The Lively Family

The love of my Forever

2012-01-20T09:50:00.001-08:00

Today is our 5 year anniversary. It has definately been the best 5 years of my life! Wonderful, loving husband, who always makes me feel like I am the only girl in the world, and two of the most beautiful children Heavenly Father ever created. I feel so blessed everyday of my life. I know there is more that I can do for my family and I pray everyday that I become the wife and mother that my family needs me to be.
Now, on to Lance...He is the best thing. I am sure that most people would say that we are always nagging at each other, but that is how we work. It is amazing how much he compliments me. We work so well together and work everyday at getting better and better. He works non-stop for our little family to be happy and healthy. Seriously. Sometimes he works as much as 80 hours in a week. But he always seems to find time for us. He is a worthy priesthood holder who puts his family first in all things. I am so grateful to have him in my life and I can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring us. Happy Anniversary Honey. I love you.

Cuddle Bug

2011-12-08T22:37:00.000-08:00

My little P2 is such a sweet boy. He makes us laugh all the time. He is starting to say new words and it is so much fun to try and have a conversation with him! He is our little cuddle bug too. He will walk right up to you, especially if you have something soft on, and snuggle right up, stick his left thumb (never his right-and this is a habit his dad HATES!) in his mouth and nuzzle his face right into your shoulder. He loves to dance and his favorite thing in the world is to get on the computer with Lance and google pictures and videos that he can groove to. His favorites are Nemo, horses (hoe-us), and the "Teach me how to Jimmer" video on YouTube. He has the cutest little gremlin smile that will light up the whole room. He is everything a happy boy should be and he certainly has my heart. Though there are days when I want to tie him up and lock him in a sound proof room, I couldn't imagine life without him. He is the sunlight of my day and I am under his little spell. I love you more than words can say my Little Handsome Bubs!

P1's Testimony

2011-12-08T22:29:00.000-08:00

At church on Sunday, P1 was sitting coloring in her book during Fast and Testimony meeting. A young girl, about 8 years old, went up and bore her testimony and P1 looked at me and said "Mommy, I want to go up there!" I am not really a fan of parents going up and whispering in their child's ear what their testimony should be, so I was against it at first. A couple other people went up and she continued to ask if she could take a turn. I came up with a plan and asked her again if she was sure she wanted to go, informing her that she would have to do it all by herself. She told me yes, she wanted a turn. I walked up with her and say on the front row of the pews as she continued the rest of the way up the stairs. They 1st Counselor in the Bishopric pulled the step up for her and pulled the microphone down. My little peanut looked right at me and said "now mommy?" and I nodded. She proceeded to speak into the microphone "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." After that, she stepped down and went back to her seat. Nothing more needed to be said. Her 3 year old testimony was pure and simple, but exactly what SHE believes. I have never been so proud of her in my life! I am so grateful Heavenly Father has given me such a special little girl who is so smart and beautiful. I love you my little Pooks, with all my heart. Thank you for choosing to come to this family. You make us happy everyday!

It's beggining to look a lot like...

2011-12-08T22:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas! My favorite time of year! I have always love Christmastime! The smell of the crisp clean air, cold against your face. The lights on people's houses. The smiles on their faces. The happiness you feel for a month straight! Nothing quite compares! As kid, living in Florida, it wasn't quite the same, with it not being cold, but not knowing any different made me none the wiser. It was still an awesome time. As a teenager, the season started a little earlier for me. The performing company I was in, Galena Street East, would do a Christmas Program and would begin practicing in Mid-September, early October. And then the first week of December we would have "show-week", practicing for hours everyday, into the wee hours of the morning. It was a time I looked forward to, despite the lack of sleep. This always seemed to start off my Christmas, and not having it to jumpstart my Christmas Spirit has been something that I have had to get used to.
Having my own kids has made Christmas just that much more special to me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE decorating my house and seeing them excited for all the lights and pretty things. P1 was able to help me decorate the tree this year and we had so much fun singing Christmas songs and putting the ornaments on while Lance supervised (he put the Star on top...at least his height comes in handy sometimes!). P2 has been busy trying to control his urges to pull every ball ornament off and chuck it accross the room. There have been a couple times when this temptation was too much to bear and he has given in. I am down 3 glass ball ornaments from what I had last year. But only 3! A triumph in my book!
I have been trying hard to come up with some of my own traditions that I want to pass down to my kids for them to remember at Christmas. Everything that I have come up with has been something I feel my kids are too young to appreciate just yet, but I guess I should stop making excuses and just do it with them. Afterall, it is these types of things that they are going to remember. I know I do!
This time of year always makes me think about my mom, Tammy. She always loved Christmas as well, and her birthday was the 28th, a couple days after. I miss her all year long, but especially at this time of year. I wish she was here to share in the joys that my little ones bring to everyone around them. I know that she would have loved them and kissed them all the time. And to be able to see their faces on Christmas day would have made her happy. I still remember the smile on her face as we opened our presents on Christmas day. I am glad to know that she is watching down on us, taking part in the memories we are making.
I also love that my thoughts freely and often turn to the Savior at this time of year. Petty, simple things don't seem to be at the forefront of my thoughts, and I have time to sit and ponder all that I have been given by Him. I love that I can feel closer to Him at this time and be reminded of His humble beginning and triumphant end. "He is the reason for the season" as they say, and I am eternally grateful for Him.

Fun pictures

2011-10-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

Party Time!

2011-10-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today P1 had her first party at school. It was a "Harvest Party". The kids sang some "spooky songs" and had a little show for us. I have to say that I think it turned out pretty cute! I loved watching my little sunshine up there singing her heart out. I had many parents come up to me afterwards and tell me she was the best little singer up there. She sings ALL THE TIME at home and knows so many songs! It makes me so happy to see her growing and blossoming in her class. I am so grateful for the little things in life, and watching me daughter grow up is definitely one of them!

Each parent was responsible to bring something. Here is my 'fruit platter'. Pretty cute idea eh?

Wedding Bells

2011-10-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Amador County for Lance's Cousin Beth's Wedding to David. It was so much fun to see family and just relax for a couple days! The vineyard where the wedding was held was beautiful and the company was even more enjoyable! I made P1's dress and P2's vest for the wedding to attempt to match Beth's colors of Black, white pink and orange. It was my second undertaking of sewing, and I must say, they came out quite well! The entertainment for the wedding was a belly dancer for about 20 mintues. The kids LOVED her! P1 went up and danced with her, and P2 was quick to follow. He was GLUED to her moves! Like father like son, I guess!

One of the reasons I love being able to go to weddings is that I am reminded of why I chose the husband that I have and all the reasons I love him more everyday. Thank you for being you, honey! You make my life happy.
(Scroll down for a video of the kids dancing with the Belly Dancer)
PS I tried to upload some pictures but Blogger is uploading only half of them. Anyone know how to fix that?

Time for school! Time for school!!

2011-09-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Friday was Peyton's first day of Preschool. The class that Lance and I decided to put her in has a 2/3 year old class and also a 4 year old class. We went last year and put her on the waitlist (it was advised we did this earlier than later as many parents up here place their children on this particular waitlist when their child is BORN!! - needless to say, Parker is already on this list!). The school that we had her on the list for ended up losing their teacher and the rest of their staff, and to make a long story short, we moved to the new school with the teacher. We were told that we had officially made it on the list, but a week later we got another call informing us we had been taken off and made 1st alternate because they needed to make room for children who needed this as a daycare as well. Tick. Me. Off. Being the pesky mother that I am, I called back a week before school started to see how her 1st alternate postition was doing, and they let me know that she was actually bumped up on to the "active list" that morning (huh...wonder what would have happened had I not called!).
At the end of all the hoopla, Peyton is officially going 2 days a week (Wednesdays and Fridays) from 8:30-12. I took a couple of days to prepare her, telling her that it was just like going to Nursery. She would have a teacher and make new friends, and have lots of new toys to play with. She seemed excited. Friday morning came, and I have to admit, it was hard for me to wake up so early! I haven't had to set my alarm for...I can't even remember the last time I set my alarm! 7:30 came, and I think I made a routine that will work for us. I did have to wake both kids up though! We walked her to they school (it is .17 miles from my house from my door to the door of the school) and I signed her in. She kind of got a little pouty face as I said goodbye to her, but then she looked around and saw all the other kids and the TOYS! She bravely looked at me and said "Ok mommy! This is just like nursery! I will see you in a little bit! I love you!" and off she went. Part of me was glad she was so brave, and part of me wanted to hide and watch her play for a little bit! So back home Parker and I went, and got ready to go for our run. It was nice to just have time for me and him. He seemed a little lost without his "pooks" with him, but after awhile he was happy to have me all to himself and vice-versa! It is gonna be an interesting year but I am ready for it, and I think both kids are too!

Hooray!

2011-08-22T20:22:00.001-07:00

This past couple of weeks I was able to spend some time with my family. My little brother Clayton got married to his bride, Melanie, in the Sacramento Temple. It was awesome, and they are great together. It was so fun to be able to see and spend time with everyone. The wedding reception came together nicely and a good time was had by all. Congratulations Clayton and Melanie! I hope that many blessings and happiness come your way for the rest of your eternities together! Love you both!

