Travis, Sierra, Skylar and Sailyr Hess

Finally Fall

2011-11-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

I feel like as of today, fall is here to stay. It has been really nice weather lately and we have taken advantage of it while still enjoying our fave fall activities!

The girls danced at the Fremont High Football game!

This is all the girls from our neighborhood that danced! We have the funnest neighborhood!

We clearly needed to get a little closer to take some good video and pix. Oh well!

We had a fun field trip to the trout farm. The girls decorated little pumpkins with cute stickers.

We made our annual trip to Black Island Farms for some fun and pumpkin picking!

Next came Halloween festivities! The girls had tons of fun at the preschool trunk-or-treat! This year Sky was Cinderella and Sailyr was Rapunzel.

Sailyr doesn't like much done with her hair (tell me about it)! So this Rapunzel just sported a ponytail.

Then for Halloween night! We usually go to Grandma Patti's but this year we decided to stay close to home and trick-or-treat in our own neck of the woods.

Breckyn came with us and she fit right in with the princess theme! Steph even made her Belle dress! I was seriously impressed:) After a HUGE scare from Uncle Travis the Gorilla that answered the door, she calmed down and posed for a picture!

They had fun going from house to house and getting the loot! Too much, actually! After just going around our subdivision (about 12 houses) the girls were done and over it! I think I will cherish these days of not having to go all over town hit up every house! We had lots of fun:)

First day of school (a little late)

2011-11-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of the first day of preschool this year.

Sailyr is recently famous for actually saying 'cheese' and doing the most ridiculous smiles in every picture.

This is Sailyr's first year and she was so excited! She did great! We were a little worried about her being clingy when we dropped her off (have I mentioned that she LOVES me?). We had nothing to worry about! This is what she looked like when we picked her up!

Skylar was her usual 'big girl' self. She knows the routine. She cruised right in and hung up her backpack and got her folder out. She found her chair with her name on it and was good to go.

Both of the girls made these cute binoculars on the first day. They were so cute and they go with the Jungle theme of preschool this year...Wild About School!

Wanna see...

2011-08-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

Wanna see what we all look like these days? Since we haven't had a family picture since just after Sailyr was born, I thought it was high time to get some done. Julie did a great job, as usual! It is fun to see how much the girls have changed since last summer! They are totally growing up way too fast!
Here are just a few of them...

Thanks again, Julie!

Weekend Getaway

2011-08-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to run in the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. One of my friends from work was signed up with her husband but as the time for the race grew closer, she realized they weren't able to do it, so she offered it to me. At first I thought 'no way!'...due to my lack of running lately. But then I thought that it would be a fun excuse for a weekend getaway with my fam, so I asked my sis-in-law if she would run with me. She agreed and we were off! We invited Trav's mom along as well. She is always up for an adventure!
The first night we had some downtime...the town of Tropic, Utah is not much for the nightlife!

Naturally, the girls had to pose for our new camera.

The next morning was the run. We didn't have high expectations for ourselves. We weren't very trained for it, but we knew we would finish! We were looking forward to enjoying the beautiful scenery and a good workout. We finished with a respectable time and overall felt pretty good about it.

You know those girls that look cute and unsweaty when they run/workout? Well, I am not one of those girls. See Exhibit A below! Oh, well.

After the race, we spent the afternoon checking out Bryce Canyon. My Mom and Don met us to see the sights. None of us had ever been there before and can I just say AMAZING!!!

I couldn't believe how literally breathtaking it is!!! WOW!!!
We did a pretty hard hike. Well, it wasn't bad on the way down, but then we did have to turn around and make it back up the way we came. Not easy carrying a sleeping 3 year old while plugging along on tired legs! We made it, however, and I am so glad we did it! It was something else!

We saw the canyon from all sides of the rim and it didn't disappoint from any vantage point! Beautiful!

We were so glad that Grandma Patti could come with us!

It was a much-needed getaway and we had a blast. Who knows, maybe it will become a tradition! Until next year...

The Fourth!

2011-08-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

Here is our 4th of July...in pictures!

We started with the bike parade! Look at this cutie rocking the girly bike! (She since can ride withOUT training wheels!)

Sky was so fast, we literally missed her riding by us! I didn't get a picture of her in action so she posed with her sis afterward.

Then it was time to wait for the loot!!

Even Sammy, our new puppy, got to come!

Look at this face! She is getting so grown up!

Then we were off to the park for some fun rides and slides!

After this, Sailyr and I had to get home...she was starting to feel feverish. (Turns out she came down with a nasty case of Hand, Foot and Mouth. I had heard of it before but had no idea what it was. Now we know it is the W.O.R.S.T. thing!!! She had never been so sick! Skylar got a minor case of it, but Sailyr got the majority of it. Poor girl!)
Anyway, our 4th ended with a bang! We had a neighborhood fireworks show with everyone putting their fireworks together at one house and Travis and Jay lighting them up! The kids had a ton of fun playing with sparklers and snaps (until Skylar stepped on a burnt sparkler ember and burned the bottom of her foot).
All in all it was a fun 4th! Until next year...

Giveaway!!!

2011-06-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves free stuff, especially when it's super awesome stuff!

That being said...

Check out the giveaway I have on my other blog, Style by Sierra!

Be sure to enter and tell your friends!!

What have we been up to?!

2011-06-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

So here's to not blogging in 6 months...anybody with me?

We have had a lot going on in the last little while. While it hasn't been out-of-control exciting, it actually is pretty blog-worthy!
So here we go:

Our awesome babysitter/friend/coworker/secondmomtomygirls got married in January. I don't have pictures from the wedding (I don't know why) but I do have some pictures of the shower our shop threw for her.

We played a hilarious game and she went away with some fabulous prizes!!

My mom and Don came to town and we took the girls bowling for the first time. It was so much fun and I think Skylar might have beat me!

Skylar did the little cheerleader clinic at Fremont High and cheered/danced at the basketball halftime. She made sure to be front and center this time, since at the football game in the fall we couldn't even see her little self stuck in the back of the group. I have to say, I was the proudest mom ever!!! She did so great! She knew the whole dance and really hammed it up! Her kicks and cheers were to die for! I can't wait until the fall when both she and Sailyr can do the clinic!

Travis' youngest brother got married in March to the cutest girl! Her name is Kelsie and she is tons of fun! Before the wedding, all the girls went to Salt Lake and had a bachelorette party for her. Cheesecake Factory, pedicures, gifts and games...of course we had fun!

Their wedding was fun and Kelsie looked so beautiful. We love having her in our family and she and Jubb are a perfect match!

Here are the best parts of my life

In February, we took our annual trip to Myrtle Beach with some fun friends. We ran the 5K and did some other fun stuff like shuffleboard, looking for shells on the beach and quite a bit of shopping.

Have you ever seen a man over 30 in a shopping cart? Here you go! I think I laughed until I cried! This is what this trip is all about!

The real highlight of the trip for Travis and me was the road trip we took up to Chapel Hill, NC to watch the Tarheels play Basketball! Travis is a HUGE North Carolina fan so this was a dream come true for him! It was so cool!

Of course he had to get a new jersey to commemmorate this day!

In April, Travis and I celebrated our 8th anniversary! We have now officially been married longer than we dated!

(Blurry picture taken with my iphone!)

We went to the annual freezing-cold-why-don't-I-ever-bring-my-hat-and-gloves-easter egg hunt in Plain City. Why does it always have to be so cold/snowing on Easter? Isn't it supposed to be in the "SPRING"?

Skylar played T-ball this year for the first time. She loved it, but could use a little more practice. The night before her first practice I said, "Sky, you have T-ball in the morning!" She screamed with excitement! I said, "Wait, do you know what T-ball is?" She said, "No. What is it?!"
I think she actually did pretty well for not even knowing what it was! Her team was the Yellow Bees! They were all just 3-5 years old and hilarious to watch!

Skylar had her birthday and I can't believe that she is 4!!! She is the best girl and we are so proud of her:) She is so beautiful inside and out. Skylar is a loving sister and a good friend. She is super smart and loves to tell you what letter and sound words start with. We love having her in our family!

She wanted to go to the splash pad so we had a little party for her there. She invited some friends and all of our family came as well.

This picture of Breckyn is so cute! I love Kelsie in the background. She is such a nut!

We took our boat out for the first time this year. The water was freezing but the sun was shining so we couldn't complain!

Finally it was time for Sailyr's birthday. She turned 3 and was so excited! She is such a big girl that likes to do everything for herself (and she does it so well!). She gets herself totally dressed without help, always brushes her teeth herself, and folds her laundry! She has the cutest scratchy voice and the funniest accent. She speaks like she is from New York and England all mixed together! (She says 'cah'=car, 'gehl'=girl, etc.)

She wanted to go bowling, so we took her to Boondocks for a day of fun! Then we had a party at our house for her later that night. She had a lot of fun and some really great gifts!

Do you have hair?

2011-06-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

If you do (and even if you don't) check out my new blog! I will feature styles, trends, products and all the things that make me love my job as a stylist! I will have discounts and giveaways and all kinds of fun stuff!
So grab my button, become a follower and check back often! Check it out here

Look Ma! No training wheels!!!

