Monday, December 22, 2008


Here is my child in awe of the man they call Santa.

Peyton only wanted mommy to hold her so she could see in the window...she cared nothing about the picture being taken.

~When baby is happy...mommy is happy~

Here she is gazing and giggling at the Elves dancing in the window at Santa's Workshop while we waited.

Here comes Santa Claus...


Today was the day! I wanted a picture of Peyton with Santa. We met the in-laws at Arden Fair where we waited in line for AN HOUR AND A HALF! Thats right folks. And hour and a half. All I kept thinking was, is this Santa going to be a pedaphile? Will she scream her head off as soon as I put her down on his lap? Why am I so insane as to stand and wait here for this long? But in the end it was all worth it! She was happy the whole time we stood in line, and I couldn't believe it, but when I put her on his lap, she looked right at him and completely fell in love! My child, who is petrified of her own grandparents until she finally remembers them, was as happy as you can imagine with this random man they call Santa Claus.
I was overjoyed! My baby was happy, and I had to beg her to look over at me. Finally she did, and we got the best picture of her. It was $20, but the memories will last forever. And might I also add, this was the best Santa Claus I have ever seen! He looked so real and he definately had a way with kids. She had her hand in her mouth, and he gently pulled it down and held it there. Lance went up to talk to him for a minute while I picked out the picture and Santa told him that they fly him all the way from Seattle!! He works for 30 days before Christmas and makes enough money to support his family for 6 months! I am thinking about becomming a Santa Claus with that income! Either way, he was the best. I am thouroughly pleased with our whole experience, and I got exactly what I wanted. I hope it goes as well with the next kid! (no I am not dropping any hints Christina!)

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

I'm back!


It looks so pretty from afar! This is right outside our front door!

I didn't think that it would be this hard to keep up! I get on the computer several times a day but do I blog? Nope. I am horrible! It started snowing here on Friday night and in the morning we had about 2 1/2 inches. It melted by 2 o'clock. I was sad, but my sadness didn't stay for very long! On Sunday it started to snow again at 3 o'clock and didn't stop until Monday night. When all was said and done, we had a little less than a foot. I was so excited to look out the front door and see it, but now I want it to go away! I haven't had to drive in it yet, but tomorrow morning will be the first day. Oh yippee! I guess we will just have to pray the whole time! I am hoping that it clears up before Thursday because Lance and I are planning on driving home for the holidays.
Peyton has been a whole lot of fun recently. As you could see from my last video post, she is slowly learning to walk and is always on the go. I am excited to see her take her first steps, but can't believe that it will be soon, as she is only 8 months! And sleep at night? Like a dream. We put her down at around 7:30 and she sleeps until about 7:30 the next morning. I can't explain to you how extatic I am about this! She seems so much happier too and I think it is because she is getting a full nights sleep. Who would have known! (A lot of people actually!)
I gave my second talk in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. What an adventure! It went pretty smoothly. The whole Primary Presidency spoke. It was a relief when it was over. Then in primary, I taught my first sharing time. I have to say, it wasn't that bad at all. I guess the Lord knows what he is doing! Well, I can't wait for Christmas to come, and I will try to post more often!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

I want to walk!


She pushes this thing all around the house, but no real steps yet!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Its Christmas...


Last year, Grandma Lively (Nana) gave Peyton this little people train set. She wasn't even born yet. Who knew that Christmas would come so fast? She is already 8 months old! She had so much fun pushing this little train around and listening to it while it sang Jingle Bells to her. I can't wait until I have a little one running around the house singing Christmas songs all season long! (well I can, cause I don't want her to get any bigger!) We went and got our Christmas tree today. Everyone up here in Susanville goes and cuts theirs down, and Lance would have been overjoyed if that would have been the situation for our family, but I just couldn't imagine hiking up a hill with an 8 month old in tow and sawing a tree down...after searching for hours until I found the right one (I am kind of picky about my trees). Anyway, we went right up the street to Walmart and bought a nice, full 7 footer for $45. Worth every penny. Christmas is Definately my favorite time of year. I don't think there is any other part of the year that even comes close. I love the smell outside (and Susanville is particularly wondeful in that area). The brisk air is also good. I love the music that is on in the stores and the decorations that are up everywhere you go. And is it just me, or are more people nicer at this time of year? I love the summertime, but I would way rather be cold than hot anyday. And seeing as there are no beaches round here, there is nothing to really quench my thirst for the water when it is hot outside. So winter it is. Though I have never had to go to sleep with sweatshirt and socks on everynight as I do here. Oh how I long for central heating!


Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Sick!

