuts on a string. It was groovy! (Yes, we tie-dyed our shirts ourselves. It's amazingly easy and fun!)

New Orleans Trip

2008-11-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

Ryan was chosen from the Interns at work to participate in this year's Federal Gov Conference in New Orleans. Aubrey and I went to visit my family for the week. We all had a great time!

Apple Hill time!

2008-10-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

We had a great Monday celebrating Columbus day at Apple Hill. We went with some great friends and had a blast. The apple doughnuts are so good! Since they are made with apples, they are part of a balanced breakfast, lunch...dinner...right?! :)

We always enjoy Double Chocolate Nut Fudge from the Fudge Factory too.

There are huge fish that swim in the pond. They were jumping while we were there. It was amazing to watch them leap.

Maybe next year Aubrey will get to ride a pony...

San Francisco

2008-10-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun pics of our trip to SF. We stayed 3 days the first week and then a whole week a couple days later. Ryan spent his days in training and meetings while I got to walk around with Aubrey and hang out in the hotels. Then we went to Pier 39, Chinatown and walked around together. Lots of fun!

We're back!

2008-10-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
We got back a few days ago from a wonderful 8 day trip to San Francisco. It was spread out over two weeks. We had a blast. But, it is good to be home. More pics from that trip soon.
Here are a few in the meantime...here are some pics from our trip to Grandma and Grandpas last month. It was quite the roadtrip. Aubrey got to spend more time with her cousin Lily too. They are so cute playing together.

Giggles

2008-09-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

Aubrey and I have just discovered that she loves Peekaboo. We've been waiting for her to start laughing. What a great sound!

Reading books with Mommy (and earplugs)

2008-08-14T11:13:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I was reading Aubrey a book on her blanket and she showed her enthusiasim!

At least we know her lungs work well. :)

Later she attacked the remote control...with her cuteness.

Oh the Humanity!

Drumming with Daddy

2008-08-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

It is so cute when Ryan practices his drumming with Aubrey! These are pics from a few days ago.

I think the flash was a little bright...

From a couple weeks ago:

Wii Weekend

2008-08-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit with Aunt Kathy, Sofie and Ellie yesterday. Diana was watching Gary's dog Emma at his house and we went to enjoy some time and have dinner.
Sofie:

Ellie:

Emma:

Ryan wore Aubrey in her "Moby Wrap" for most of the evening. She got a great nap as she gets really quiet and basically goes into a trance before falling asleep. The wrap also distributes weight so that arms and shoulders don't get sore. We really like it!

Ryan and I got to play Wii for the first time. It is pretty fun. Just tough to get used to as I am an old-school nintendo gal!

Sofie trying a new way of taking pictures on me:

Dinner was fantastic (Grilled Chicken, Coconut Shrimp from Costco, Dutch crust bread with salad and strawberry/blueberry shortcake for dessert). I'll have to take more pics as I get used to the fun of blogging!

Come back and visit again soon Aunt Kathy and girls!