2011-05-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today Skylar asked to have her training wheels taken off her bike. Trav took them off and she hopped on her bike and basically rode away! We couldn't believe how great she did!! I have to admit that I got teary while I watched her cruise around the driveway! She is getting way too big, too fast! We are so proud of her! One week shy of her 4th birthday and she can officially ride a bike!!! Way to go, Sky!! We love you!

2010...nutshell version

2011-01-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

2010 was such a fun year! Our kids got so big, the transition from 18 months to 2 1/2 years is HUGE (Sailyr). We did tons of fun stuff and just enjoyed being a family! So here it is in a nutshell!

In January we went to the Circus and the girls loved it!

In February we had a super awesome trip to Myrtle Beach with great friends. It was pretty cold but we had so much fun! This started my year of running since we went to run a 5K. More of that to come!

We had a quick weekend trip to see my mom in Arizona. We sure miss her and love when we get to spend time with her.

In March I danced at the Jazz game with all of the other moms who were Jazz Dancers in their former life!

We had a very successful Easter egg hunt!

Travis spent a whole lot of time on our John Deere while mowing the lawn. Sailyr likes to ride on it too.

I started teaching the girls how to clean! I can't wait until they are a little better at it.

We had a year of 'firsts'. Skylar had her first trip to the dentist...no cavities either!

We did a lot of golfing together as a family. The girls have a set of tiny pink clubs.

My younger brother, Shad, graduated from the Fire Academy. He since has landed two firefighter jobs and has had some pretty amazing experiences!

The girls have become pros at posing for the camera!

Summer brought Sky and Sailyr's birthdays!

Skylar rode her new bike in the Plain City 4th of July parade!

She was also the flower girl at Scooter and Morgan's wedding.

We took our annual Twin Falls weekend with Trav's super fun fam. I love my sis-in-laws and mom-in-law!

We had tons of fun swimming and going to the park.

In September, Skylar started preschool. It has been so amazing! We can't believe how much she has learned. It's been fun to have some one-on-one time with Sailyr while Sky is at school.

We went on a fun trip to Denver for my birthday! We love to travel with Jason and Holly. I was glad to spend my bday with such special friends!!

Sky had fun dancing at halftime of the Fremont High School game!

We picked our pumpkins at Black Island Farms again!

Spent tons of time with this cute girl, Breckyn! She's getting big!

In October I completed my hardest physical trial of my life by running in the Ragnar Relay. So hard but so rewarding and fun!

There were a couple of witches at our house on Halloween:)

Skylar's preschool had a lot of fun fieldtrips. Sailyr manages to make her way into every class picture!

I loved sharing the whole year with my cute husband! I love him so much and I am glad I can say that our marriage is better than ever!!

My brother Spud returned after serving his mission in Samoa! We are so proud of him and it was perfect timing to have him home just before Christmas.

Travis has a birthday just before Christmas. We had a great party with his family and I was sure to put all 32 candles on his cake!

Christmas was funner than ever this year with our kids becoming so excited and really "getting" it!

What a great year! I can't wait to see what 2011 brings!

Christmas Spectacular

2010-12-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I won (yes, I said WON!!) tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the one and only Rockettes! We got to sit in a suite with tons of treats and snacks and see a great Christmas show! It really got us in the holiday mode. Skylar loved it and watched the whole show. Luckily we did have lots of snacks and treats for Sailyr since her attention span is waaayyy shorter than her sister's. She enjoyed it too!
Travis was a true sport! He had a horrible cold but he still drove us down to SLC in a huge snowstorm to see the show. He's such a great guy!

Sailyr said the funniest thing! Santa came out on the stage in his sleigh with the Rockettes as his reindeer at the first of the show. Later when he came back out without his sleigh, she asked me, "Mom, where's his trailer?" I thought it was so funny! She is at a cute age!

Skylar wouldn't pose for a picture in front of the Rockettes poster but here is Sailyr. Don't be jealous of my mad photography skills. I know how to take a hot picture! J/K

Wittow bit scary...

2010-11-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween, the girls both wanted to be witches. They looked so cute and were super excited to wear and show off their costumes! When they told people they were going to be witches for Halloween, Sailyr would go into this speech about how they weren't scary witches but her costume was 'just a wittow bit scary and Sky's was just a wittow bit scary too!'. She would talk so fast that it was hard to catch all she was saying about it but it was so funny! She talks soooo much and is hilarious!

(sorry for the blurry cellphone photos)
They only wanted to trick or treat for about 10 houses and they were done. I guess a rainstorm and unanswered doors got a old really fast! We did have yummy chili and treats at Grandma Patti's waiting for us when we were done so it was none too soon!

The 'Real' Real Housewives

2010-11-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

In October I ran in the Las Vegas Ragnar Relay. We had a blast and I can't believe that I actually did it! I was recruited by my bestie Holly and in turn recruited my sis-in-law Stephanie. Our team was full of other people that I didn't know but soon became really close with, that happens after spending 32 hours in a Suburban together! Our team did awesome and though I didn't love it while I was running, I was stoked after it was over and I hope I can do it again!

This was our team name, after my fave TV series!

Van #1 minus Kim who was running her leg!

Steph running her first leg of the relay, about 7 miles! (we each had three legs we had to run)

Two "hot" moms! I use that phrase loosely! Alright,we know we weren't that hot but we had matching sunglasses, okay!

Our whole team after crossing the finish line! We finished in 32 hrs 14 min which placed us 14th in our division! Not bad for a bunch of moms and Ragnar rookies!

What a cool experience! I was so glad I got to do this with Holly and Steph! Thanks girls!
For a look at what we did after the race click here! One of the highlights of the trip!
Next up...Ogden Half Marathon!

Halloween Rap!

2010-10-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Fall Tradition

2010-10-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Every year we go to Black Island Farm in Syracuse to enjoy the games and activities there and also to pick out our pumpkin right off the vine at their pumpkin patch. Check out the first time we went there here. HOLY COW I can't believe how much my kids have grown!!! WOW! Anyway...
This year Breckyn was old enough to come with us and it was so fun!

The girls loved the animals and even fed the goats!

Then we were off to the slides. We could barely get our girls off them! They have become really brave and liked to go down without help!

They have a fun ride there where a 4-wheeler pulls a train of pig and cow cars that the kids ride in. It winds through a few corn fields and it is so cute!

Then we were off to the pumpkin patch. We had a good time finding the perfect pumpkin. We always have to be careful not to get too many big pumpkins since we have to carry all of them and the kids back to the car!

We love to do this as a family and we can't wait to do it again next year:)

P.S. Turns out, you can have just as much fun hanging out in the parking lot and filling your jacket with rocks! We could have saved a lot of money if we would have realized this BEFORE going into the park!

Check out this cute giveaway!

2010-10-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

Simply Handmade by Paige has a giveaway for this darling wax seal initial necklace! I would love to have one of these. Be sure to enter here!

Dancing Girl

2010-09-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Last week, Skylar danced in the Jr. Silverline Halftime at the Fremont Football game. I was so excited for her to do this since it is something that is somewhat close to my heart. When I was did Drill Team in high school, the little dancer fundraiser was always so fun and I couldn't wait for my girls to be old enough to participate. She did 3 clinics during the week and then Friday was the big day. She was so excited!! During the performance she was really hard to see, I should have told her to make sure she made her way to the front of the group. She was nearly the littlest one in her class! She did a great job and knew the dance well. We were so proud of her! She wasn't scared or nervous, she is so independent! I can't wait for next year when both my girls can do it!

Skylar and Sailyr got their faces painted!

Look how little she looks next to some of the older girls!

Warming up!

The performance...She is way in the back.

The whole family came out to watch her! Breckyn looked so cute in her hat!

Here is her famous pose!

Fall Harvest

2010-09-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

While my mom was here last weekend, we decided to make good use of the 4 or so bags of tomatoes we had just picked as well as the green beans that my fridge was overflowing with. Our garden was really slow coming on this year but now we are right in the thick of our tomato harvest, all 14 plants! We have them coming out our ears!

I decided to freeze the green beans, since I don't love them canned.

Canning tomatoes is so easy and I love having them for the whole winter! I think I will have to do it every weekend for a month so I don't let them go to waste!

This is less than half of what we ended up with. We did 10 quarts and 13 pints. I have enough tomatoes to do at least that many more this weekend! I guess I better get some more jars and lids!

It was so fun to do this project with my mom, not to mention very helpful! Though it is easy, it is kind of a big job and having someone to help you is so nice! Thanks Mom!

First Day!

2010-09-09T06:23:00.001-07:00

This week marked a big day at our house...Skylar started preschool! I was so excited for her! Travis and I were way more excited than she was. Not that she didn't want to go, she just had no idea what to expect. A few days before, I asked her, "What kind of things do you think you do at preschool?"
She thought about it and said, "I ACTUALLY don't know!" All this hype about preschool for months and she has no idea what it was about. She just knew that she got to go and take her backpack.
We go her ready and headed out the door. We made it just in time and then Travis surprised her and came and met us to walk her into her class.

Jax, our friend and carpool buddy, Sailyr, and Skylar

We found her cubby and hung up her backpack and she was off to do some playdough in her seat. A few pictures and the parents had to leave. I admit I shed a tear on my way back to the car :( Something about her getting so big. It's hard to believe how fast it goes by!

When it was time to pick her up, again Travis surprised us and came to see her come out of class. He is the CUTEST dad! She had a great day and made a star headband and she had a treat. She is excited to go back today!