Peyton has been sick for the past two days. She has had really bad diarhea and very often. She has been a huge crabby pants, and she wants to be held ALL THE TIME. And most of the time, she just wants it to be me that is doing the holding. Poor Lance can't even get her to calm down half the time, and poor me cause I am the only one that can. I can't quite figure out why, though perhaps she is getting her top teeth in. She had bad poos with her bottom ones too, but never was she this fussy. Maybe these just hurt her more. Either way, I sure hope this is just a phase and it ends very soon. Other than that, everything has just been normal. We (Peyton and I) went down to Sacramento for Thanksgiving and then to Ione for a couple days. I love being able to go and spend time with our family, I only wish that Lance could be with my more often. But I have learned that this time at the beginning of our lives away from eachother is necessary for the lifestyle we have chosen. I know that eventually we will be in a place where we will be able to be with eachother everyday, and every holiday, and still be close enough to family that we won't have to travel to get there.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Dont know what to title this one.

So I get on here everyday, hoping that my friends write something new so that I have something to read. Then I got to thinking...I haven't written anything in almost a week! I can't let that happen. I promised myself that I would do a good job at this and I am not doing a very good job! Well, I am back! My sister told me last night that you can make your blog into a book for around $12-$20 depending on if you want it hardback or softback. I just think that is such a good idea! Now it can definately be my journal, and I am a much faster typer than I am at writing! So I will try to write 2-3 times a week and at the end of the year make it into a book or two! Last Thursday night I went to a "twilight" party. It was a lot of fun. I have tried really hard to get out there and meet people here in Susanville. I have noticed that there are a lot of people who already have their friends and people they hang out with, so it is harder than expected to wedge my way into their cirlces. But when I got the invite to go to the party, (even though it was at 9 pm!!! ~ my bedtime!) I was so excited! I came home immediately and told my husband and he said, I will take care of the baby, you go enjoy yourself. And I did. Almost everyone else went to see the midnight showing of the movie Twilight, but I went home. While I can stay awake for a couple hours past 9, midnight is just out of the question! Plus, my sisters and I are planning on seeing it next week together in Sacramento. Back home it was so easy for me. I didn't care if I had friends. I had my sisters, and that is who I hung out with. That is who I wanted to be with. But here, I have to make friends. Things are coming along slowly but surely. I hope that as time goes on living here in Susanville, I will get more and more friends, and hopefully wedge my little butt (I know its not little) into some of these circles of friends. I am beginning to like Susanville (not love...) and I think it is the people who are opening up and inviting me places. There is one in particular...you know who are...Thank you from the bottom of my heart for always remembering to invite little ol' Ashley! Now that I have made myself seem like a pathetic loser...sorry about the ranting!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Caught!



She has begun to pull all the movies off of the shelves in our family room. I hated when my niece would come over to my house and do this... I guess it comes with the territory! And yes, that is my necklace in her mouth. She didn't get in trouble cause she was so dang cute!

Finally

Sleep! Finally. Well I don't want to jinx myself, but she has been sleeping better since the last post. The first night she only woke up once, at 3:55, the second night only at 5:00 and this morning she slept straight through until Lance went in to check on her at 7:00!! She was awake but just lying in bed talking to herself. WOO HOO!! I am so excited! I hope it was not just a fluke and she just gets increasingly better. I read that because she can stand up now she has to just get herself out of the "wanting to stand up in the middle of the night" stage. I hope this is true. I sure feel a lot better now that I have been getting a good nights sleep though. Thats for sure!
But once again, when did she sleep all night long? On Lance's night off. Not only is this not fair to me (cause he gets up with her in the middle of the night and doesn't ever have to for some reason) but its unfair to him as well! Oh well, I guess we should just take it with a grain of salt and see what happens tonight. I will definately keep you posted!

Friday, November 14, 2008

HELP!! Need Sleep!