Happenings

2011-07-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

I love my life. It's that plain and simple. My kids make me laugh all the time and I love spending time with my husband. This summer he joined a hardball baseball league. The kids and I have been going to watch his games and they have been really good while we are there. They cheer him on and shout his name from the bleachers. "da-da! da-da!" you can hear P2 Cheer from the stands! He has done outstanding so far. It has been a great thing for us to do as a family. Can't wait until it is our kids out there we are watching!
P1 also took a couple weeks of swim lessons while we were down in Sacramento taking care of my dad. To say she did well would be a HUGE exaggeration! She was so obnoxious! The teacher finally asked me if I would just bring her 15 minutes earlier than her scheduled lesson and get in with her. From then on, it went better, but still not great. At some points, I just wanted to throw her in the middle of the pool and tell her to figure it out or else...but I didn't want CPS called on me! At the end of the 2nd week she pretty much knew that she had 20 minutes that she had to endure and get through and just went through the motions. Oh well, she will do it again next year much to her dismay!
P2 on the other hand is like a little sea otter! The kid is fearless! At my sister's pool he would DIVE into the deep end and swim (with are floaties on) all across the pool. I hardly had to watch him cause it was pretty much inately in him to just do it! He would put his face under, lay on his back and float and just jump in. Now THAT is my kid for sure! Loves the water. The other one...not so sure.
Since we have been home, we have been going to the lake once a week with friends. It has been a lot of fun for the kids. P1 has adjusted well and P2 I have to keep a serious eye on or else he will be 1/2 way out in the lake by the time I look up!
At the end of the month I am going down to Sacramento again to put on a Bridal Shower for my future Sister In Law, Melanie, with my sisters. Then a couple weeks after that we will be back to see them get married. Hopefully after that our summer will slow down and we will be able to start getting P1 ready for preschool in September! I can't believe it is already time for her to go. She is getting so big!
Lately she has really been in to watching the movies Tangled and Thumbelina. She dances around and sings ALL the songs. WORD FOR WORD. The kids has a memory for songs. I can put almost anything to a song and she will memorize it, which is how I taught her my phone number the other day. She knows all of her Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Cousins, Parents...middle names and half of their birthdays. And if she meets you on the street, beware; her immediate questions to you will probably be "Hi! What's your name? What is your birthday? How are you?" So be careful! I better not teach her my SSN or she will be stealing my identity!
P2 is so funny these days as well. He is talking a lot and trying hard to make his prescence known with such an attention hog for a sister. The other day it finally happened. He finally outsmarted her. P2 has a toy zebra that he loves to ride around on. He gets so mad when P1 is on it, so the other day, while she was riding around on it, he got made and did his normal "ahhh" while he tried to pull her off and looks at me to try to fix his problem. I told him that she had it first and he needed to play with something else until she was done. He promptly loooked around the room, searching for something that he knew she would want, grabbed her purse that she carries around EVERYWHERE, put it on his arm and started to walk out of the room. She sees him, walks over and asks him for it nicely (amazing). He instantly drops it down and runs his chubby little legs over to the zebra, sits down and looks up at me triumphantly! I couldn't keep the laughter in! It was the first of many I am sure.
So that is a little of what has been happeneing around here. I will try and update a couple tore times before the end of the summer!

Finally doing it!

2011-07-11T20:55:00.001-07:00

We have lived in our house for a little more than a year and a half. When we moved in, we loved the neutral color palate, but knew that it wasn't 100% us and decided that we were going to redo them soon. Well, here we are! We are changing the color palate in the living room from browns and tans to shades of gray and black and white. We are also doing a chair rail and moulding around all the doors and windows. And the best part?!? We are getting a new door for the back! Thank heavens! This one gets harder and harder everyday and the vertical blinds are a pain in my pattotie! I will post before and after pictures soon! Stay tuned!

My Family

2011-05-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

No, this is not going to be a post about my handsome husband, or my beautiful children. It is going to be about the family that I grew up with. The snotty, obnoxious i-know-you-better-than-anyone-else-because-I-have-known-you-the-longest-and-dealt-with-all-your-crap siblings that I love so much. The weekend of May 20th we were all able to get together (although under not so desired circumstances) and hang out in San Francisco. My brother Clayton courageously donated his kidney to our dad, so we all decided to make a trip to show them our support and love. And what a fun time it was! None of us had our kids with us (which was excellent) and though we missed them, we were able to stick to the 5 minute rule (just remember that after minutes with your kids again, you will wish that you were alone again). Nor did we have our spouses. This was a obstacle that we did have to overcome, but if they were all there with us, we would not have had the same experience as we would have been separated in cars, and would have desired to split up and go off alone.
So needless to say, we had an experience that I am sure none of us will forget. We all spent the night Friday night at our Sister Christina's house where we stayed up late, playing games and goofing off. We woke up early the next morning and headed into the city where we immediately went to the hospital to visit the sickies. They looked remarkable for having a transplant surgery only 24 hours prior! Both were up and walking and talking (boy, those meds made them interesting!). Then we all went to lunch in Chinatown. That was a whole other experience that deserves its own blog in itself! After that we walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 where we just walked around the shops and goofed off. Final stop, Ghirardelli Square where we fulfilled out Ice Cream cravings (the 5 sisters had a biggest loser challenge the 2 weeks before so we all deserved it!). That night we stayed up late in the hot tub and chatting until the wee hours in the morning with our mom. The next day some of us were a little testy from being together for such an extended amount of time. But to be honest, it wouldn't have been the same without it! (I guess everyone else thinks it was my fault, so we will just go with that. Better than continuing the argument). I guess it comes with the territory of being the oldest. You are always right. I wish the other 6 would just learn that, and all of our lives would be a lot easier. ;) Sunday we went walking down to Union Square and had lunch and shopped a little. Then back to the hospital to say our goodbyes. But not for long cause both my dad and brother were both released on Monday! The Dr's said they did remarkably well and were very impressed with their desire to get better.
All in all it was a great weekend and one I will not very quickly forget. For your enjoyment, here are some pictures documenting our trip.
My Brother Clayton and Me: post surgery.

All the Siblings post Surgery: (LtoR) Sydney, Ashley, Whitney, Clayton, Chris, Amber and Christina.

Las Hermanas

El Guapo

Trouble is his middle name

2011-04-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

Lately Parker has been getting in to EVERYTHING! It seems like he just wants to see how far he can push my buttons! And boy does it work. I was talking with a friend yesterday about the different personalities of our children. We came to the conclusion that is must be a boy/girl thing. With our girls, yes, they would push our buttons, but they would do it right in front of us, allowing us to be able to punish them for the deed right then and there. Our boys on the other hand do their mischivous things in secret, leaving them for me to find a little later, when it is too late to really punish them for it (he is one...he isn't going to know what I am smacking his hand for 20 mintues after he has moved on to something else). I have to keep every door in my house closed except for the one to his room. He gets into toilets, drawers, closets and his favorite of all...the kitchen trash! It literally makes me gag. For the last 4 years of our marriage Lance and I have always wanted 3 kids. Now, on a daily basis, Lance tells me that we are done! I am sure that it is just a phase and that one day (in a couple years) he will again want another child. The best part of our Damien child is that as soon as he does something to push our buttons a little too far, he makes his little gremiln face and melts our hearts. He is the sweetest little guy and always wants to cuddle and love you. So even though we are being tested to our limits by this little firecracker, he still owns our hearts! Can't wait to see what he is like as a teenager...NOT!

Here is his cute Gremlin face (not in full force)

And to prove that he isn't always a demon-child, here he is singing OUT LOUD in church

Peyton Lorie

2011-04-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday my Princess. I can not believe that you are now 3 years old. I remember the day that I found out I was pregnant with you. It was on my 24th birthday. I couldn't remember anything in my whole life that made me more happy than that moment. But since that time there have been many more things that have made me happier. The day you were born. They day you learned how to walk. The day you learned how to talk. You are one of my most treasured blessings in this life and I am greatful for you everyday. You are so beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. I love catching your profile and seeing your soft blond curls cascade down your face, or the sun reflect off your radient sky blue eyes. You have such a persistant personality and will never give up on something once you put your mind to it. I love to watch you practice your numbers and letters and color with such determination. You are such a great big sister to your little brother, and though you often have your little setbacks with him, I relish in the moments when I catch you holding his hand, giving him a kiss or just playing with him in his room when you think no one is watching. I laugh constantly at the little things you say and do. You bring happiness to our lives that we never knew would be blessed with. I love you more and more each day and can't believe I am so blessed to call YOU my daughter. Thank you for being you with all your faults and traits. I love you forever and ever my little Pookie. Love, Mommy

Tigger and Pooh and a Birthday for 2!!

2011-04-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

We had the kids' birthday party on Saturday the 2nd. It was at the bowling alley here in town and a good time was had by all! We had a pinata and a photo op where we got some great photos! A ton of our extended family made the trip up to celebrate with us and just generally have a good time. Thank you all for making our kids birthday so memorable! We love you! Now here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

Parker Lane Lively

2011-03-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it has been 1 year since you came to us! You are the happiest baby I have ever seen! I am not the only person who thinks this either. You smile lights up the room and makes everyone happy who is around you. Your sweet spirit shines through your beautiful blue eyes. I can't get enough of your 6 toothed gremlin smile! And your chunky thighs! I just want to nibble on them all day! I could watch you waddle all day long! I love how mellow and laid back you are, always going with the flow and never complaining (unless you are getting your clothes changed!). You have brought such happiness to our family this past year and we would not be the same without you in our lives. I feel so blessed and loved by my Heavenly Father everytime I hold you and know that he has sent such a special spirit to live with us and have us teach and grow in righteousness. I love you my little Lucky Charm and can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store with you! Love, Mommy

Family Trip

2011-02-22T20:12:00.000-08:00

We just got back from our Family Trip to Southern California for our visit for Baby Zoey's blessing. Although there has been NO snow for the last 6 weeks here, it decided to reer its ugly head the day before we were scheduled to leave. Lance had to work a double on Wednesday for a swap, but we decided to leave when he got home and stay the night in Reno. We figured taking our time the night before was safer than trying to rush in the morning when our flight was leaving at 9:20. It was an adventure to say the least. We got to LAX around 11 and were on our way to visit some of Lance's family in Redlands. We had a great time with some cousins and were very greatful for our wonderful hosts! The next day we ventured to DisneyLand with just our little family of 4. We had a BLAST! It was better this time than 2 months ago when we went, mostly because P1 now knew what was going on and was a little more open to the rides and characters. That night we went to see my family in Long Beach and pretty much just hung our with eachother for the next couple days. It was great fun to see everyone and catchup. We left to come back home EARLY Monday morning and got home at around 1:30. We all took naps and woke up at 5:30...we were exhausted. Glad to be home and back to our normal schedule. Here are some pictures!

Randomness

2011-01-27T20:00:00.001-08:00

I wanted my new background to be different than most people's 'normal' valentines background. I was feeling kind of vintage-ey and soft and I thought this one was just the ticket. Hopefully you all enjoy it as much as I do. And I am SO HAPPY that they now have new fonts for your blog. STOKED!
Well, in all honesty, I am typing this pointless blog to avoid writing my talk on Sunday. We have lived here for 2 1/2 years and this will be my 4th time speaking in Sacrament meeting! I blame my father for teaching me to never say no when a member of the Bishopric asks you to do something.
On a side note, I have lost 3 lbs since the 1st of the year. Not much, but at least it is headed in the right direction. I have also lost 3/4 of an inch in both my waist and hips (1 1/2 all together). So my Physical resolution has been going great. I have worked out everyday for 3 weeks straight (excpet the 2 days we went to Reno for our anniversary ~ Happy 4 years to us! and what a great 2 days it was!). I feel great and have a lot more energy, which was the main goal.
I have also read my scriptures an average of 5 times a week. My goal has been 4, so I have been an overacheiver there. Lets face it, if you are going to overacheive somewhere, reading the scriptures is the place to do it!
FHE... we haven't had 'structured Family Home Evenings' but we have made sure to sit down together as a family to do something on Monday nights, wether it be to learn a new verse of I am a Child of God, or just play together in the kids room for 45 minutes, uninterrupted. So, I consider this a success. Hey, the family that plays together stays together...or something like that!
All in all, I feel like I have been doing really well with my resolutions. Almost one month down, 11 more to go. I hope your knees dont blister from all the praying you are doing for me!