Park pics

2010-08-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today was the perfect day to go to the park! It wasn't too hot but it was really sunny. It was so fun! The girls are big enough now that they can do all the stuff at the playground by themselves, except the monkey bars. I can't do those by myself either! (have you tried them lately? they are really hard!)

End of Summer first

2010-08-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Today we went swimming at the North Shore pool, aka 'the frog slide'. This is the first time we have been there all summer, at least we made it even if it was at the end of the season! It was a nice sunny day but pretty windy so when we were out of the water it was chilly. We packed a lunch and had a lot of fun. Steph, Brady and Breckyn came and met us for a while. It was a great day!

Sailyr loves to be wrapped in her towel and eat cheetos!

I love this picture of Skylar!

Poser!

2010-08-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is what we have been seeing a lot of lately! Skylar loves to strike a pose! Every time she gets dressed, gets her hair done, draws a sidewalk chalk 'tantoo' on her leg, or we take her picture, she pulls a pose!

to have and to hold...

2010-08-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, my younger brother got married! It was so beautiful. They held the ceremony and reception at the Old Rock Mill in Farmington and I have to say, it was such a perfect setting. The trees there are so beautiful and have vines that have climbed up all over and shaped them in such interesting ways.

Skylar was the flower girl and she did a great job! She was so darling and she took her job very seriously:) It made me get teary seeing her walk up the aisle. She is becoming so grown up!

This is our family after a big day of the wedding and reception...we look like we have been thru the ringer! Toddlers + weddings=L.O.N.G. day!

We video taped the ceremony and I didn't take very many pictures at the reception but here are a few.

My brother Lydon and his girlfriend Kelly made this beautiful cake! It was amazing!

Morgan got him really good with the cake!

Congrats to Scooter and Morgan!!!

I'm back and here to stay!

2010-07-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

So to make a long story short...our computer crashed a couple months ago and I took forever to decide what new one I wanted to get but I finally made a decision and got a new Macbook this week. Therefore I am back on my blogging game!! I have a lot of things to blog about but I will start with our new pictures we got taken this summer. I wanted to have the girls' pictures taken for Travis for Father's day and I thought it would be cute for Breckyn to get in some to give to Trav's Dad for a gift too. They turned out so great!

Check out this cute blog and enter the giveaway...HURRY!

2010-04-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

I just found this darling blog with awesome refinished furniture! They are having a giveaway so go and enter! The winner will be chosen tomorrow so hurry!

www.frostedgardner.blogspot.com Click here to enter!

They weren't very good ones...

2010-04-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight Skylar and Sailyr were playing pretend babies. They would bring me the "babies" (which were actually nothing) and tell me I needed to feed them, burp them, etc. Skylar went and put her babies to sleep in her room. A few minutes later she came and told me, "Mom, they weren't very good ones. They weren't very good ones so I flushed them down the toilet. I am going to get new ones instead." Good thing they weren't tangible babies. Luckily she has a while until she can be a real Mommy!
She is so funny!

PS Is anyone else having trouble uploading pictures to Blogger? It keeps telling me that the website cannot be found. What is going on? Any tips?

Basketball and a Baby

2010-03-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

While Travis and Brady were enjoying this (they both got tickets to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games for Christmas),

We were enjoying this,

I think it could be a toss up for who had more fun! By the look on Breckyn's face I think she might have rather gone to the game!

43 dancers with 71 kids from 4 different states...

2010-03-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Last night was the big game! It was so much fun! Just being in that atmosphere brings back so many fun memories! We danced a routine during the first quarter break and then threw the little balls to the crowd and danced "Great balls of fire" with the current dancers during the 4th quarter. We had a lot of fun!

Travis got to sit in really great seats, thanks to Jason and Holly. Thanks you guys! He was front and center for the performance. Holly and Hannah sat in the other seats they have and at halftime I was able to run up and see them!

Here we are just before the routine started. There were alot of us and we took up the whole floor!

This is the Jazz Dancers director and coach, Jan and my friend Brandy. We took a lot of pictures in the locker room while we got ready.

This is Cristina and Kellie. They are both amazing dancers and have so much personality!

Me, Sandy and Melissa...Sandy has 4 kids now and Melissa has 3!

Brandy, Lara, Kendra, me and Lindsey...Lara traveled from Grand Junction, CO to make this performance!

Here are the girls from my years on the team striking a silly pose...inside joke!

Lara, Brandy, me, Marty and Lindsey

Crystal, Courtney, Lindsey, Julie, Brandy and me getting ready.

All of us former dancers had tons of catching up to do and I loved learning what everyone was up to these days and seeing pictures of thier kids. Everyone is still in great shape and we all did pretty good on the routine! We hear they may have us back next year for a big halftime show...I would love to do this again!

For all the action in a video check out this post

Feeling sore and Jazzy

2010-03-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

Utah Jazz game, 2004 "Retro night"

Long ago, many years before the picture above, in what now feels like my former life, I had a really fun job as a dancer for the Utah Jazz. I was much younger, skinnier, more flexible, peppier version of the girl that I am today. The job was fun and had many perks but the best part about it is the great friends that I made. They are beautiful, talented and fun women and though we don't see much of each other, when we do get together it is a blast. That brings me back to the events of this week. At the Jazz game on Wednesday many of the former dancers will be performing together for the first time since 2004. We have had one rehearsal already and it was so much fun! (and I am so sore!) I loved seeing everyone and learning how their families have grown and what they are up to. It is so crazy to see how all of our lives have changed! We were just 18-20 when we danced together and now we are all 30 somethings and we are wives and moms. We can still reminisce and laugh about all of the fun times we had together and this week we have the opportunity to make some more hilarious memories! I will post more pictures after it is all over but I am so excited to do it!

Just a quickie!

2010-03-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago, Travis got invited to go the Nascar race in Vegas for the weekend. Since he was planning on driving and not flying, we (me and the girls) decided to spend the weekend at my mom's house since she lives right on the way. It was a really fast trip. We left Friday at about 6:00 pm and got there by about 11:30. Our girls did fantastic in the car and were so excited to see Grandma Joni and Grandpa Don! They didn't end up settling down for bed until about 1:00am! Anyway after a near sleepless night, Trav's friends picked him up for the races on Saturday morning and we were off to St. George for a girls day.

We went to a park so Skylar could slide and play. Sailyr slept in the car (much needed). Then we went to lunch at Cafe Rio for a Sweet Pork Salad. The girls were so good at lunch, we decided to go next door to Nielsen's Frozen Custard for dessert. This is one of my favorite desserts although I don't ever have it.

After a little shopping at the outlets, we went back to my mom's for a spaghetti dinner. It was so nice not to have to make it for a change! Thanks Mom! The girls were so tired that this is where they ended up.

Sunday was pretty relaxing with just a trip to the grocery store and to another park. Travis got dropped off after the race and then we started the late and long drive home. All in all it was so nice to see my mom and Don. Even though it was really fast, I am so glad we got the chance to go!

Our "beach" vacation, minus the sun and surf!

2010-02-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

Over Valentine's Day weekend, we went to Myrtle Beach with a group of friends to have a fun time and run in a 5K. I knew it wouldn't be very warm, but we sure didn't expect this....SNOW! It snowed about 4 inches, which isn't a huge deal to us here but it hasn't snowed there in 10 years! It was pretty crazy. Despite the snow, it was one of the funnest trips we have ever had! We laughed and talked and had great meals and silly moments. It was a trip that was much needed for me, without the kids! I needed a break and it was just perfect!

Jason and Holly

Me and Trav

Dirk and Misty

Charley and Mary

Holly and me on the beach

For more fun and exciting posts on this trip you can go here or here!

3 Rings of Fun...

2010-02-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, we went to the circus at the fairgrounds. We had so much fun last year that I couldn't wait to take our girls again. While it is no "Greatest Show on Earth", it still is pretty fun. Here are a few pics of the action!

The girls wanted to ride the ponies so Gpa Hess and I put them on. Skylar wouldn't let go of him and yelled "I want to get off! I want to get off!" Sailyr loved it though!

Sailyr cried and cried because she wanted to ride on the elephant! I wouldn't let her get on. I know she wouldn't have been able to stay on that long because they walked sooo slow. She can't hold still for longer than about 5 seconds at a time!

P.S. Check out the sweet fake ponytail that blond lady has on! Classy:)

She sure is NIFTY!

2010-01-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

P.S. Never knew my face was this fat! My mom looks cute in this picture so I will sacrifice a fat-face pic of me for a good one of my mom...it is her birthday!

Happy Birthday to my Mom, Joni! Today is her special day and I wanted to give her a shout out! (Holla! as Ellen Degeneres would say) I'm not going to say how old she is but she doesn't look a day over 49! She is the best mom and I appreciate her so much. She is always there to listen to me and she is never quick to give unsolicited advice but always has some when I ask. She is beautiful inside and out and I am so proud to be her daughter! I love you mom!