So I have a sweet little 7 month old. Sweet that is, until the middle of the night! She wakes up randomly and wants to be held, fed, or just get into bed with us (which I know is our fault). I have tried everything to get her to sleep through the night by herself. I have read many books that say to just let her cry it out. I have tried. The problem with this is Lance has to get up at 4:30 in the morning and can't sleep when she is screaming at the top of her lungs. It would be fine if it was a little whine, or better yet, if we could not hear her, but alas, neither of these are the case. She SCREAMS! I mean litterally. And no matter what, we can hear her. We close her door all the way, as well as ours, to no avail. My sister told me I should turn a fan on to just drown her out. Well we live in Susanville, and the average temperature at night is around 30 degrees...a fan just won't do. We freeze as it is. She said, try a white noise machine. Lance, nor I, can sleep with one of those things on.
Last night she woke up at 11:30 and I tried the cry it out thing. That lasted for 45 minutes! She finally fell asleep and when I went into put the blanket on her, she woke up and started all over again. I finally just picked her up and rocked her to sleep (I know this defeats the purpose). I would actually be fine with rocking her to sleep, the problem is, when I go to transfer her back to bed, she wakes up and screams again. I just don't know what to do!
Don't get me wrong, there are many nights when she will sleep from 8-6. I am perfectly happy with that. But what about the nights where it is up every 2 hours? Lance and I probably had a combined total sleep last night of 4 hours. COMBINED!! Poor thing had to get up and deal with stupid inmates all day. I wish he would have been able to sleep more. And both of us are so cranky in the middle of the night, this situation just makes us mad at eachother! We shouldn't be mad at eachother! But we can't really get mad at Peyton either.
At any rate, I am open to any suggestions any of you may have. Please help!!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Freedom?


So, today I heard from some people that I know that a close family friend may be fired from his job for donating $1,000 of his own money to Proposition 8. The last time I checked, it was a free country, and you can't be FIRED FROM YOUR JOB for speaking your mind and voting the way you believe is right. It makes me sad and confused. Isn't this what our country was founded on? The First Amendment of our Constitution clearly states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble...". I just don't get it. Why is this person not able to voice his opinion about his stance on a certain Proposition, yet thousands of people, who obviously voted No on this proposition, have begun to defile GOD's Temple because they believe we are in the wrong. We let them stand outside of our churchs and our Temples protesting. Why? Because it is the law to allow them to do so. Now why is it ok then for them to do these things, but not ok for us to peacably give money to a cause we so greatly believe in? Like I said, I am confused.


If nothing else, there should be a protest of people's rights being taken away, when, besides us overwhelmingly voting yes 8 years ago, we were stripped of our "Freedom of Speech" when 4 Supreme Court Judges in the State decided to go against the will of the people. Well the will of the people have spoken again, and 52% of the people in Califonia want marriage defined this way. The last time I checked, Mormons weren't 52% of the population here...yet we are getting the brunt of it all. Like I said, Something is wrong.


I fear for my children having to grow up in this world. I know that things are just going to get worse from here on out. They say we have been saved for these latter days...to build the Kingdom in righteous ways...well, it is going to be a hard battle, but I am up for it! I am sad for the Eckern Family, who have to face their father losing his job after working with the Sacramento Music Circus for 25 years becuase he stood up for what he believed. I am sad for all those other families who are facing the same thing, that I know nothing about. I am sad for the people who are so vehemently fighting the outcome of this for their salvation in the life hereafter. I hope and pray that things get better, but somehow I know they will not. I have to live my life the way that I know is correct and do what I can to raise my children that way as well. I love the Gospel and know that these are the Latter days and while things aren't going to be pretty, we will get through it if we heed the commandments and follow our Savior's words.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Here she is at 7 months with her first pair of Nike's. They are still too big,
but they tie on so it is ok! Isn't she just so cute?

time flies by...

So I was watching my little girl today as she crawled all over the place, pulling herself up onto things and starting to even push things aroud as she walks. She is only 7 months old for crying out loud! Can't she stay my little peanut for just a little bit longer? The little 6 pound baby that I held in my arms only a few months ago is already getting her second tooth and who knows, could be walking in the next month or two. It just goes too fast! I can't believe it. I know I have heard my whole life, enjoy it while you can, cause it will be gone in the blink of an eye...I guess you never know until you experience it. For this reason, I am posting an older picture, but one I love just the same. Here is Peyton on her way home from the hospital. I had a C-section, so even though she was born on a Wednesday (at 8:10 am, April 2, 2008), we didn't get to go home until Saturday morning. She was so little in her car seat! You should see her in it now! What a difference! She looks like a little preying mantis here! I love her little hands! I had her at UC Davis Medical Center, and they leave the baby with you in your room at night. She slept curled up in a little ball on my chest and fit so perfect! It truly was one of the best days of my life. This little miracle that Lance and I created and Heavenly Father sent to us. We truly are blessed. She is growing up to be such a good baby, and such a pretty one at that. I used to make fun of ugly babies, and my sister Christina always told me, "be careful or you will have the ugliest baby!" Well I guess I didn't make fun of enough of them because she is just absolutely gorgeous. I love being with her all day and being able to see her do different things on a daily basis. She is so smart! I hope that she grows up knowing how much her daddy and I love her.



Thursday, November 6, 2008

these are a few of my favorite things...