And just because blog posts are much more fun when pictures are involved, here are a few of my cute kids!

Resolutions

2011-01-11T09:45:00.001-08:00

I figured if I'm gonna actually be accountable for these this year, I had better write them down. Every year previous to this one I just say, in my mind, what I want to better myself at for that year. Never works. At least this way I won't be able to say, "I never had that resolution" or tweek the resolution halfway through the year to better fit my current situation. I have decided since this is only the first year that I am actually making REAL resolutions, I will start with one in each of the following categories (better to start small and work your way up I say!):
1. Spiritual
2. Family
3. Physical Health (who DOESN'T have one in this category EVERY year?)
So, in the spirit of not being a failure in any of the aforementioned categories, I decided to make it somewhat of an easy year this year. (laughing and mocking sounds are allowed here). I figure that if I fail at my first attempt at trying to make resolutions I would no longer want to try again, which would make it that much harder to ever be a better person, or maybe it is that I am just lazy. Take your pick. I personally choose option 1. :0)
Anyway...For me personal goals I have decided to (drum roll please!!)
1. Read my scriptures at least 4 times a week. Trust me, this is progress. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to read, but for some reason, whenever I am reading the scriptures, it turns into a snoozefest. So maybe before I read everytime, I will make sure to pray that I will be involved and interested in the message. Don't get me wrong, I feel the spirit when I read them, most of the time. I guess I just have to find time to dedicate my focus just on reading, and not try and do it while feeding a baby, or sitting and hearing "hot diggity dog" in the background. I digress.
2. I am hoping to have FHE everyweek. This one, though easy for so many of you, is not for our family. Lance is usually working and OT on Monday nights and is not home. For me, having a "family home evening" with just me and the kids is no different than what we do all day, everyday. Peyton and I learn primary songs, color pictures, learn Articles of Faith and stuff during the day (and Parker is still just a dud when it comes to these things). So taking time out during the evening to just do it again doesn't seem promising. I hope to overcome this feeling this year and like Nike says: Just Do It. Lance is getting Sunday/Mondays off in a couple weeks for good, so hopefully that helps in that category. (I should mention that I have already failed for the year since I forgot last night and did not hold a FHE, but I promise, from this week forward, FHE will be!!)
3. I tell myself every year, "I will lose X pounds this year." Ah ah ah. Not this year folks. Nope, I am not hoping to lose pounds (well lets face it, I really am), but am merely hoping to stick to my p90x program and allow myself to feel better and look better in the clothes that I now own. I don't hope (yes I do) to get into a smaller size or look like a waif, but it would be nice. So instead of setting myself up for failure, I decided to lower my ambitions. I want to stick to the program. I want to do something active everyday and feel good about myself when I am done. If I do this, the pounds are sure to come off all on their own, right?!? RIGHT?!? One can only hope.
So, here is to the hopes that I, Ashley Lively, will stick to and accomplish my goals set this year. This is of course, the first step. Now they are in print and I have something to be accountable for. Wish me luck!! (And a prayer or 2 won't hurt much either!)

Christmas!!

2010-12-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas together as a family. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

My beautiful Diamonds! Lance's World Series Champions Sweatshirt (the one gift he had no idea about!) Minnie Clips and Mickey earrings! Enjoying some gifts from his stocking. He loves his recliner! Their chairs from Santa Claus. In mommy and daddys bed, waiting to go see what Sants brought them! Santa's Cookies. This is my favorite Picture!!

My kids

2010-12-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

Peyton has a new favorite toy. It is whatever Parker has in his hands. And for some reason, my sweet little laid back baby boy just laughs and laughs when she takes away whatever it was that he was playing with. Today, it was a plastic bowl. She had no reason to take it from him, but she did. And when I told her to please give it back, she went and found another toy, any other toy, and gave it to him. I have to threaten to take her one prized possesion away from her...Bear...dun dun dun!!! Works everytime! (hey, it would work for you too if you had a semi-romantic relationship with your stuffed animal!).
As for Parker, he gets his revenge by pinning her every once in awhile. He looks so triumphant as he climbs on top of her petite little body and gets a big smile, all the while his sister is under him, screaming bloody murder. It is gonna be a GREAT next 18 years!! I love my kids!

I promise

2010-11-18T17:03:00.001-08:00

Last week we took the kids to Disneyland. There are more pictures to follow! But for now you only get this one!

Wimple's Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up we would go to a place called Apple Hill during the fall, usually on Conference Weekend, to take pictures and just have fun as a family. Seeing as Apple Hill is about 4+ hours away from where our little family lives, we decided to take the kids to Wimple's Pumpkin Patch, which is about 25 minutes away instead! It is nothing like Apple Hill, but was fun nonetheless for my little kids! They had all the things that our kids were interested in. Hay rides, tractors to play on, animals to look at (Peyton wasn't too interested in this part), pumkins to find, a small haymaze for toddlers and a small play structure for the kids to play with after lunch (and an AWESOME shop for the mom!- with GREAT prices!). We went with some family friends (Dodges, Autenriebs, and Wedemeyers). Lance had to work that morning, but we took tons of pictures for him to be a part of our trip!

Riding in her wagon on the way out to get some pumpkins (that is her friend Jack in the background)

"I found a good one mommy!"

Peyton holding her pumpkin that she picked

Her wagon is full!

Parker riding his John Deere tractor

Holding his baby Pumpkin (that is Caitlyn holding him...so glad she was there to help me with the kids that day! She was a lifesaver)

Me and my friends (clockwise from top left: Reagan, Julie, Me, Jaquelle)

Scootchin around

2010-10-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

The day has come! Actually, it came last Friday. Parker is now mobile. He isn't quite on all 4s yet, but he is going, going, going! And fast too! I turn away for 3 seconds and I am pulling him out from underneath the kitchen table. Or out from under the coffee table, which has a 3 inch shelf that he crawls onto and pushes the magazines off of. It was so fun and exciting for the first little while, but now it is just something that distracts me from doing things that I should be doing (washing dishes, folding laundry, scrubbing toilets, blogging, playing on the computer) ;) But he is oh so fun! He is about to get his little teeth in on the bottom, and he smiles constantly. Even when he is crying, he is smiling, and sometimes he can't figure out if he wants to cry or laugh. He is completely in love with his big sister (who would have nothing to do with him if it was her choice). He would follow her to the ends of the earth and loves to watch her all day long.
Peyton is also growing and changing on a daily basis. She has started to make up laugh by the things that she comes up with to say to us. The other day, her nana and papa were here to visit us here in Susanville and she was playing with Peyton and her shape blocks. She held up one of the blocks and asked me "Ashley, what shape is this?" to which Peyton promptly replied "Nana, it's a quadrilateral!" We all just cracked up. Sometimes the things that she has in that little head of hers far exceed any of the expectations I have for my 2 year old!
Here are some of the things that she is doing now:
*Counting 1-50 with ease
*Counting 1-10 in spanish
*Knows all her ABCs and numbers by sight
*Knows all her colors and shapes (including a quadrilateral, penta-, hexa-, and octagon)
*Loves to have picnics out in the front yard with Mommy and Parker
*Sings 5 little monkeys with hand motions by herself
*Can open, start and find her games on my phone (I have had to put a passcode on it to keep her from getting on all the time)
*Hopping on one foot
*Knows the 1st article of Faith
*Knows 5 or 6 Primary songs that she sings by herself
*Knows most of her Body Parts in English and in Spanish
*Helps mommy get things around the house, or pick things up
*Joyfully proclaims "There's Bubs!" when I get Parker out of bed
*Knows her daily routine, and HATES to diviate from it in any way shape or form
*Knows, by heart, word for word, at least 30 different Mickey Mouse Clubhouse shows (I know this puts me in the bad mother category, but sometimes a mom needs a break, and no kidding, she can go MONTHS without seeing a specific one and she still knows it WORD for WORD)

Sorry if it sounds like I am boasting about my kids...but I AM! They are great. They make me happy. They are my reason for getting up every morning. Literally. I just wanted to be able to remember some of the things they were doing at this time, and to share them with all of you! And of course you wanted to know, or why else would you still be reading this? ;)

Stuff

2010-09-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

I figured it was time to update you all on our doings and going ons this last month. In the middle of the month Lance took 2 weeks off of work and we went down to Sacramento to see my family cause my brother came home from his mission. He looked so good and so happy! It was great to see how he has changed, yet stayed the same in many ways. He is such a great guy and I am so happy for the choices he has made in his life. It was the first time ever that we were able to have all of us together, with all of our sposes and children at one time, EVER! It was really awesome to have all of for a couple of days. After we spent about 10 days with them we drove to see Lance's parent for a couple of days and had some fun on the boat (well, most of us did, Peyton, not so much).

We got home and have kind of been unwinding ever since (I know, it has been a week and a half~). Last week I taught Peyton how to say the first Article of Faith. We repeated it over and over for awhile until finally, 4 days later, I overheard her saying it by herself. It was such a feeling of pride to know that my daughter, though merely repeating what I taught her, knew the basis of what we believe. It amazes me everyday how close to the spirit our children are, even when they may seem closer to the devil at times!!
We also have been going to the park a lot. It is so fun to have Parker sit in the kids swing and just chill while I play with Peyton. He is happy to just watch her frolic and have her own fun. He really is the best baby ever. For the most part...he has been having a hard time going to sleep for his afternoon nap. He goes down fine at night, and fine for his morning nap, but he fights and fights me when it is time for his afternoon nap. I am glad he does it then though. Peyton used to do the same thing at this age (rolling over and becoming more mobile). But the princess did it in the middle of the night. I will take it this way over that anyday!
All in all the Lively's are doing well. We are aware of all the blessings we have in our lives. Lance has been blessed to have his schedule switched to have Saturday and Sundays off and the coveted 6-2 shift. People who work in the same field try for 20 YEARS to get that job and he was asked to do it! It is only temporary, but if he works hard, people will notice. I am glad to have such a dedicated hard working husband to take care of our family.
*My computer is being slow...and won't let me upload my pictures so I will have to wait and try again tomorrow. *

Football!!

2010-08-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season!! For football that is! This is my husbands favorite time of year. Baseball postseason is coming up, golf is at its peak (well lets face it...when is it not?) and Football is about to start! Can it get any better than this? To him it can't! I am just excited cause I found this cute background to go with it! And the blue is for my favorite team...The Indianapolis Colts!! Enjoy!