2010-01-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

My goal for the next year is to spend less money on groceries. I am so sick of coming home from the store and feeling like I don't have much to show for the money that I just spent. There are so many resources out there for money saving ideas and coupons that it is a waste for me not to take advantage of them! I have been getting some tips and tricks from a few really good "couponers" that I know. After a lot of research and some preperation I felt somewhat ready to make my weekly grocery trip.
I had a few rules for myself:
1. Follow my list. I had a VERY detailed list! It included what I was going to buy, prices of what I was to buy, how many of each item and what coupons I was going to use for that particular deal.
2. Only buy things that were on sale. I was not going to be "brand picky" for most items. I just wanted to get the best prices on things that brands don't matter on. (Black beans, tomato sauce, etc.)
3. Get as many of each item on sale that I could afford. My secondary goal for the year is to build up our food storage, which up until now has been non-existent!
So I headed out, with both kids in tow. I went to my usual store (Harmon's) so I would be able to find what I needed. Eventually, when I get better at this I may start shopping at other stores that my "experts" say have much better deals. It took a little more concentration than my normal shopping trips but the end result was worth it!
I saved $89.53 by only buying sale items and using my coupons! My reciept was longer than both of my arms reached out! I had some things that I normally wouldn't buy and that makes for a little more variety in my pantry. Also, my storage shelf downstairs is so much fuller than it has been! It is a really exciting and empowering thing to make your dollar go further! I love it! I hope to do more of this in the months to come!
Here are some of the websites that I used this week to fuel my deals:

This is what's up...

2010-01-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

So, long time...no post. We have been really busy, what with the holidays and all. December was a crazy month. Travis was so busy with work and he had to travel a few times during the month. I had really crazy days at the salon. Some holiday parties and festivities. Needless to say, we were finishing quite a bit of our shopping on Christmas Eve. We vow never to do that again! (wishful thinking:) BTW Walmart is NUTS on xmas eve! We spent Christmas Eve at my Dad's and had a really yummy dinner, as usual, and my girls got the funnest gift from them...a huge playhouse that blows up with a continuous fan. It is so cool!

Anyway, Christmas Eve and morning were so much fun with our kids! Skylar is finally "getting" it. It made it so much more exciting! We left out cookies and milk and sprinkled reindeer food on our yard and the girls were so cute! They got what they wanted, a Dollhouse. It was fun to set up all of the furniture and things that go with it. They play with it all the time! Travis got me a new camera which I am so excited about! Hopefully I will take lots more pictures than I did the last year!

Later Christmas Day, we went to Trav's parents and the party was on! Opening presents there is so crazy because there are so many of us now. It is a lot of fun!

A few days later, my Mom and Don came into town. We met up for a great dinner at Outback Steakhouse and then opened presents the next day. My mom gave me the greatest pictures of me and my Grandma. It was a really awesome gift! I still can't believe that she isn't here anymore:(

So now we are looking forward to a new year. We will remember 2009 for some great memories and some sad ones and we can't wait to see what 2010 will bring.

An Amazing Woman

2009-11-27T16:44:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Skylar March 2008

4 generations (me-very pregnant with Sailyr)

Yesterday afternoon one of the most important people in our lives passed away. She was my Grandma Mona. She was the best grandma and she and I were very close. She was my #1 fan and biggest supporter of anything that I ever did. Many of my fondest memories of my childhood were made at her house or with her. She was so fun and funny and always loved a good joke. She was always worrying about everyone else and would give you anything she had. She was a great example to me and I have a very heavy heart right now. I will miss her dearly! We love you Grandma!

It's finally happening

2009-11-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

Potty training has officially begun! Skylar has started to go in the potty. Not all the time but some of the time. It is a start! We are not pushing her but just letting her do it on her own terms. I hope this is the best way but we are open to any suggestions. I can see the light at the end of the diaper tunnel!

In Loving Memory...

2009-11-05T06:03:00.000-08:00

of Fred Hess October, 2002-November 2, 2009

Earlier this week, we had an unfortunate accident that took the life of our family cat. We are so sad to have to say goodbye to him. He was a true member of our family. Our girls have grown to love him and he was often known to come running when one of them was crying or hurt, especially Skylar. Travis and I adopted him from the shelter just one month after we were marrried. Fred was about 6-8 months old at the time and was nearly full grown. He was so loveable and sweet that we couldn't figure out why someone wouldn't want him. I think back now and realize that he was just meant to be with our family. He has seen our good times and bad and has been there for me through them all. He has been the center of some mysterious mishaps and some amazing rescues (he was once got in the ski locker of our boat and was there for 4 days!). He has been both a source of frustration and a shoulder to cry on when I needed someone to listen to me. He will be truly missed!

Fall Pictures

2009-10-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

My beautiful and talented friend/photographer Julie took these darling pictures of our girls a few weeks ago. I think they turned out great and I can't believe how big they both look, especially Skylar! She is officially a little girl! No more baby face on that one! Thanks Jules!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-10-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

A week ago today an awesome thing happened in our family! Brady and Steph (Trav's bro and wife) welcomed their first baby, Breckyn Loo Hess, into the world! We couldn't be more excited for them and also for us to have another little girl to be BFF's with our girls! She is absolutely perfect! So little, weighing in at only 6 lbs. 4 oz. Check out thier darling blog post about her here!

Monster Mash!

2009-10-09T14:23:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Curb your enthusiasm

2009-09-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of weeks/months we (mostly Trav) have been working on our yard. We are so sick of the dirt and everything that comes with it! We can't wait to have grass, and today we made the final step towards just that! We planted our grass seed and started watering it with our brand new sprinkling system (put in entirely by my husband with help from his Dad and brothers)! Last week we got our decorative curbing and it really gives our yard shape and looks so good. We still have a lot of work to do to get our flower beds planted and lit (Travis is an electrician!) I am so excited to see the finished product but for now I am watching for little sproutlets of grass!

More fun on the boat!

2009-08-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

We have been using our boat quite a bit lately and it is so much fun! Skylar has been riding on the tube and she loves it! We went out with our friends Jenny, Rory and their son Grayson. He didn't like his lifejacket too much and I don't blame him one bit. We had a lot of fun!

Fourth of July

2009-08-11T14:42:00.001-07:00

This year we got up to do the usual Plain City parade. I thought that it started at 9:00 so we were really surprised to get there and see it was already in full swing at 8:45. Apparently I was wrong on the time and it started at 8:30. With Plain City being such a small town, the parade only lasts about 20-25 minutes so we saw about the last 7 floats and then it was over! Good thing my girls are too little to know what they missed! Next year I will be sure to check the time on the flyer! Anyway here are a few pictures of them at the (short) parade.

Jackson River Trip June '09

2009-08-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, but we went on the funnest trip in June to Jackson Hole. We go every year with my family and it is such a blast. Travis and I decided to leave the girls home with grandparents this year so we were kidless! Not something that happens very often so we sure enjoyed ourselves, although we missed them tons! We camp in the canyon right next to the river and we float down the Snake at least once a day. My family has a raft and my stepdad and brother are really experienced oarmen. We hang around the campfire at night and roast hotdogs and marshmallows. This year a few of Shad's friends came up and kept the party going! Since we didn't have our kids with us, we thought that we would take our two dogs and they loved it. They don't get out much lately so they had a good time in the great outdoors. It turns out that everyone that came this year had their dogs. We had quite the canine camp! We can't wait to do this again next summer.

The famous "Antler Arch" in downtown Jackson. We had really full bellies from eating at Bubba's BBQ- our favorite!

Shad and Stormy. Amanda couldn't make it this year and we were sad! It would have been even more FUN with her there!

Dave and Buddy. 120 lbs of yellow fur! (Buddy, not Dave:)

This isn't our boat but just look how BIG the river was this year!

Us and our mutts. They aren't showing their best side. They are actually quite cute from the front!

What a toughie!

2009-08-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

Last night Sailyr got stung by one of these:

She only cried for literally one minute, if that! I didn't even realize what had happened to her until we were getting the girls in the tub about 30 minutes later. Her hand was a little swollen but seemed fine. She is so tough. She takes some hard hits every day since she is still not 100% steady on her feet and she hardly ever cries about any of them! I can't stand how much I love this girl! (Sometimes I really want to take a bite out of her...she's so cute that I really could eat her!:)

Catching up

2009-06-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

This week the girls had their yearly checkups. Sailyr is just about to catch Skylar in weight and height. I guess Skylar better start eating her Wheaties! (Yeah, right!)
Skylar: 24.9 lbs (25%), 33 inches (25%), 47 cm head cir. (65%)
Sailyr: 21.9 lbs (90%), 30.5 inches (70%), 45 cm head cir. (50%)

I guess 12 months 12 days birth difference doesn't really matter when it comes to growing up. Pretty soon they will look like twins!

A lot of this going on!

2009-06-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

Lately Sailyr has been doing a lot of this...

and this...

and this...

I have to keep my eye on her! She reminds me alot of this post!

Birthday girls!

2009-06-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I actually have a 2 year old and a 1 year old! Skylar's birthday is on May 31 and Sailyr's on June 12. Since we were on vacation on Skylar's birthday, we decided to have a joint party for them after we got home. Kylee made a "Nemo" cake that was so cute, not to mention really yummy! The girls got totally spoiled and have really enjoyed playing with all the new toys and things they got. Thanks everybody!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What we did on our Summer Vacation!