One of my favorite things is watching my daughter play with her dad. I just can't get enough of it. I love when he walks in the room and she just lights up! He gets off at 2 in the afternoon now, so she gets to see a lot more of him. It is the best watching her face when dadadada comes home. She loves to give him kisses, and she probably loves him more than me because he will give her a bottle whenever she makes a peep. This is her trying to get the green ring from him with her mouth. She tries to get everything with her mouth. I just love both of them so much!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The cutes voter in the whold USA!

Today was a very important day...It was voting day! How exciting! I love watching the polls all day and seeing how everything works out. I told my husband today that I always wanting to be one of those people who write on the big board with my finger and circle certain state and give people information. He told me the name of that board is called a telestrator. What a cool word! And it makes perfect sense! Well, I won't hold my breath in hoping that I can be one of them someday, but for know I will just settle on the fact that "my vote counts!" I voted via absentee ballot (which I always do) but Peyton and I went with daddy today to vote and we both got stickers. She was such a good girl at the polls, and of course, everyone loved her. I wish I could have had her vote count for mine too! I know that voting is important. I love that I have the blessing of living in a free country where I can go out and vote for the things that are important to me. I am so glad that my parents and my husbands parents have instilled in both of us the importance of voting and that we both enjoying doing it. This election is probably the most important in our lives. We are fighting evil in its most prominent form. 8 years ago, prop 22 was voted for and passed, defining marriage as between a man and a woman. This year, 4 judges in the state voted against what the people already voted and wrote into our state constitution that marriage was not between man and woman, and whomever wanted to marry each other, man and man or woman and woman, or man and woman, could do so.
We have been taught our whole lives that we were saved for these latter days for a specific reason. I truly believe that one of those reasons I am here at this time is to fight against this and stand up for marriage to be defined as between a man and a woman. It is what our Father in Heaven wants, and it therefore, is what I want. I truly hope that tomorrow we will see and overwhelming vote in favor of Proposition 8.
I know most of you know about this whole thing, but remember I write for myself and for my posterity as well...So if this bores you, sorry!

Monday, November 3, 2008

My little boob tube watcher!

Baby Einstein


I used to be one of those moms who made fun of the whole "baby einstein"craze. Now I say...thank goodness for Julie Clark-founder of the baby einstein collection (or so she says on the Baby Mozart DVD). Peyton would be happy if it was on in the backgound all day long. I love it because it gives me peace and quite for 26 minutes and 38 seconds! I put it on when I am in the shower on Sunday mornings, and when I am doing the dishes every other morning. I used to have her sit in her swing and watch , and I still do when I am in the shower and can't run to her if she screams, but now I just let her play with her toys while she watches. She usually stops playing and crawls her way to right below the tv and watches, backwards, forwards or whichever way she ends up.
All I can say is: Thank you Julie Clark- from the bottom of my heart!

Sunday, November 2, 2008


Its not very clear, but she is playing with here Papa here.
It was so cute to watch! She loves her Papa!

It is getting cold here in Susanville, so here is my stylish little eskimo baby!

New Blog...what am I getting myself into?


Well, I started this blog a couple months ago, and never really got into it. But now my sisters have one as well as a couple friends, and I feel like I need to keep up with the Joneses...in a manner of speaking! I also think this is a good way for me to sort of keep a journal. If I get on here every couple days and write something, I will be able to look at it later and see the things that happened from day to day with my family, which is what I think life is all about. I don't want to look back and thing, I wish I could remember what happened on that day, so if you don't care, then don't read it. Mostly this is for my own personal enjoyment. If you do care, I will try and post as much as I can about what our family is doing from day to day (especially Peyton as she is who most of you care about anyway!). So, please enjoy!
Today I was called as the first Counselor in our ward Primary Presidency. I am kind of excited because I really like the girls I will be working with. They are a ton of fun. I was the Secretary before this, so I am hoping it won't be too much of a change. We will see! Peyton in crawling on all fours now, though she prefers scooting as she is much faster at it. She is getting daring as well, pulling herself up on things and scaring the life out of me and Lance. But we are live and learn parents, and let her do her own thing (as long as it is not too dangerous). She is so much fun to watch and learn from. We can honestly say we learn something from her everyday. Her smile is the highlight of our lives. Just today, Lance came home from work and she looked up and saw him. She got to excited, with a big huge smile on her face and immediately dropped the blocks she was chewing on and started to crawl to him. I love that she knows him and wants to be with him when he is here (plus it gives me the break I need!).
Well that is our life today.
I am also posting some pictures of Peyton as a Giraffe. That is what she was for halloween. Unlce Clayton is in Madagascar (Mada) on his mission, so Grandma Allen made 4 of the grandkids animals from the movie. Isn't she just the cutest giraffe you have ever seen?