Parker 4 months

2010-07-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

I know I just posted about Parker and how fast he is growing, with all of his stats too, but I have gone back to look for Peyton's stuff and it is nowhere to be found, so I am posting again for my records only. We took Parker to the Dr. on Wednesday for his 4 month check up. He is getting SOOO big! He weighed in at 15 lbs 7 oz (60th %) and heightwise was 27 inces long!!! (over 95th percentile). We have a big boy on our hands! It was also found out that he has an ear infection in his left ear, poor little guy! He took his shots like a champ. He seems to do a lot better than Peyton did afterwards. Our neighbor came over to chat last night and mentioned how happy he seemed after just having shots in both legs. He came home and slept for 3 1/2 hours and then was back to normal. He stood on his legs, laughed, allowed me to touch him...couldn't ask for a better baby. I am so blessed with the little guy that I have! He is such a sweet baby and so easy to read. He is getting close to rolling over and loves to reach up and grab at things. I took him into the pool when we were in Tahoe, and he just laughed and loved it! We consider ourselves to blessed to have him and are enjoying him more and more everyday. We have also started to try and feed him solids. He had some rice cereal with breastmilk the other day and actually did very well with it. He got most of it down and none of it came up after! I can't believe how fast he is growing up! Attempt at solids He tries to fit his whole fist in his mouth! He likes the lights in his bounceroo!

Lake Tahoe

2010-07-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

This past week Lance and I decided to pack up and head to Lake Tahoe. We went so Lance could go to the celebrity Golf Tournament. We left Tuesday morning after we woke up and sstayed until Thursday afternoon. It was a great little getaway for our little family. We stayed at the Montbleu Hotel, which is within walking distance to The Edgewood Golf Course where the Tournament was, so Lance was able to walk as were we to go SHOPPING at the Heavenly Shopping Center. The hotel we stayed at has an awesome pool. The first day that we were there we took Peyton down to look at it and didn't think she would be too impressed. But she wanted to get in with her dress on! We took her dress off, left her bloomers on and set her on the first step. She had the time of her life! She was sitting on the step (big improvement from last time we went to a pool) splashing, kicking, and even venturingdown to the second step where the water came up to her waist. We had to go to eat dinner, but we took her again after dinner and she was hesitant again, she got in, but didn't really want to splash or venture out very far. The next day however was a different story! She was literally JUMPING to the next step and at one point went completely under the water. Lets just say it was a good thing I was standing right there! I freaked out, not cause she went under, but because I was afraid this would deter her from ever wanting to experience swimming again! She popped right back up and asked to go "swim with mommy". SHOCKER! I took her in my arms and showed her that she would be fine if mommy was holding her. She had a great time! She kicked and held her breath to go under the water and cried when it was time to get out! I wish we had a pool here in Susanvill so I could get her swimming lessons! All in all it was a fun-filled relaxing trip. So nice to get away even for just a couple days!

Sorry these aren't the best pictures! We had to take them on Lance's phone cause our battery ran out on the camera!

Its my potty and I'll cry if I want to

2010-06-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

The weather here in Susanville has finally changed to Summer. It was late coming this year, but it finally came. This week has been especially warm, with temperatures in the upper 80s to lower 90s. Nothing like back home, but still, I'm not a big fan. What I am a big fan of is that I get to spend time outside with my family. Peyton would play outside ALL DAY LONG if I let her. She is so happy when she gets to ride her bike or even just play in the dirt.
We have been able to go to the lake a lot lately (at least once a week) and she loves it. For some reason, it takes her a little while to warm up to the idea that we are there and not going anywhere. After the long drive (it is about 45 minutes away) the first thing she has to do is go to the bathroom. Because she is just learning and getting the whole potty thing down she won't let me put a diaper on her, nor will she just "pop a squat" (such a priss!). She also will not go in the lake. Because there is no bathroom at the lake I had to come up with a plan, or she would have probably held it until she exploded. Or cried until my head exploded. Either scenario; no bueno. So...my brilliant mind came up with the idea of giving her her $1 bucket from walmart to go tinkle in. At first, she was very against this idea as well, but I calmly told her she would be fine and then coaxed her into going. SUCCESS!! She went and now everytime we go to the lake, the first thing she says is "I go potty in the bucket?" Such a crackup.
I think that her funniest time of day (most days) is right when she wakes up from her nap. She has the best demeanor and is just happy happy happy. Here is a picture of her right after she woke up from her nap (you can tell by her hair) and she was wearing daddy's shoes and shuffling around talking to me.

Tadaaaaaa!!

2010-06-25T14:22:00.001-07:00

I am finally blogging again! Hooray! Now, I know you are all concerned as to why I have been away for so long and I am here to tell you. We have our desktop computer in Peyton's room. Strange, I know, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. So...the only time I am able to get on the computer for more than 5 minutes at a time is when both my kiddos are sleeping. Not happenening when the computer is in her room. So my DH went and bought a new laptop for the living room. Nothing too fancy cause I want an iPad next year when the 2nd version comes out so we are saving our pennies. But it does allow me to keep better at updating my blog.

On to the updates. Peyton is so much fun. She is just growing into her own little person. She is constantly on the go. In fact, yesterday, Lance and I just sat there and watched as she literally RAN back and forth from the kitchen, to the living room down the hall and back OVER AND OVER AND OVER!! Then, when she got bored of that, she stood in front of us and ran IN CIRCLES (yes like a dog chasing its tail) repeatedly. We were cracking up. I love to have little conversations with her. She is getting so good at talking now that we can carry on a whole conversation for the most part. An example of a conversation between her and I today (I was outside pulling weeds):

me:"whatcha doin' babe?"
P: "I pullin' the weeds mom, what you doin?"
me: "I'm pulling the weeds too"
P: "oh, how nice!"

She just cracks me up with some of the things that come out of her mouth! Another thing she has been doing is some "trick" she makes up (like jumping off the stone lining our flowerbed in the front) and throwing her hands out to the side and yell "tadaaaaa!". Some of her favorite things to do lately are; go to the park (she loves the slide and swing), go to the lake, go to the library (there is a little preschool mom and me read-a-long on Wednesdays), water the plants with daddy, ride her bike, play with Parker, go to lunch with mommy and daddy when daddy is home, help mommy with cooking and taking a bath. Here she is eating some pizza while out on the town with mommy and daddy.

Parker is just growing right before our eyes! He is starting to reach up and grab things (he loves his black and white whale that his Aunt Amber got for him that hangs on his carseat handle) and he loves to stand up and use his little chunky legs! When he is lying down he kicks like a mad-man and is constantly on the go (too bad he can't go far yet!). The other day I walked into his room and his little head was straight up and looking around like a little turtle. He is the happiest baby, constantly smiling and laughing and always "talking" to me. He goes to anyone and is content to just sit in his swing when mommy needs her hands to cook or clean. It is amazing to me how different my two children are and they are only 2 and 3 months! The two of them make Lance and I so happy, it is hard to explain!
Here is our "turtle":

Lance has been blessed to have his schedule changed so that we get to see him more often. He now works 2nd watch (6 am-2 pm) which allows us to have a lot more time with daddy. He is home at night and Peyton loves to spend this time with her dad. She loves that when she wakes up from her nap daddy is there! Sometimes she acts so suprised to see him there! Lance has been working so hard to try and make our lives more comfortable. He has done the maximum amount of overtimes every month for the past couple months allowing us to be very financially blessed. Our yard looks great thanks to his dedication and pride in our home. When he isn't at work, he is home doing some project to better our house.

I love that my husband works hard so that I can stay home and raise my children. I never thought that it would be so rewarding to spend time with a 2 year old and a baby, day after day. It is definately the best thing in the world. I can honestly say there are rough days, but I can't really complain and feel good about myself. I have it so easy compared to a lot of people. My children are both mild tempered and happy, as long as they stay on schedule. I have a wonderful husband who makes me happy and a beautiful home that I am able to make better everyday. I am so blessed with all the things the Lord has given to me in my life right now. Just when I think it can't get any better...it does!

2 (3) month check up

2010-06-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Parker turned 2 months on May 17th, but because of insurance stuff I couldn't get him in for his 2 month check up until this week. So at his almost 3 month check up, he weighed in at 13 lbs 14 oz! Which put him at the 70th percentile for weight. And Height-wise he was 26 inches putting him at the 90th percentile! What a beast of a baby I have. But he sure is fun. He has started to "talk" back to me when I chat with him, and he coos and giggles all the time! He is just the happiest little guy! With such a little personality! His favorite time of day is bath time, and he sleepys soundly through the night until around 7 every morning. Man, did I get lucky! I love you, my little man!

Bath time! His Favorite

Playing with Peyton

Watching MMC with Peyton

Swinging at the park

Potty Time

2010-05-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

Last Monday I started to potty train P1. She has shown signs for awhile now that she is ready. I got all geared up, pulled out all the little panties that I had for her, and even purchased an online book that was on sale that a friend recommended (thanks Morgan). The first 2 1/2 days were a disaster. I am talking, not even once did she make it to the toilet. Not even once. It was so stressful for me! I just kept wanting to give up! But the book said to keep on truckin' so that's what I did. But honestly, how much easier would it be to just put a diaper back on her. And if I had to say "you tell mommy if you have to go potty!" one more time...
On Wednesday afternoon, she came running to me exclaiming "I go potty mommy! I go potty!" So I ran with her to the bathroom acting excited (trust me - big time acting) and sure enough, she looked up at me proud as can be, and she was going. I don't think I have ever been so excited about pee in my life! But our real problems were only beginning.
Later that evening, she told me she had to go potty, and I knew it wasn't pee. She had not gone #2 for 3 days and I was starting to get nervous. Now everytime I put her on the potty she would cry and ask me to hold her. After about 2 hours of on and off the potty, she started to walk funny. I was at a friends house and she asked if I wanted a supository cause it was obvious she needed to go, she just wasn't doing it. I gave her the supository, and she finally went later that night (after crying for 3 hours). It was so much relief for her that it physically made ME feel better.
The next morning however, was no different. I guess she just didn't get all of it out. She cried and cried and I sent Lance to get some baby laxatives. I also filled her up on the juices. Unfortunately this meant that I needed to put her back in diapers, because who knew how or when that stuff was going to come?! I didn't want a huge mess to clean up. Call me crazy.
It now looks like we are back in the clear. Starting last night, she came and asked if she could go peepee and put on her big girl panties again. I said sure, not thinking it would actually pan out the way I was hoping, but alas...it did. Since last night she has gone in the potty everytime except for one accident last night before bed where she immediately freaked out. I know that more accidents are going to happen, but the past couple of days have given me some hope that my child will not be going to kindergarten with a diaper on!

This picture is from last year, but she was so excited to go on the potty and I love her little face and hands!