2009-06-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

We went to Myrtle Beach, SC for a week at the first of June. We had so much fun! We went with our friends Jason and Holly and their kids. They have a beautiful beach house that we all stayed in. It was only 12 housed away from the beach! What an awesome part of the country. There is a lot of history there and we got to see just a little bit of it. So interesting! Hopefully one day we can go back and do some more! Thanks Williams' for inviting us along!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Boating

2009-06-16T12:39:00.001-07:00

We had a great time taking the boat out for the first time this year. Skylar had been in the boat before but she was really tiny. We were interested to see how both of the kids did before we decided to go out for a whole day. Skylar loved it and thought it was cool to wear her "coat", otherwise known as a lifejacket! Sailyr, on the other hand, hated hers! I don't blame her. When kids are so little, it stays up around their neck and they can hardly move!
Skylar kept yelling over the side of the boat, "Nemo! Dori! Where are you?" It was so funny! She wanted to go fast and loved watching the birds duck under the water when we got close to them. We weren't out for very long, but it was fun to see how the girls would do. I think we will leave Sailyr home when we go boating this summer but next year she will be big enough to enjoy it. Hopefully our boat will bring fond memories to our family for years to come!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Mother's Day at the zoo!

2009-06-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

All I wanted to do on Mother's Day was something fun with our kids. We hadn't ever been to the zoo so I decided that is where I wanted to take them. I didn't think it would be very busy, but boy was I wrong! It was packed. Once we found a parking spot (which wasn't an easy task) we were off to have fun!
Although we didn't get any pictures of the animals, we did see a lot! Skylar loved the monkeys and penguins. The gorilla came right up to us at the window and the cheetah stared us down and paced along the fence. It was really fun to see the girls' reaction to all the animals!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

So many things to blog about...so little time!

2009-06-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, I finally have a little minute to catch up on the blog. Here are just a few things that we have been up to in the last 2 months since my last post.
-Won a sweet new custom blog design from her!
-Lots of work and lots of play!
-Mother's Day trip to the zoo.
-First trip out on the boat.
-Found out we have a new neice coming in October!
-Skylar turned two!
-Week long trip to Myrtle Beach with great friends!
-Sailyr turned one!
-Sailyr started walking!
-No more bottles!!!!!
-Lots of golf for Trav.
-Started our yard!
-Lots of wagon rides and playing outside:)

1 Laundry Basket + 1 Dad = Loads of Fun!

2009-04-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

It is amazing what kids find to be so much fun...Dads too!

Survivor!

2009-04-13T07:08:00.001-07:00

I got this in an email and I thought it was so funny! Even though my husband is a great dad and husband, he will be the first to tell you how hard it is to take care of the kids by yourself. He often tells me "I don't know how you get anything done!" You just have to appreciate how much work it is to be a mom sometimes!

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and
3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play
two sports
and either take music
or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must
take care of his 3 kids;
keep his assigned house clean,
correct all homework,
and complete science projects,
cook, do laundry,
and pay a list of 'pretend' bills
with not enough money...

In addition, each man
will have to budget in money
for groceries each week.

Each man
must remember the birthdays
of all their friends and relatives,
and send cards out
on time--no emailing.

Each man must also
take each child to a doctor's appointment,
a dentist appointment
and a haircut appointment.

He must make
one unscheduled and inconvenient
visit per child
to the Urgent Care.

He must also
make cookies or cupcakes
for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for
decorating his own assigned house,
planting flowers outside
and keeping it presentable
at all times.

The men will only
have access to television
when the kids are asleep
and all chores are done.

The men must
shave their legs,
wear makeup daily,
adorn himself with jewelry,
wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,
keep fingernails polished
and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks,
the men will have to endure severeabdominal cramps, back aches,
and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or
slow down from other duties.

They must attend
weekly school meetings,
church, and find time
at least once to spend the afternoon
at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to
read a book to the kids
each night and in the morning,
feed them, dress them,
brush their teeth and
comb their hair by 7:00 am .

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information:
each child's birthday,
height, weight,
shoe size, clothes size
and doctor's name.
Also the child's weight at birth,
length, time of birth,
and length of labor,
each child's favorite color,
middle name,
favorite snack,
favorite song,
favorite drink,
favorite toy,
biggest fear and
what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island
based on performance.
The last man wins only if...
he still has enough energy
to be intimate with his spouse
at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win,
he can play the game over and over
and over again for the next 18-25 years
eventually earning the right
To be called Mother!

Happy Birthday, Bros!

2009-04-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Shad and Brady today! Travis and I both have brothers born on this day in 1983. They are both 26 today!

Shad is such a great guy. He is working so hard to support himself and his beautiful wife Amanda. He goes to school full time and works at Walmart Distribution Center. He is always so much fun to be around and is always making us laugh with his funny whistling, stories and overall funny sense of humor. He has a really good heart and we love him so much!

Brady is working in Healthcare Administration and can't wait to be a new dad! We know that he will be awesome. He is busy taking care of his pregnant and nauseos wife! Brady and Travis have such a great sibling relationship. Brady is always up for a golf game or just to sit around and watch UNC win the national championship! He is a really great person and we feel lucky to have him in our family!

Happy Birthday, guys!

Easter fun!

2009-04-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

For a cute post about my kids, click here.

Today I took my girls to the mall to get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Skylar wasn't having anything to do with him so I just had Sailyr sit on his lap. I think it turned out so cute! It realy surprised me that Sailyr wasn't scared and Skylar was. Kids, they are always keeping you on your toes!
Happy Easter!

9 months of Sailyr

2009-03-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

My little bug is already 9 months old! She is doing so well. She crawls everywhere and pulls herself up on everything! She started standing up in her crib so she hasn't been sleeping as well as she usually does. I think that she stands up and doesn't know how to lay back down. I guess she will learn how to do that soon enough. She got her first tooth last week. It is so cute and so sharp! She says all kinds of things like dada, nana and hi, but she mostly just jibber-jabbers. She always wants everything Skylar has and she loves to watch her big sister. Sailyr thinks Skylar is hilarious! She always has the cutest smile, not just a little grin but an ear to ear, wide open smile! She has the absolute funniest laugh also! She is still a mommy's girl but is learning to like her dad better every day! It is so fun to see how different her personality is from Skylar's. She is such a little tenderheart. She gets nervous if a man with a beard looks at her or talks to her. She startles easily and cries at the drop of a hat. However, she can really hold her own when it comes to keeping a toy she wants!
Last week at her well child visit to the doctor, she weighed 20 lbs 1oz and was 27 inches long. She has slimmed down to the 75%! (She once was in the 97%!)
We love her so much and she is such a great addition to our family!

Long time coming!

2009-03-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, I finally have a minute to catch up on my blog. We have had a crazy couple of weeks! At the first of the month, Travis and I went with his family to California for the weekend. We had a lot of fun and it was a nice break away from our kids! Everyone else stayed for a whole week but we just went for a few days which was plenty of time away from the girls! I was really missing them!

When we got home, I had to make up the days that I had missed at work which took up the whole rest of the week. Then my girls got sick. They both had low fevers and yucky noses so after taking them to the doctor they were on the mend.
Skylar and I went to see Disney on Ice with my friend Tammi and her little girl Kyanne. We had great seats and it was a lot of fun. I was worried about Skylar not wanting to watch the whole thing but she did great!

Next we had to get our taxes done. It is a huge job to get everything ready to go for that appointment. Usually I am a lot more organized with my receipts and paperwork than I was this year. I finally got it done! Until next year...

Mastering her mobility

2009-03-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

After telling everybody for weeks that Sailyr is sooooo close to crawling, she finally is making progress. She has been up on all fours rocking back and forth for a while now, so I thought she would do it any day. But she has finally decided that she can do the "army crawl" and get where she needs to go. Yesterday she apparently wanted to see what was at the bottom of the stairs so off she went right over the edge! It happened so fast! After a thorough head-to-toe check we realized that she was okay and I put our "gate" up which is actually a dining room chair turned on its side. Now we have to keep an eagle eye on her to keep her out of trouble. I think that my life just got a little bit more complicated!

Kung Fu

2009-03-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

After recently watching Kung Fu Panda (over the span of two days. Yep that's how long it takes to watch a movie with a 20-month old.) I saw this on YouTube and thought it was hilarious!

Overly-obsessed with...

2009-02-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

The Real Housewives of Orange County!
Travis and I watch this show every week and I am totally into their drama! Anybody else feelin' it? I love this show for a few reasons:
-Slightly (okay extremely) jealous of thier lifestyle. Shoes, clothes, cars, houses, etc.
-Love hearing what they all say about each other in the interviews. Usually totally contradicts what you see in the scenes.
-Vicki! Woo-hoo!!!
-Gretchen's hair. 'Nuff said!
-The constant battle over who is the hottest housewife, Tamra or Gretchen. My money is on Gretchen although she isn't technically a wife.
-Lynne's dumb comments and always blank look on her face.
-Jeana is finally moving on from a jerk of a husband.

I am so sad that tonight is the finale. Now I must try to get into The Real Housewives of New York. Last season left much to be desired so I hope they step up the drama this season and hopefully get some more dynamic personalities on the show. Also, I can't wait for Season 2 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Go NeNe!

Seriously?!

2009-02-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

Can I PLEASE get over this stupid cold/headache/cough/head-wanting-to-explode? Just asking! That's all.

Red Roses and girls night!

2009-02-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

While I was at work today, a floral delivery man pulled into our snow-laden parking lot and I spotted him through the window. My heart danced with anticipation wondering who they could be for. It is always so exciting when flowers are delivered to our salon because you always hope they are for you! This time they were for me! My darling husband sent me the most beautiful bouquet of red roses with a hand written card telling me how much he loves me. It really made me feel special since he is clear across the country on a trip with some work friends.