Livelys Lately

2010-04-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

So... I don't know how all of you moms of 2+ kids find the time to sit down and blog...I must admit that I completely and utterly admire you and the time that you miraculously seem to find! And I also want to thank you for making my life so much more enjoyable when I sit down at the computer and get to read your blogs! Here I am, 3 weeks from the last time I blogged, sitting here trying to find the time to do it. We will see how many times I have to stop and save and come back to this one post!
Well, the babies and I go home to Susanville on Thursday. I don't think I have been this excited to go home ever. I miss my husband desperately, and I can't wait to see him and be with him on a daily basis. And sorry if this is TMI (don't read on if it is), but it has also been 6 weeks since I had a baby...and we all know what that means folks! Yes! I can hardly wait! Maybe it is because this baby that I had was a boy, and we all know that boys (most anyway) are very sexual, but I just feel so much more ready this time than after P1. I still do not feel sexy by any means, but I have been trying desperately to feel better about what I look like as opposed to what the world TELLs me what I am SUPPOSED to look like. I am making small progress and I know that I will just continue to feel better about myself after I keep excercising.
I also miss all my friends at home. I thought it would be great and relaxing to be away this long, but I miss all the times we get together and spend time having dinner and playing games as families. Thank you to all my great friends up there who make us feel like we are loved!
P1 is slowly becoming accustomed to having P2 around. She has random meltdowns, but I can pretty much time them and attribute them to her being tired. (not all the time, please don't think I am delusional and think my child is just tired all the time. I know that she is 2 and having temper tantrums). MOST of the time I can settle her down by putting her down for her nap (which she takes everyday for 3-4 hours...be jealous) or at night, down for bed. There are times however when she wants me all to herself. You can see the bits of jealousy coming out when I am holding P2 and playing with him, or heaven forbid, feeding him! I hold her and play with her, and talk her through it and she usually calms down quickly. She is at such a fun age and I love to have actual conversations with her knowing that she understands and will respond to me with her words as well. I love to watch her grow and learnd new things on a daily basis. Her new favorite thing is Play Dough. She always wants me to play with her, which I hate. I have never liked the feel of it and it takes a lot for me to pick it up and touch it! But I do it for her, cause it makes her happy! And what am I on this earth for but to make her happy!
P2 is growing faster than I ever thought possible! He was 10 lbs 6 oz and 23 inches long at his last checkup at 4 weeks!! That is the same size that P1 was at 4 months! It is so weird to have such a big baby when I had such a small one the first time! He sleeps so well during the night! I put him down around 9:30 or 10 and he sleeps until between 4:45 and 6! Then He will wake up, eat, and USUALLY go right back to sleep until around 11 or so. Pretty sweet! But then there are those nights...Yeah.
He loves to smile at you and LOVES movement. He would be happy with someone walking around rocking him all day long! And he is such a cuddle-bug! I love to just sit and hold him and smell his baby head and kiss his baby face. I love the way that he still curls his long body into the fetal position to sleep and curls up next to me. He is so much fun and I just love every minute with him!
This is all that has been happening in my life recently. New baby, new life. I love it. And for all of your enjoyment...here are some recent picures. (It only took 3 times to stop and start writing this whole thing!

Easter Pictures

2010-04-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

I know it is a little late, but we finally went and had their Easter Pictures take professionally. Peyton, who is usally a nightmare while taking pictures (she cried until she made herself throwup the last time) was an absolute angel this time...which can only mean one thing. Parker was not. Isn't that how it always works? Either way, we got some pretty good shots. And I promise, Peyton's hair was cute before we left the house!

Easter Morning

2010-04-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny even found us at Nana and Papa's house! Peyton woke up a little crabby this morning because she couldn't go according to her usual schedule, so I took her downstairs to show her that the Easter Bunny came to visit. It took her some convincing to actually LOOK for the eggs, but once she got going, she was so excited! I never knew it would bring me such joy to watch my child be so happy. One of the talks during conference this morning said something about how our Heavenly Father and Jesus love our children even more than we do. I find such comfort in knowing this, and wonder how it is possible, but do not doubt its truth.
I am grateful this Easter Morning for the knowledge I have, that our Savior lives and loves me and my family more than I could ever imagine. I am so grateful for Him and the atonement to allow me to live forever with my family, to repent of any wrong I have done, or will do, and be with those whom I love forever. It is this that is the true meaning of Easter, but I am also grateful for the happiness I get to share with my children in the fun little things such as the Easter Bunny. She may be young, but I know she knows who Jesus is when we walk through church and she points to His pictures. And when she drops to her knees at night so we can say prayers. It is these little things in life that comfort me in thinking that I am doing some things right as a parent.

Easter Eggs!

2010-04-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today we got into the big soaker tub and colored some Easter eggs! She had a couple of hesitations when she had to stick her dainty little hands into the weird colored water, and would keep asking "mommy do it" but she liked the overall outcome! She took her little dyed fingers and would make a claw hand and say "rahhh!" like a monster. I love spending time with my little P1 and being able to watch and see her grow. After she goes to bed tonight I get to fill her easter basket from the Easter Bunny and watch her in the morning as she hunts around the house for all her easter eggs! It is making me remember my mom, Tammy, as she would always color eggs with us and hide our baskets for us to find in the morning. It is little things like this that make me so happy to be a mommy!

Parker's First Bath

2010-03-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

For some reason, it took almost 2 weeks for Parker's belly button to fall off. I am not sure why, but that thing wanted to hang on forever! Because of that, I was not able to give him a bath this whole time! (sponge baths don't count). He was starting to get a raunchy baby barf/baby poop/baby sweat smell that was getting out of control! I was starting to go crazy! Well this afternoon it finally came off and we got to give him his first bath! At first he was a little upset at the situation, but once he calmed down, he realized that this may in fact be a good thing! I mean, who doesn't like a nice warm bath?!

Easter is Early!

2010-03-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Here are my two kiddos on the week before Easter Sunday (cause next week is Conference) in their cute outfits! I think this is my new favorite outfit for Peyton. She was so stinkin cute!

Whew!

2010-03-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Parker wore us out last night. So Lance and I decided to take turns this morning with P1. It is a lot different this time around when you can't just sleep when the baby is sleeping, cause there is another baby in the house! How do people do it?
Here are my 2 boys!

Parker Lane Lively

2010-03-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

Parker Lane Lively came to us on Wednesday, March 17th at 9:35 via c-section. Lance and I went in on Tuesday for an induction at noon and when they checked me, nothing had progressed. They came in and talked to us to discuss our options. Because I was not progressing at all, Lance and I decided our best option was to go ahead and have the c-section as soon as possible. Even if I went through with the induction, becuase I had not progressed more than 1 cm, it would have taken days for me to go into labor and the likelyhood of me needing an emergency c-section anyway was very high. We sent the Dr's out of the room and Lance and I talked it over. We decided my body is probably not made to have children naturally and that I was strong enough to deal with another c-section. We scheduled with the hospital to go back the next morning and it seemed to work out for the best. After the section, the Dr said I definately made the right decision. Parker was still floating around in there and his head was not even engaged. I think that he was just happy being in there forever. I, on the other hand, was not!
He is such a good baby and has brought us so much joy just in the 3 days he has been on this earth. Peyton was able to come to the hospital that same day and play with him and hold him. She said "I love you so much baby Parker" and I asked her if she wanted him to come home with us, to which her reply was "um, no". We have been home for about 6 hours and she has been doing great with him. She has had a fever for the past 3 days so she wasn't able to come back to the hospital and I have tried to keep her away from him as much as I can. She just wants to kiss and hold him. Luckily she has her own baby now with a bed and car seat and a bouncer, so she can hold her baby while mommy holds mommy's baby!
I am excited to start our new lives as a family of 4. I know that the Lord puts us in situations to overcome so we can be even more grateful for what we have. I love my little babies, and I love my husband for taking care of us and being the great husband and father that he is. Here are a couple pictures for you to enjoy!

Any suggestions?

2010-03-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

I have tried everything, and I mean everything. If you are one to get turned off by reading TMI, I would stop now and turn back. There is not much you can tell me to go try that I can't say I have already done. This baby just DOES NOT want to come out of me. Now, most of you would say "well, you aren't even due for 3 more days!" Well, I DON'T CARE! I want him out! I don't want another c-section and the closer I get to being induced on Tuesday, the more chance there is of that.
I have walked more in the last week than in the whole 38 weeks prior to this. I have had "marital relations" up the wazoo, with the complaint from my husband that I am "wearing him out" (never knew that was possible with a man). I have rubbed and pushed on acupressure points I didnd't even know existed. I took a long WARM bath last night to relax him out (and I am not a warm bath kind of person, give me my HOT WATER!). I had a nice relaxing perdicure today and spicy mexican food for lunch...The results? Lots of mean contractions that have no consistancy but cause much uncomfortableness to the mama.
So, if there are any other suggestions out there as to how to get this baby out safely and into my arms, I am all ears. I just don't want to have to drink some oil or strange tea that I have never heard of that will just make me poop all over the place and cramp all night. And by the way, this heartburn needs to stop. It keeps me up for HOURS in the middle of the night while I listen to my sweet husband snoring away next to me.
And Parker, my ribs were not placed inside of me for your monkey entertainment. I know the Dr. said you were a long baby, but mama wasn't made to hold a long baby for this long! I want you to continue to grow and get strong, but outside of my uterus would be nice. Please listen to your mommy, daddy and big sister and COME OUT AND PLAY!
Sorry to everyone for the complaining. I am done for now. Just needed to vent a little. And since a post isn't a post without pictures, here are a few for your enjoyment!

Big Girl Bed

2010-02-26T13:11:00.001-08:00

Every night at bedtime we have a routine. First it is a bath (not every night, cause her skin is so dry, but most). Then we get our PJs on and watch a Baby Einstein Video or a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse video to calm down. While we watch that, she gets a drink of milk with her L-lysine tablet in it for her face. As soon as her show is over, she hops down to the floor and gets "on my knees! Tims for prayer mommy!" We say prayer and she jumps up to give 'besos' (kisses) to all who are present and runs to her big girl bed where her 2 bears and her minnie mouse are awaiting her arrival patiently. She climbs into bed and lately she has asked for "mommy lay down sing temple song". So I lay with her and rub her face and run my fingers through her hair and sing I love to see the temple to her. This is my absolute favorite part of my day. I hope that it doesnt go away, but I don't think she will always be so anxious to go to bed, or to have her mommy lay down with her when she does. Until then...Here is my princess sound asleep!

I can't really complain though, she has been a good sleeper. Peyton at around 1 month old...Taking a nap.

Temple Day!