Since our better halves are out of town, my fun friend, Holly, and my surprisingly single friend, Kelsey, went out on the town for an early dinner. Hoping to beat the crowds, we went first to Tepanyaki only to find out that the wait was already 1 1/2 to 2 hours. What? They opened at 4:00 and we got there at 4:15. We decided that was seriously too long to wait. We then ventured over to Corbin's and since we didn't have a reservation, they couldn't get us in until 8:30. Again, too long! We settled for Rooster's, and even though I have some horrible memories of an after-Rooster's experience, (you know what I am talking about, Jenny) the food was good and the company was great! It didn't beat dining with Travis, but my fun friends were a great replacement! Thanks Hol and Kels!

Cupcakes and a BIG mess

2009-02-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

The other day I decided that I would make some cupcakes for the girls to take to their babysitter and to share with the other kids. Okay, maybe I just felt like licking the bowl, but for whatever reason I opened up the store bought cake mix and got started. After getting them in the oven and licking the bowl/beaters/spoon/scraper/etc. I let them cool and started frosting them. I thought it would be fun to let Skylar do the sprinkles. She hasn't ever been big enough to "help" me do anything in the kitchen before so I thought I would try to give her a chance. She was so excited to help and did a fairly good job giving each cupcake her personal touch with some getting a lot of sprinkles all in one spot and some others getting only about two sprinkles total.
The sprinkle jar had frosting all over the lid from getting it too close and many, many more sprinkles got on the chair/floor/counter/etc. However, it was all worth it and we had a lot of fun eating our creations, too!
I don't ever think that I will get all of the sprinkles cleaned up off of the floor. They just keep showing up!

(Don't know why this photo is pink. I think I need some photography classes or something!)

So funny!

2009-02-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

I just saw THIS on my cousin's blog and loved it! So funny coming from a newlywed!

30 Random Things

2009-02-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

This is something that Mary tagged me to do. Here are thirty random things about me...

1. I have extremely dry skin. I am looking at a cracked knuckle right now!
2. Travis and I started dating when I was 15 years old. I didn't even have a driver's license yet and I still had braces!
3. I have a severe phobia of snakes. Someone brought one to our Xmas party and I almost had a heart attack!
4. I don't mind doing laundry but I hate to fold it and put it away.
5. I usually sleep on my left side.
6. I love orange juice. I like to drink it right out of the carton. (gross, I know)
7. I have 5 brothers and 1 sister whose names all begin with the letter, L. (Lydon, Landry, Larkin, Lawson, Lantzen, and Lexus)
8. I gave Sailyr the middle name, Jae, after my middle name (Joan) and my mom's name (Joni).
9. Forest Gump is one of my all time fave movies!
10. I once did a cartwheel instead of an aerial at a Jazz game. (I'm pretty sure anybody can do a cartwheel, even a 3 year old. Yep, both hands went down! :( Pretty embarrassing!)
11. I don't like Peanut Butter.
12. I have almost always had short hair. Some styles better than others.
13. I have a cat named, Fred. I didn't name him, he had that name when I got him from the shelter but it totally fits him.
14. My parents got divorced when I was about 15 months old.
15. We went on our honeymoon to Jackson Hole and we came home early. (Don't go to Jackson in April. Nothing, I repeat, Nothing to do.) (I know what you are thinking but you can only do that so much :)
16. I started college with a plan to do pre-med. I now am a hair stylist. Don't ask me how that happened.
17. I think Travis looks so cute when he wears his hat backwards.
18. I have been on national TV. When I went to NY with the Hess', Patti and I went to The View. I announced an upcoming segment.
19. I used to volunteer for the American Cancer Society program called "look good, feel better".
20. I secretly enjoy watching Sesame Street with my kids! The same characters are still on that show as when I watched it years ago!
21. I have a really good memory. I remember things from when my parents were married. I can recall phone numbers pretty well also.
22. I know lots of random useless information. At work, they call me Dex, like the guy on the commercials.
23. I love it when Travis compliments me on being a good mom! There is no better compliment.
24. I almost always order Shrimp when we go out to eat at the Timbermine.
25. I really miss working there!
26. I love to brush my teeth and I can't wait to get my teeth cleaned!
27. I sing to the radio in the car (really loud!).
28. I have some really great friends!
29. I hardly ever wear perfume. I love it but I always forget to put it on.
30. I love my husband and daughters. Not random but true!

How Skylar came to be

2009-02-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born!Just copy and paste it in a NEW note for yourself...

1. WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Totally excited~
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No way!
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 27
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I just had a feeling and I took a test (at work, what?) and it was positive. I then took 7 more tests just to make sure!
7. Who did you tell first? Travis and a few of the girls I work with

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes
9. DUE DATE? June 2, 2007
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not bad. I just had to eat right away and I was fine!
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Guacamole
12.WHAT IRRITATED YOU? Trying to roll over in bed. And people always asking me, "How are you feeling?"
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Girl
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No. We didn't care either way but were so excited to find out!
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 30.
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes...I had 6 of them! Everyone was so generous. We didn't have to buy anything except a crib and dresser!

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew about all of them!
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? None whatsoever. I feel really lucky that I had easy pregnancies!
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Ogden Regional
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? about 5 hours.
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Travis, I was induced!
23. DID YOUR WATER BREAK NATURALLY? No. My doctor came in and did it.
24. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural.
25. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Yes...epidural from start to finish!

26. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 6 lbs 15 ounces and 20 inches long
27. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? May 31, 2007
28. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Skylar Sierra Hess
29. Biggest surprise during childbirth? With my epidural I couldn't tell if I was pushing or not. I could only feel it in my face! Also it was way easier than I expected it to be! I was also really surprised that she had some hair!
30. GREATEST MEMORY ABOUT CHILDBIRTH? All of it!
31. DID YOU BREASTFEED? Yes for about 6 weeks. Skylar wasn't very good at it and I didn't know what I was doing. I felt a little guilty but she took to a bottle so well. She still loves her bottle (I know, I know)!

That is the story of Skylar's birth...What would our lives be like without her?!

Anyway

2009-01-27T16:30:00.001-08:00

Nothing really exciting going on lately but here are some cute pictures of my girls lately. They are getting so big and lots of fun! So, anyways...

Totally worth it

2009-01-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

(This happened a while back but I was thinking about the "incident" today and it made me laugh.)

Place of (near) crime: Kid to Kid on Riverdale Road
Suspect of (near) crime: Me, mother of two babies (at the time), both of which could use a Bumbo Seat.
Object of (near) crime: Bumbo Seat
Accomplice of (near) crime: Polite woman who offered to give/sell me her Bumbo after she had ALMOST sold it to Kid to Kid employee.
(near) Crime: ALMOST buying said Bumbo Seat from accomplice instead of letting her sell it to Kid to Kid and buying it from them.
(near) Punishment: Being BANNED from Kid to Kid along with my accomplice aka nice woman who saw me eyeing down said Bumbo from the moment she walked into the store.
Resolution: Accomplice sold said Bumbo Seat to store for $7.50 and (near) suspect buying said Bumbo from store for $17.95.
Lesson learned: Watch for Bumbo Seats outside in parking lot and offer to buy them there before accomplices walk through doors of Kid to Kid!

So much fun, but...

2008-12-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

We are so glad that it is over! Christmas, that is. We had a party every night for a week (that includes Trav's surprise B-day party) and we are partied out! I am definitely ready for life to get back to normal. Skylar was pretty naughty most of the time for the whole week. She doesn't do well when she has to get to bed late and not get her naps. At least that is what I am blaming it on. (Does anyone know the number for SuperNanny? We might need her.) At first she really liked opening presents and tearing the paper. After 2-3 parties and lots of presents, she was over it. We pretty much had to beg her on Xmas morning to open her presents. Hopefully she will "get it" a little more next year.
Here are some fun pics of our Christmas.

Christmas eve with cute skirts from Aunt Amanda!

Opening presents at G&G Hess'

Sailyr's favorite part: PAPER

After she ate a roll of wrapping paper, Sailyr got a full jar of Chicken Noodle Dinner and loved it up to her eyebrows!

Happ-Doo!

2008-12-22T05:59:00.000-08:00

Happ-Doo Dear Dad! Happ-Doo, Happ-Doo! This is Skylar's version of "Happy Birthday". So today we are singing it to....Travis! He is turning the big 3-0 today! Pretty crazy that both of us are going into another decade in our lives!

You know when you are 19 or 20, you think, "by the time I'm thirty I will have (blank) and I will have done (blank) and I will definitely be done doing (blank). And then when you hit thirty you think, "I haven't done or accomplished any of that! Aaah! Where has my life gone?"

And then you start thinking about what you HAVE accomplished and what your life IS instead of what you thought you wanted it to be and you realize that you wouldn't want it any other way!

Happy Birthday (happ-doo) to my great huband! You are an amazing Dad to our girls and we love you so much!

Husband Tag!

2008-12-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

1. What is your husband's name?
Travis Wade Hess

2. How long have you been married?
5 1/2 years

3. How long did you date?
About 8 years with a couple breaks in between. I didn't even have a driver's license when we started dating! We were way too young!

4. How old is he?
He'll be the big 3-0 on Dec 22!

5. Who is taller?
He is.

6. Who can sing best?
Me!

7. Who pays the bills?
He pays the mortgage and I pay everything else!

8. Who does the laundry?
Definitely me.

9. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
He does. My side is closest to the door, easier to get up with babies at night.

10. Who mows the lawn?
Trav does when we have a lawn to mow. He really takes pride in having a nice yard! I am usually in charge of the flower beds though!

11. Who cooks dinner?
I do. We kind of eat out a lot on nights when we get home late. Take out is a great invention!

12. Who is the first to admit when they're wrong?
me.

13. Who kissed who first?
I honestly can't really remember. That is so bad! I am pretty sure that he kissed me! I think!

14. Who wears the pants?
It depends what the issue is but I think we are equal.

Love you, Trav!

I tag Stephanie, Tara and Julie!

Give Thanks!

2008-11-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was pretty normal for us this year. We first ate with the Owens' family at my Grandma Joyce's house. It was fun as usual...that part of my family is always good for a laugh! My assignment was a veggie dish and a pumpkin pie. Since I am not a huge fan, I was just going to buy a pie on our way to dinner, but thanks to sister in law Steph, we took a fresh homemade pie instead. It was really good! Thanks, Steph! After a good dinner and a few laughs, we headed up to Trav's parents house for yet another Thanksgiving meal. (Yes, I did eat a huge plate at both dinners, which were just a few hours apart. So what?) We did the usual: eat, clean up, tease each other, look at ads in the paper, draw names for xmas presents, etc. We then loaded up our two tired babes in their car seats and headed home. We are so blessed to have so much family that welcomes us for the holidays. It often makes for a very busy day but we are very grateful!
p.s. Sorry for the lack of pictures but I didn't take my camera, with my hands being full of pie, casserole dishes, rolls and babies...you understand.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2008-11-23T09:38:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Hess Elves!

2008-11-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Tag

2008-11-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

This is a fun tag where you can only use one-word answers!
1.Where is your cell phone? counter
2.Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair color? blonde
4. Your mother? away
5. Your father? nice
6. Your favorite thing? babies
7. Your dream last night? jonandkatepluseight
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? blogging
11. Your fear? snakes
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? donewithdiapers
13. Where were you last night? work
14. What you're not? rich
15. One of your wish-list items? car
16. Where you grew up? Ogden
17. The last thing you did? Sailyr
18. What are you wearing? jammies
19. Your TV? Today
20. Your pet? Fred
21. Your computer? on
22. Your mood? happy
23. Missing someone? mom
24. Your car? messy
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? rodworks
27. Your summer? babies
28. Love someone? yes!
29. Your favorite color? blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? now
31. Last time you cried? week

I tag whoever wants to be!

Big hair and stretch pants...

2008-11-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

You Belong in 1982

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

What Year Do You Belong In?

You are Ocean Blue

You're both warm and practical. You're very driven, but you're also very well rounded.

You tend to see both sides to every issue, and people consider you a natural diplomat.

What Color Blue Are You?

Halloween

2008-11-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here are my cute girls in their costumes! I know everyone has seen Sailyr as a PeaPod but here she is again!

Here is Skylar as a cute Kitty!

We had a fun and long night running around to visit family and do some trick-or-treating. We first went to Morgan and checked out the festivities up there. They really go all out. The businesses all give out treats so everyone just goes around the town to all of the stores and banks and restaurants, etc. and they even have one street blocked off with booths and costume contests. It is quite the celebration and Skylar loved trick-or-treating with her aunt Lexus. Then it was off to Grandma's and Grandpa's and aunts and uncles. We had a lot of fun!

Smarty Pants'!

2008-11-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I guess it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be for everybody to figure out which pea pod is Skylar and which is Sailyr. But you do have to admit there is a close resemblence! The one with the pumpkins is Skylar and below it is Sailyr, but I suppose I didn't have to tell YOU that! Way to go everybody!

Who's who?

2008-10-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year Sailyr is going to dress up as a peapod. It's the same darling costume that Skylar wore last year. I decided to recreate a picture we took of Skylar last year and the resemblence is crazy. I can't believe that just one year ago she looked exactly like what Sailyr looks like now! See if you can tell who is who. I will post tomorrow and reveal the answer!

Everyday life!

2008-10-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

So nothing too exciting going on in our lives right now. Just the usual stuff- work, babies, laundry, enjoying the fall weather, etc. Sailyr started eating cereal this week. She isn't really sure about it. It's almost like she isn't sure what to do with it once she gets a bite in her mouth! Her little face has this puzzled look, like "should I spit our swallow this?" When I give her a bite her eyes go crosseyed watching the spoon go in her mouth...so funny! She looks so big in her high chair. Now that she is sitting in a high chair too, our kitchen is jam packed with high chairs. Okay not jam packed but honestly two of them takes up a lot of space. Also my kitchen floor is always in need of a good mopping now days with Skylar "the mess" Hess eating,(let's be honest, she doesn't eat. Just gets a few things nice and soggy and them flings them to the floor). I feel like I just can't keep up at times. I have to remind myself that those kind of things don't really matter in the long run! So if you come to my house, just understand that I know that I need to mop...I will get to it! I just have to spot mop the messes that are the most urgent. Anyways enough of my cleaning problems...
So I just downloaded a bunch of his songs from iTunes. I can't wait to plug my ipod in and jam out!

Fall Tradition

2008-10-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today we took advantage of the great weather and did lots of stuff outside. My youngest brother, Lantzen, had a football game this morning. The girls and I went and cheered him on and had a blast even though they lost by 1 point. :( Oh well, they had a great season with this game being their first loss. Way to go, Lantzen!
Then later when Travis was home from his usual Saturday morning duck hunt, we took our girls out to Black Island Farms in Syracuse. This place was so much fun! They had lots of animals to see and feed, fun slides, a corn maze, a bouncy pumpkin, pig races and lots more. After hanging out in the activities area for a while, we took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and we got to pick our own pumpkin. It was really fun and if you have kids you should definetely take them out there before the season is over!

Ready...Nump!

2008-10-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

Recently, Travis taught Skylar how to jump. Now she does it all the time. All we have to say is, "ready, jump!!" and she gets down really low and springs up on her toes without even leaving the ground and says, "Nump!" It is so funny! Maybe this is one of those things that you have to see to think it is funny or maybe even if you see it you have to love her to think it is funny or maybe you just have to be a really proud mom or dad to think it is funny. But either way, we crack up every time. We just have her do it so we can laugh with her. I suppose it is just one of those things that make being a parent so awesome! It reminds me that it's the little things in life that make it so worth living sometimes! Being a mom makes me so happy, I just want to...NUMP!

Thriller!!!

2008-10-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, we celebrated my favorite October tradition...THRILLER!!! For years now we have been going to see this awesome show! I love it! For those who don't know, this isn't a throwback of the old Micheal Jackson album. Okay, maybe it is kindof. But it's a great show that is put on by Odyssey Dance Theater every year. They are a group of extremely talented professional dancers and performers! This year we saw it at Weber State which was nice because it was closer than Kingsbury Hall and we were able to get home a little earlier therefore picking up kids from the babysitter earlier, therefore getting them home and in bed earlier, therefore preventing a horrible-temper-tantrum-filled-because-the-girls-got-to-bed-too-late morning. Travis always likes to come to Thriller with me and I think it is so great of him. The first time we saw it I think, wait I know, he was just going because I wanted to go and he was expecting it to be totally lame and just another dance theater show. But he soon was really enjoying it and he goes with me every year! We went with Travis's brothers and wives and his parents and had a really good time!

Heart breaker!

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

Watch out boys! This little girl is going to be a catch one day! She already melts my heart everyday! These are a few of her 3 month pictures that Julie took a couple of weeks ago. I can't stand how cute she is! She is getting sooo big (why do they have to get big?) and she is so giggly and smiley! I love this girl!! Don't you want to just squeeze her?!

He's home!

2008-09-27T13:04:00.001-07:00

The past two weeks Travis has been out of town almost constantly. Last Tuesday he went to Idaho Falls for work. He came home on Friday and on Saturday afternoon he left for Denver to see the Broncos play on Sunday. He came home from Denver on Monday and left for Arizona (for work) on Tuesday morning and came home again on Friday afternoon. He has to travel occasionally for his job and though we miss him, we would never complain because he works for such a great company and we feel really lucky he has such a great job! However, it sure does make me appreciate him when he is here! I love to see Skylar's face when he pulls up in the driveway and gets out of the truck! I love to see her run to him squealing! It warms my heart to see him scoop her up and give her loves and I am so glad he is such a loving dad. What an awesome relationship to witness- a dad with his daughters! I love Travis so much and I often feel really lucky to spend my life with someone so great! Okay, sorry so sappy! Anyway...
Luckily my mom was here this whole week so I had some help with my girls and it was really fun to spend time with her. She doesn't live close by, but she still has a great relationship with my kids. I think that is because when she does see them, she spends a whole week or so with them and she is able to really get some quality time with them. That has been one good thing about her living out of state...I think it's the only good thing!

Called to Serve...