2010-02-18T15:06:00.000-08:00

Today my mom and I took the kids to the Sacramento Temple for a picnic. They had so much fun running around and playing with eachother. Their favorite part by far was the Water fountain right in front. They could have played there all day if we would have let them! If only mean mommy and Grandma would have let them climb INTO the water fountain, life would be complete! Better luck next time kids!
Let me in! They put new doors on the front of the Temple. They are beautiful! Peyton kept asking "I go in?" Not yet baby! But someday!

Playing with her cousin Adam

All the kids!

WOW

2010-02-17T14:01:00.000-08:00

That is all that I can say. I am such a horrible blogger! It has been so long! I haven't had a camera to take new pictures in about 6 months! It disappeared one day and has never been able to be retrieved. But for Valentine's Day, my sweet husband bought me a new camera~ He does a good job sometimes! It would be such a sad day if we had a new baby in a couple weeks with no camera to take pictures with! Then on top of not having a camera (and who wants to read a blog with no pictures?) we haven't had a computer in about a month. We have been fine without it since both of us have our iPhones which allow us Internet access, but I haven't been able to blog at all, or do anything which requires an actual computer to do it. It is amazing how you become so dependent on technology!
Well, Peyton and I have made the trip down to Sacramento to stay for 6 weeks. We left on Monday, February 15th. Lance will be joining us on March 1st and we will be here the whole month of March. Because I had a c-section the first time, I really want to try and have this baby vaginally (I won't say naturally, since I will have drugs!) and the only hospital in Northern California that allows VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean) is UC Davis, which is where I had Peyton so I feel comfortable there. So here we are. Waiting patiently for this little man to arrive. It has been a quite a change for little Peyton coming down here. She hates being away from her daddy (her best friend) and her mean mom just doesn't fill that void! Luckily she has her Papa to play with our I would be up a creek! (and nana to help me out as well! ~thank you both!) She also has transitioned into a "big girl bed" with her very own princess sheets and pillowcase. When I tell her it is time for bed, she jumps up and runs and says "ye-ah! I go ni-ni my bid-derl bed!" She has done great so far for the past 2 nights, but this morning she got out of her bed, opened her door, climbed down the stairs and went into nana and papa's room at 10 minutes to 8. We didn't even know she knew how to open doors! And as I sit and type this, I hear her in the room kicking her feet on the wall and refusing to shut her eyes...Ok, I'm back. I just had to go and lay with her for 5 minutes until she fell asleep. Sometimes it is so worth it to see them when they actually do fall asleep and all you hear is their sweet little deep breaths. It makes all the mad feelings you had 5 minutes before about them NOT going to sleep go away. So, that is a little catch up on us Lively's. I will try and do better, and now that I have a camera, I will be sure to post more pictures!

Being a little weird-o!

In her Christmas Dress..."I so pretty!"

New House

2009-12-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

Lance and I purchased our first home and closed escrow and moved in the day before Thanksgiving. It has been such a blessing to finally give in to what the Lord wants and give up on what I want. I guess I am just one of those people who have to figure that out the hard way! Here are some pictures of our new furniture that we got.

The Living room furniture.

The dining room set. Sorry it is so dark, and please don't mind the little creature posing in the bottom right corner.

New bedroom furniture. It is such a difference to have a king sized bed! We love it!
We love our new house, and are so thrilled with the idea of making it our own. We have sure spoiled ourselves this Christmas with all the new stuff we bought, (Lance got a 55" LED tv as well) but we have saved like mad for the last 3 years. Now we feel poor and are working on getting our savings back to where it was. Luckily the President has decided to give us money back for being first time home buyers! I knew he should be able to do something right!

Busy

2009-12-22T12:06:00.001-08:00

I am just letting everyone know that I have not forgotten about my Blog. I will be back as soon as the internet is hooked up at our new house. We moved in the day before Thanksgiving and have had a whirlwind of a time ever since. So stay tuned...Many new posts to come!

First Snow!!

2009-11-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we had our first real snow of the season here in "The Ville". At around 10:30 am, it began with little flurries, and within half an hour, it was a full blown storm. There were some of the biggest flake I have ever seen! Peyton went down for her nap and woke up at 2:00, cranky as all get out. Lance took her straight to the window and she looked outside and proclaimed "Es no-wing mommy!!". Pure enjoyment. Much the opposite from last year, when she would freak every time we tried to get her to touch it. We bundled her up, and took her out for a little snow-fest. She was laughing the whole time! Oh to be a kid again! The storm is over today, but she wanted to go outside and see the 'no-wing' again. She won't call it just snow, it is 'no-wing'. When I told her it was time to go back inside, she said "ok, bye bye no-wing, see ya!". She loves to have me put on her "pittens" too. She sits so patiently while I get her all bundled up and stick each individual little peanut finger in its slot! I wish getting ready to play in the snow didn't take so much time! But it is worth it in the end!
Pure Bliss!
Catching them on her "lengua"

Throwing a snowball at daddy!

Running to get daddy. Kind of scared me on that icy sidewalk.

Last year. Not nearly as interested in the idea of 'no-wing'

Halloween!

2009-11-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well, we had the cutest Bummblebee ever (thanks Jaquelle) at our house this halloween. Peyton got all dressed up without a fight (shocking) and we went out with her 'buttet' (bucket) to get some 'annie' (candy). We went Uptown where they close down Main Street for a couple hours and the little shops pass out candy so the kids can trick or treat safely. It was a lot of fun, but next year will be better I am sure. Peyton was just getting the hang of the whole candy in the bucket thing as we were leaving. She was focused more on the actual DumDum lollypop that I let her eat while we were walking. She was so happy though when people kept dropping more and more into her bucket!
Afterwards, we went to our Ward Halloween party around 5:30. The served hotdogs and nachos and had some little rooms set up around the church for the kids to have some fun. The primary from our ward was in charge of the Cake walk, and thankfully most of our teachers were there to help. I would not have been able to hold Peyton and play the music at the same time. During dinner, she fell through the back of the metal chair and landed on her head. She screamed for a minute, but wouldn't let me put her down for the rest of the night. Needless to say, I didn't stay much longer than that. It isn't very fun to hold your little Bee the whole night! She did win a cupcake in the cakewalk (which I had to hold her for) and was happy about that!
Hopefully next year she will be a little more extroverted and actually play with the kids at the party! We all know my hands will be full with another little one this time next year!

Now we know...

2009-10-23T13:48:00.001-07:00

There was no hiding it this time! The baby proudly displayed all its parts during my ultrasound, and I am happy to announce the Livelys will be adding a baby boy to our brood! We are so excited and Peyton keeps pointing to my "baby" and saying "broder". We have narrowed it down to a couple names, but we haven't come up with one yet for sure. I will keep you posted with any thoughts we have along the way. He was letting it all hang out this time around so we do know for sure!

Peyton Lorie

2009-10-10T15:25:00.001-07:00

Well, we are out of the hospital. It was an interesting 24 hours to say the least. Now I know why mom always says she doesn't care if we get hurt, but she is not taking us to the Emergency Room. Hopefully I don't have to do that again for a LONG time. While there, we had a whole team of Dr's that were called in just for her. They came in around 7:45 and did a culture swab on her face by scraping it with a scalpel and putting it onto a couple of slides. I had to hold her down the whole time and another Dr held her little face. Then she fell asleep in my arms from about 8-9:30 when the Dermatology team came in to check her. They wanted to do another culture and so I had to hold her down again while they carved into her cheek to get a "good swab". I thought it would have broken my heart to hold her down, but I was in the "fix my kid" mode and wanted whatever they needed to do to have her fixed and know what it was. Around 11 we were finally given a bed and we took her up to Pediatrics. I stayed with her through the night and she slept ok. She woke up a couple times when the nurse came to check her vitals. At 9:30 I left to go home and take a shower and try to sleep a little and around noon Lance called to tell me they had been discharged and were waiting for me to pick them up.
The good news is that she does not have MRSA at all. The bad news is that she has the Herpes Simplex 1 virus, which is pretty much cold sores that errupt on her face. We aren't sure how she got it, but it does run in Lance's family. We can give her antiviral meds, but only if we catch it in the first 48 hours. Otherwise, she has to just let it run its course. We feel so blessed to finally know what it is and know how to treat it now. Thank you all for all your prayers and thoughts. We would not have been able to have done it without all your help.

New Haircut

2009-10-05T17:27:00.001-07:00

Well, I finally broke down and did it. I was sick of looking at the little baby mullet that my child was sporting. Lance and I went back and forth as to whether we should cut it or not, but ultimately we know it will grow back, and probably be better than it was before. I hope so. I did cry a little when I looked down as the hairdresser cut away her curls. Never thought I would be that kind of mom. Guess I am a weenie! She is still cute none-the-less!

It's a...

2009-10-02T14:15:00.001-07:00

Umbilical Cord between the legs!! Little Booger! I was so sad when the Dr. said they couldn't really tell right now! I tried to push the baby around and move it to the position that I wanted, but to no avail! The heartbeat was 160 beats/minute and that is suppsed to be in the "girl range" and there was no little package sticking out around the umbilical cord, which gives us hope that there is girl parts behind the curtain! I am hoping so anyway! We have another ultra sound scheduled on the 22nd of this month, so hopefully she/he will cooperate then! It was so fun to have my mom there with me! At least she got to see the baby on the Ultra Sound! Too bad it was being so shy!

Photo Shoot

2009-09-15T18:52:00.001-07:00

Here are the most recent pictures of Peyton Lorie. We had them taken in August and we are just now getting them emailed to us. Hope you enjoy our little cheeser! We sure do!

Not much to talk about

2009-08-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

I have had a couple of complaints that I have not been very good about keeping up with my blog. We have been so busy this summer that I haven't really had the time. And, for some reason I can't find my camera, and everyone knows a blog is so much better with pictures. We just got back from Sacramento yesterday visiting both families. We had such a great time. It was my dad's 50th birthday, so it was great to have everyone there and see family I haven't seen in so long! Lance got to get a couple rounds of golf in with his brother and dad, which was all he could ask for. Peyton had a great time with her nana and papa, and so much fun with all her cousins too! It was a short trip, but we had a great time. I have my first Dr. appointment next Monday, so we will get to see how things are going. I have been pretty sick this time around, but not nearly as bad as I was with Peyton. Things have been totally different, which makes me think that we are having a boy. I get heartburn (not too bad) which I didn't get at all with Peyton, I am not nearly as sick, and I get really car sick. Honestly though, I am not one of those mothers who "just know". I couldn't tell you if this was a boy or girl and even if I did, I would probably be wrong (like I was before). So that is just a little update on us. Lance is still working hard and reminds me of the fact everyday. I continue to work 3 days a week, but have had a lot of time off this summer. Thank goodness for husbands who pick up the slack! Peyton is growing everyday and getting smarter by the minute. It is so fun to be her mom!

Chatty Cathy

2009-07-31T21:17:00.000-07:00

That is what a teacher of mine used to call people when they talked a lot. That is what I call Peyton now-a-days. She is none stop! For the most part it is a good thing, but every once in awhile, you just want her to be quiet for a little bit! I love that everyday there is a new word that she will say (more than one usually). Today, her word was flaw-wa. She went and got a blade of grass for me and handed it over and said, "mama, flaw-wa". It was so random. Then my mother in law and I realized a little later that she said it because of this book we read to her "I am a flower, and these are my friends. The Sun makes us grow, the rain makes us grow. Love makes us grow, and we're all grown up". She makes us read it about 100 times a day.
It amazes me that my child is so smart. I passed a shirt in the store today that said "baby genius". I wondered to myself if I would look too prideful if I put that on my baby. I came to the conclusion that, yes, I would. But seriously guys. How many 16 month olds do you know that are putting 2 words together? She knows the sounds that about 8 animals make (if you count an Indian and an Eskimo as animals...an Eskimo gives Eskimo kisses if you were wondering). She knows about 15 different baby signs, and she knows about 30 words. Plus she can repeat pretty much anything you say to her. I don't want to brag, but my kid is off the charts!
I hope most of you know that I am not serious about all this, well not completely!

Seaworld

2009-07-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

While we were in Newport, we took a little trip to Seaworld in San Diego. It was a great time and we had so much fun. Peyton was such a trooper! She missed her morning nap and only slept about 15 minutes in the car on the way. Then she was wonderful the whole day. She didn't get crabby and loved when we went to the shows. The dolphins were our favorite. We went on all the little kiddie rides and she had so much fun! She kept saying "wow" and "whoa" the whole time. At 5:00 the Shamu show started and she was getting a little worn out. She sat up and watched for about 10 minutes, and then layed her head on Nana and fell fast asleep. Of course mommy bought her a Shamu stuffed animal (she loves stuffed animals) and now she loves her wa-yul.

About to watch Shamu. She was spent by this point, and fell asleep on nana's shoulder about 10 minutes into the show.

On the Dumbo ride (Elmo ride in Seaworld)

My all time favorite. With mommy on the "teacups" (or whatever they call it at Seaworld)

And baby makes 4...

2009-07-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

FYI...we are expecting a new little Lively in March. I know it is early to tell (I am only 5 weeks along) but that is just how I do it...sorry if that bothers you! We are hoping for a girl, so think pink! (of course we will be happy with whatever!!)

Vines Beach Week

2009-07-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Every year Lance's Aunt and Uncle Vines kindly allow us to use their beach house for a Vines Family Reunion. (Thank you, Thank you!!) This year we went down on the 4th of July and came back on the 11th. It was a great time (as always) and so much fun to have Peyton old enough to play and enjoy herself. Going down to the sand and beach is a lot of work with a 15 month old, but so worth it in the end. And I could not have done it without the help of my mother-in-law. Thank you! Unfortunately, Papa and Daddy were not able to be there becuase of work, but hopefully next year. Here are some pictures of my little princess...

The second cousins (Lincoln, Tatum, Peyton and Romi)

whenever she heard the camera turn on she would say "cheese"!!!

A shot with mommy

Watching bay-beee (aka Baby Einstein)

In her highchair at the Beach House having a popsicle. Her new favorite thing!

Superstar!!

2009-06-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is her picture on the Front Page of the Lassen County Times! My baby is a star!! I try to make sure her hair is done everyday...I guess I missed this day!

The Grizz Bowl

2009-06-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had a football game here in town. It was between the two prisons that are up here. HDSP (High Desert State Prison) and CCC (California Correctional Center). The do it every 5 years or so, and all of the money goes to benefit the high school sports. This year, Lance was the QB for HDSP. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the last 2-3 months he has been at football practice from 5-7. It was full on tackle and everything! All these guys were taking it so serious!
They big day came and we had so much fun! Lance's team won, 16-12. I made some shirts for myself and Peyton. They even took Peyton's picture for the town newspaper, asked for her name and the spelling and told us to look for her in next weeks issue. I will be sure to get those pictures up if they come! But for now, this is all I got! (thanks to Aunt Kelly for taking them. I forgot my camera, plus mine isn't half as good!)

Lance was #11, obviously.

Isn't he so cute? Wish I had a picture of his bum! That was even cuter!

Awe! The Lively's! (Minus P, she was home sleeping. She better figure out how to stick things out, there are many more sporting events in our future!)

you can do it all by yo-self!!

2009-06-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I raise my daughter by what the internet says. Lance calls it my "baby encyclopedia". I get posts once a week telling me what my baby should be doing and at what point she should be doing it. Most of the time, like walking for instance, she is way ahead of their predicted stages. One e-mail, about 2 months ago, told me I should start to give my child her spoon and allow her to feed herself. It will promote better hand-eye quardination, or so they say. Those who know me know there is no way on this green earth that I would allow her to have that much freedom, and the only reason is...THE MESS. I cringed at the thought of letting her at it and the disgusting, sticky, gross mess I would have to clean up afterwards.
Yesterday, at 14 1/2 months, I finally gave Peyton her spoon and about a tablespoon of her food in a bowl. This is the outcome. I was so disgusted that I had to walk out of the room while she explored. She had such a great time making this mess! I took some pictures for documentation. I think I have created a monster though...tonight when I tried to feed her, she wanted no part of the normal, clean eating, and opted to make a mess again BY HERSELF. And so it begins!
This ones for you Uncle Craig!

I wonder where she got that tongue!

Swimming!!

2009-05-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today was the hottest day of the year so far. It only reached 85*, but that was warm enough to break out the pool!! I sat inside puffing that mini-pool full of air, and 10 minutes later I went out and started to fill up the pool with water. Peyton screamed. Of course. Then I let the semi-cold water sit for awhile while we went to walmart to get to swimmers diapers and some sun-screen. We got home, changed little P and lathered her up. When we got outside, she proceeded to scream again. I sat my dainty bum right on down in that little pool and played like I was 1. She sat on the front porch for another minute or so, deciding if it was going to kill her to get in this water. She slowly inched her way over and held her arms out to me. I sat with her on my lap for what seemed like forever and started playing with the toys. Finally I got her on her own bum all the way in the water. I got out, cause no one would believe me if I didn't get pictures, and there was a whole different child in the water!! She loved it! I watched her play for another half an hour and then when it was time to get out (daddy was taking us miniature golfing-a whole other blog, believe me) she screamed again. I wasn't too mad about that scream though. I think we may have found our new summer pasttime!

Getting ready to play in the new pool.

She loved playing with these "sand" toys!

She would crawl out, get her toys, bring they back in the water, throw them out again, then start all over. She did this for about half an hour.

Absolutely priceless.

Pigtails!

2009-05-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

I finally got her hair into pigtails. She was so cute, and when I said "show me your pretties" she bent her head down and showed them to me. I swear, kids are so funny!

Rock Star

2009-04-24T11:29:00.001-07:00

She was trying for a while to get this orange headband on to her head. Then she finally came over to me, handed it, and bent her head for me to put it on. After this, she continued to crawl on top of anything that she could. This is her mound of toys in her "toy corner" that she plays with. I have given up trying to keep them organized, so every night after she goes to bed, I just throw them into the corner. Here she is climbing on a box that has puzzles in it. She just cracks me up these days! And she gets more and more fun as the days go by. Oh, and all 4 of her top front teeth have now come through...Hallelujah!

Easter and Birthday!

2009-04-15T09:41:00.001-07:00

Does it get better than this!?! Cake with your cousins, and a beautiful princess dress that your grandma and grandpa gave you for easter? I don't think so! She did so well with her individual pictures, but boy does she not like group shots! She better learn to! There are MANY more years of them taking pictures together! We had so much fun at grandma and grandpa's house for easter this year. We had fajitas for lunch *no we are not mexican, we just don't always like to do the conventional thing! Imagine that! Then the dads hid some eggs in the backyard and all the little kiddos went a-hunting. Except for Eva cause she can't walk. They all had a pretty good time though I think. It will be so much more fun next year though, when they can almost all do it by themselves! I love spending time with my family! I will be sure to post some pictures of the hunt when I get home to my camera chord!

The Birthday Girl!!

2009-04-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

My little P-nut turned 1 Today!!! We had a couple people over for cake and ice cream. At first she wasn't too excited about people watching her and didn't know quite what to do with the big brown thing in front of her, but as soon as I gave her a little taste, she went to town. She loved it! Happy Birthday Peyton. You have been nothing but joy to us and we look forward to many many more years of joy with you. We love you, Mommy and Daddy

2009-04-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Gone Baby Gone

2009-03-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Lance took baby P to Sacramento. It was definately a traumatic experience for me. Packing my husband away for a week is bad enough. But packing up Peyton and putting her in the truck with Lance, knowing that I wouldn't see her for 6days, just did me in. I tried to play with her all morning, and had a lot of fun, but as soon as I buckled her into her carseat, the waterworks started. I was only a wreck for about 2 minutes, but I couldn't believe that I even acted like that for 1 minute. I guess you don't know how good you have it until it is gone! Even if it is only for a week. I must admit that I have had a very relaxing couple of days, and have been able to do whatever I wanted, but thats just not what I signed up for. I miss taking care of my husband, and making him dinner and just being with him. And I absolutely miss my little girl. I can not wait until Thursday when I get to hold both of them in my arms again!

The time has come!

2009-03-09T19:29:00.002-07:00

Lock up your homes boys and girls! You guessed it, Peyton is walking! It really started aroung her 11 month birthday, which is a little late in our books, seeing as we have thought "anyday now" for the last 2 months! Oh well! Now the fun begins! She also got her third tooth today. (#D for you dental enthusiasts!) It finally broke through! Though now she is going to look like a vampire seeing as her laterals are coming in before her centrals! Here is a video of her walking and of her fat little naked belly! I love when she is naked. This is right before her bath, so we could do it. Usually it is way too cold for her to be naked for long periods of time!

A little late!

2009-03-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some of her Valentine Pictures that we had taken this year. I just can't believe how big she is getting~

Twist and Shout!! nanananana!!

2009-02-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

Peyton's daddy loves to dance with her. He sings this song, (which he made up) and makes her twist. Only today did she start to twist all on her very own! She keeps going by shaking her head. Too funny!!

2009-02-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

Look at those baby blues! And this is also to show you how much better her face is getting!

So far she has taken at most, 6 steps.

Love

2009-02-20T10:01:00.001-08:00

My friend, who is always so inspiring on her blog (thank you) posted a blog about love. It made me stop to realize that I haven't been very good about letting the people I love know that I love them. So here is a list of those whom I love.

1. My Savior
Before all else, I put this man. He loves me unconditionally. Even when I do wrong or make mistakes. He knows what I am thinking and calms me in times of trouble. He is my brother and my friend, and though I have always known this, recently I have thought a lot about His love for me as an individual. He knows who I am and wants me to be a better person.
2. My husband.
I like to tell myself that he knows that I love him and it is ok if I don't always say it. I learned from someone recently, that is not the case. I need to tell him every chance I get. I love him for the wonderful husband that he is, always trying to help and do what he can to make our relationship better. I love him for the father that he is to our daughter. He spends quality time with her (even when he should be sleeping). He loves to watch her learn and grow. I don't know how I got lucky with such an awesome man to be so in love with, but I am thankful everyday for him.
3. My Baby.
So cliche', I know, but I never knew I could love someone so unconditionally. I am not a very patient person, but somehow (for the most part) it comes naturally with her. I love to watch her learn and grow everyday. She is so smart and absolutely beautiful (I am biased, I know). I don't know what I did to deserve such a sweet spirit, but I know I must be loved for Heavenly Father to send her down here for me to teach and love. I love her with all my heart.
4. My Family.
This covers a lot of people. My parents have always loved me and taught me the things I need to know to help me to be a righteous Adult and live the way our Father in Heaven wants. They truly love me. My brothers and sisters, though they may do wrong, I love them. They are my best friends and I love spending time with them.
5.My In-laws.
I couldn't ask for better! They have truly taken me in as a part of their family, and I know without a doubt that they would do anything for me. I am so grateful for all they do for me and my family.
6.My Friends.
I have made so many friends her in Susanville. Thank you all for helping to make our stay here better. My life would surely be a lot different had it not been for you.

So, sorry to totally mooch of you, (you know who you are) but thanks for the wonderful idea. Just a little reminder, this is my journal too, so sorry if this is too mushy for your liking or something you are totally not interested in.

Bye Bye MRSA!

2009-02-16T12:55:00.001-08:00

Here is her face just 2 full days after we started her on the new medicine. I am so happy that she is getting better and so quickly! Thank you every one for your prayers and thoughts!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

Here she is happy today, even if she had that thing on her face. She had no idea what she was in for later! Read below to have today's update.

Peyton Update

2009-02-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

Well, we took Peyton to the Dr. this morning at 9:15. She had a black like that started at the bottom of her scab that was going down her cheek. I know that that means the infection is getting into her bloodstream so it was not good news. As soon as the first Dr. saw us, she said, "um, I need to get someone else". Then the next Dr., thinking it was Pseudomonas from her previous cultures that were taken in Susanville, said, "we have some bad news, we need to admit her and get her on some IV antibiotics now." Of course I freaked, as did Jeanette. We preparred ourseves to have her go across the street to the hospital and waited while they got the bed open for us. About 45 minutes later another set of Drs came to see us. They told us they were the "admitting Drs" for the hospital peds unit. They checked her and then immediately called the "Pediatric Infection Control Specialist" who told them that there was almost no possible way that what she has is Pseudomonas, but is most likely MRSA, just a different strain than what they origianlly thought. The Dr. came back to us, and said " we would really like to avoid placing a healthy baby in a sick hospital, so we are not going to admit her. Instead we are going to put her on a different antibiotic that is going to beat this specific strand. If she continues to get worse, or if there is any sign to the negative, take her into the ER IMMEDIATELY. If she appears to be getting better then just bring her in on Tuesday and we will check her to make sure she stays on the right track." So that is where we are now. Happy we are home, getting her on the right medicine, and praying that she won't have to be admitted on Tuesday morning. We will try to keep you posted. Love, Lance and Ashley

UPDATE!

2009-02-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Well, her little face is slowly getting better. Lance took her to the Dr. on Tuesday morning and he saw a different Dr. who told him it was getting better and to just keep up the good work. That night I got a call from Noreen, (the Dr. I saw) who was concerned because she had not seen Peyton at all that day. I told her that Lance brought her in, and the Dr. told me that what they thought was MRSA was in fact something else entirely. They say there are traces of another bacteria called pseudomonas. I looked it up. Don't waste your time, there is not much on the internet about it. But from what the Dr. said, it is a nasty little bug. She told me to bring her back the next day (Wednesday) and if she thought is was not getting any better then she would have to put her in a hospital bed and hook her up to an IV antibiotic drip. SCARY! I couldn't imagine my little 10 month old in a hospital bed. To all those who have had to endure it, my heart goes out to you!
The next morning we went to Urgent Care again and 3 different Drs came in to see her face. I felt like my child was some petry dish that was on display. They did tell me everything they were discussing and thinking so it wasn't like they were trying to talk above me or anything, just a weird feeling to hear them say "oh, go get so and so, they would love to see this." The Dr's told me that I needed to get her down to her normal practitioner and have a Pediatric Infection Control Board done on her to rule out all Pediatric (and other) infection. I made her an appointment for Friday in Sacramento at UC Davis, where she is usually seen, and I checked the weather report. SNOW SNOW SNOW!!! I checked it more closely, and it seemed like my best bet was to leave immediately to beat the worst of it.
My boss gave me the rest of the afternoon off and I got in my car and left. The ride was fine until I got into California on highway 80 at the Tahoe exit Hwy 89. It was completely stopped!! I called caltrans and they said there was a 15-20 car pileup down the hill and they would be stopped for awhile. I daringly took hwy 89 to Tahoe. I hit a little snow, but for the most part the drive around the lake was absolutely astonishing. We hit highway 50 at around 5 last night and that is where the trouble began. The highway wasn't closed, but it was definately a blizzard. It was pretty scary to drive in, but even worse because it was at night. I finally reached my inlaws at around 8:15 (left Susanville at 2:45) 5 1/2 hours later...But I am glad to be here safe and sound. We go see the Dr tomorrow, and I will be sure to post all about what they tell us. Keep your fingers crossed that she will be fine! Say a prayer too. That always seems to help.

This is a picture of Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. I told you, absolutely gorgeous!

2009-02-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

This is Peyton doing her Touchdown sign! She started to do it when we would yell touchdown and throw our hands in the air. Now, for the most part, she will do the same when you say it to her. She is definately a Lively! Too bad Football season is over!

Peyton's Face

2009-02-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

I thought I would update everyone on Peyton's little face. I took her in to the Dr. again this morning becuse she was getting a little spot that looked like the last one when it started, right under her eye. I got scared about it being so close to her eye and so I took her in. The Dr said it was a good thing that I did because what they thought was a Spider Bite is actually called MRSA. It is a staff infection that is resistant to normal antibiotics. So the Ammoxicillin wasn't working at all. They put her on something else that is stronger and is supposed to work a little better, but it is definately a scary disease. Everytime I look it up online they call it a "superbug" and say it is spreading all over the US and becoming more and more resistant to any antibiotics that we have. Just keep her in your prayers. At least she is still a happy baby!

AHH!

2009-02-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

This is her poor little spider bite! Doesn't it just break your heart?

5 things i hate about today...

2009-01-25T09:21:00.000-08:00

not too much, but since you tagged me Katie, I guess I will do it for you!

1. I hate that this big ugly thing on my nose is still here~I get a sore on it every winter from wiping it too much.
2. I hate that my baby is still sick, even though she is getting better slowly.
3. I hate that it only snowed a little bit, not enough to actually stay all day today.
4. I hate that I seem to be at a plateau and can't lose more weight right now, no matter what I do.
5. I hate that my hair isn't long enough to do more than 2 things with.

Well, that last one was a stretch cause it is growing remarkably fast! I never thought I would get my long hair back, but it looks like by this time next year, it may just be as long as it was before I cut it! I am excited, but my husband likes me with short hair...Oh well. He will have to deal. Did I do ok for you Katie?

5 people I tag...
1. Amber
2. Christina
3. Rennie
4. Shara
5. Nancy...I know you read it, so just make a blog already!

Anniversary Trip!

2009-01-19T18:22:00.001-08:00

Lance and I just got back from a weekend in Reno. He suprised me this last Thursday and said "since you didn't get one last year cause you were flying home and 7 months pregnant, I want to take you somewhere nice this year". We stayed at the Summit at The Grand Sierra. They are the top 12 floors of the hotel and have all been fully remodeled. The room was SOOOOO nice! And we got it for half the price of normal so it was even better. We went to a buffet on Saturday night and then parked our fat bellies on our huge California King with the down comforter and fell asleep watching our 60 inch plasma. The next day we went to this new Store called Scheels. It is HUMONGOUS. It is a sporting goods store and the customer service there was unparalled! Then we went back to our hotel and watched the NFC championship game on the big screen in the hotel's theatre. Absolutely amazing! Out to dinner and then to a movie. And the best part, NO BABY (thank you Nana and Papa for coming out to watch her!) Definately was a weekend to remember!Thank you honey! These two years have gone by fast, but I can't wait to spend the rest of my eternity with you!

9 MONTHS!

2009-01-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

Today my little peanut is 9 months! I can hardly believe how time has flown by! This time a year ago I was getting ready for a cruise that I wasn't supposed to go on, and I hardly even looked pregnant! Who knew how time would fly! I have loved every minute of it, and would not have changed it for anything. The middle of the night wake ups are a thing of the past, and it seems to be smoothe sailing from here on out. She has started to be slightly clingy, but I can handle it. It too shall pass!

Lance and I are also excited to start out 3rd year of marriage on the 20th of this month. It seems like only yesterday we were waiting (patiently) for that sealing clearance to come in the mail. And 2 years later, here we are. We can't believe how much our Father in Heaven has blessed us. It seems no matter where we are or what obstacles cross our path, He picks us right back up and carries us to our next destination. I am so grateful for the Saviour and the blessings we have because of the Gospel. I am grateful that my husband and I are so in love and that I have such a great best friend. It almost hurts when he is gone, but I know that he is just doing all he can for our family.

I am excited for 2009. I have no idea what will happen in this time, but I have learned that it will probably fly by. My goal this year is to take everything in stride and try to enjoy every part of my life, to be there to watch my baby grow up and to continue to support my husband. I hope all of my friends and family have a wonderful New Year as well!

2008-12-22T22:44:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-22T22:38:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

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

Here comes Santa Claus...

2008-12-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

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!)

I'm back!

2008-12-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

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!

I want to walk!

2008-12-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

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

Lively Elves

2008-12-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Its Christmas...

2008-12-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

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!

Sick!

2008-12-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

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.

Dont know what to title this one.

2008-11-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

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!

Caught!

2008-11-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T17:43:00.001-08:00

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!

HELP!! Need Sleep!

2008-11-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

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!!

Freedom?

2008-11-11T20:00:00.001-08:00

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.

2008-11-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

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.