2008-09-18T12:36:00.002-07:00

This past week my little brother, Spud, (not his real name but might as well be) was called to serve in the Samoa, Apia mission! How exciting! I don't know much about it but we are learning. I do know that it is an island nation below the equator in between Hawaii and New Zealand. To find out more you can go about Samoa you can go here. We are so proud of him and we know that he will be a great missionary. He leaves on December 31 so he will be here for Christmas, then it's off to Samoa!

Mess Maker!

2008-09-18T12:36:00.001-07:00

Do you ever feel like your kids are making another mess as you clean up the previous one? Story of my life! Everytime I turned around this week, Skylar was making another mess. As I was cleaning the kitchen, she got into the pantry and opened the Rice Krispies. As I was sweeping that up she made her way into the bathroom and played with the T.P. As I was cleaning that up, she went into Sailyr's room and pulled all the hair bows off thier ribbon holder. As I was putting those back she pulled over the hamper and started taking out all the dirty clothes! In between all of these messes, she managed to take all of my shoes off the shoe rack and all of my underwear out of the drawer! She is sooooo busy!
On Wednesday when I picked my girls up from Julie (she tended for me after being asked last minute! Thanks Jules!) she said to me, "Skylar likes to make messes." Ya Think!

After already cleaning up the hair clippies, Skylar kept bringing them to me so I started putting them in her hair. So cute! Here she is trying to feed one of them to Sailyr!

True Fans!

2008-09-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

Anybody who knows us knows that we are true Denver Broncos fans! We love to watch football and Travis never (and I mean NEVER!) misses a game! Here is a picture of our little cheerleaders!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-09-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my bday isn't for another week but today was the start of my birthday celebrations! We had a BBQ for me and my Gma Joyce(we share a bday) with Dave and Sue, Mike and Shelly, and Shad (Amanda had to work). Hamburgers and corn-on-the-cob and fun conversation was the menu. We had a good time! I got some really cute gifts and it was fun to visit with family that I don't see very often! Thanks everybody!

Let them out!

2008-09-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

I was going through the pictures on my digital camera today and realized that some of them have never been downloaded to the computer let alone printed off and put in a photo album! Poor pictures these days. They are taken, they have done their job of capturing a moment in time, a piece of history, only to be kept prisoner in a little blue memory card the size of a postage stamp. I know that I am not the only one to hold history hostage in my camera. I am sure that everyone does it. It is the beauty of having a digital camera. No more rolls of film. No more winding the camera to the next picture. No more wondering what pictures are on the random rolls you found in the junk drawer, only to develop them and find they are from 1992. No, these days if someone wants to see my pictures, I usually hand them my camera and hope that the batteries don't go dead while they sort through them on the screen. So today I decided to let these photos out to somewhat fulfill their destiny by sharing them on this blog post. These are just some of my faves from the last few years.

Fall is here!

2008-09-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

I can honestly say that fall is probably my favorite season of the year. I love the warm days and the cool nights and mornings. I love that you can start putting away the shorts and tanks from the summer and pulling out the warmer clothes for the fall. I have had two exciting, fun and busy but not very "summery" summers in a row. It is hard to do lots of summer activities with a newborn. I look forward to next summer when we can boat, swim, play on some grass, etc.
I specifically like the month of September. I think that after a long hot summer, it is nice to have a change. I love the changing leaves although they never seem to last very long. September is also my birthday month so it gives me something to look forward to. When I was in school I always liked going back after summer vacation. I think that I craved the routine that the school year brought. I am excited for the upcoming holidays in the next few months. I can't wait to dress up my girls for Halloween and to get together with all of our families for Thanksgiving. Then Christmas is here! The year goes by so fast. I am not really sad to see summer go but we are really excited for the rest of the year!

Mommy Tag!

2008-08-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

1. Typically what time do you wake up? Usually between 6 and 7.
2. On a good night what time are your kids in bed? Usually between 9 and 9:30 p.m.
3. How long have you been a mommy? About 15 months, and yes I do have two kids now. We get it done around here!
4. How old were you when you became a mommy? 27 years old
5. What is your favorite kids tv show/movie? Sesame Street, hands down. Skylar will watch a whole hour of it. I know it is kind of bad to let her watch that much TV but I have my hands full!
6. What is your least favorite kids tv show? Wiggles
7. What is your favorite chore? I don't have a favorite but the one I hate the least is vaccuuming.
8. What is your favorite meal to cook? I love to make Shepherd's Pie.
9. What is the meal you cook most often? I rotate thru about 5 meals and I think I make them all equally. Travis teases me that I make the same meals every week! I need some new recipes so feel free to email...
10. What is your kids favorite meal? Skylar doesn't really eat anything but Macaroni and Cheese. Sailyr just loves breast milk and Similac since she doesn't really know anything else!
11. What is your favorite thing your husband does with your kids? Everything! I love watching him be a dad! It makes me love him even more than I already did before we were parents!
12. What are 5 things that make you smile when you're being a mom?
1. When Sailyr smiles and giggles at me.
2. Skylar learning new things.
3. Both girls in the tub together.
4. When Skylar lifts up my shirt to see my belly button. She just discovered "buttons".
5. Skylar giving Sailyr kisses! My heart feels like it is going to burst with how much I love both of them!
13. If you could take your kids anywhere where would it be? I think that I would take them on the Disney Cruise! I have always wanted to go on that. Right now we would settle on just making thru a shopping trip or out to dinner.
14. When was the last time you went out without your kids? Last week Travis and I went golfing together, just the two of us. It was so much fun. That was only the second time we have been on a "date" without a baby since Skylar was born!
15. What is your favorite past time/activity to do with your kids? Playing outside on the driveway...kind of sad I know, but we don't have a yard yet so that is as good as it gets!
16. Name 1 thing you said you'd never do as a mom: Have a toddler that was really bratty. I hope we aren't heading down that road but it is a possibility!
17. What is your favorite quality that your mom has? She never tells me how to be a mom and she doesn't ever give unsolicited advice. She has let me figure it out on my own unless I have asked for her help, which was early and has been very often!
18. What is your advice for new moms? Enjoy every moment, because they're not little forever. The last year has flown by and they change so much in just a short period of time! There is such a big difference in what Skylar can do now compared to Sailyr's age. It makes me so sad and excited at the same time!
19. What is the scariest or most heartbreaking moment as a mom? I haven't had very many scary ones yet but it always breaks my heart when Skylar cries when her dad leaves in the morning for work. Sometimes he is going out of town for days and it makes me feel so bad that she is sad and doesn't realize that she really won't see him for a while!
20. What is your most joyful moment of being a mom? I love it all and I can't pick just one moment. It is the hardest, most rewarding work in the world!
21. When was the last time you were told 'I Love You' by one of your kids? They can't say it with words yet but I can't wait until they can!
I now tag: Anyone who is a mom and wants to do this tag.....

2 Months Old!!

2008-08-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sailyr is two months old today! I can't believe ho fast time flies! She is growing really fast and it does make me a little sad. She is such a great baby and we love her so much! She was such a big "SURPRISE" if you know what I mean, but now we know our family wouldn't have been complete without her. She is a huge blessing in our lives! Sailyr has started to smile a really big open mouthed grin that warms my heart. I love learning her personality and seeing her change. I took her in for her 2 month checkup today and she already weighs 12 lb 5 oz which puts her in the 97% for her age. What?!!! She is also 23 inches long and in the 75% for height! Her doctor says that I must produce straight cream! She is a great eater and therefore she is starting to sleep longer at night. Skylar sometimes wakes up during the night before Sailyr does! Here are some pictures that show how much she has grown.

Coming home from the hospital

This is Sailyr today

ABC's

2008-08-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

I got this from a friends blog and it's so fun. Everyone needs to try it.

A- Attached or Single? Attached...married for 5 years but together for 8 before that!
B- Best Friend? Trav
C- Cake or Pie? Cake
D- Day of Choice? Saturday...a fun day to do stuff as a family
E- Essential Item? Q-tips
F- Favorite Color? Blue
G- Gummy Bears or Worms? Bears for sure! Everyone knows how I feel about worms:(
H- Home Town? All over Ogden area!
I- Favorite Indulgence? Swedish Fish
J- January or July? July!!!
K- Kids? 2 baby girls
L- Life isn't complete without? Family and friends
M-Marriage Date? April 11, 2003
N- Number of Brothers and Sisters? 6 half bros, 1 half sis, 3 step bros and one step sis!
O- Oranges or Apples? Apples, oranges are too much work to peel.
P- Phobias? Snakes, hands down my greatest phobia! Kerri knows what I'm talking about!
Q- Quote? You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose!
R- Reasons to smile? Skylar saying "Hi!" Those who know her can tell you why it makes you smile every time!
S- Season of Choice? Fall. Still warm but you can start to wear more clothes!
T- Tag 3 People? Tara, Steph, Kerri
U- Unknown fact about me? I never liked tomatoes until we grew them in our garden!
V- Vegetable? Peas
W- Worst Habit? Talking too much and I might interrupt sometimes:)
X- X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y- Your Favorite Food? Pizza and coke
Z- Zodiac Sign? Virgo

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...

2008-08-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Travis has a new hobby! Yes, I know it is hard to believe that he could fit one more hobby into his already busy hobby and activity schedule, but he picked up SKYDIVING! He has always wanted to do it and he has a friend, Chad Call, who has been inviting him to jump with him all summer. Travis finally took the bait and jumped for his first time on Saturday. He liked it so much that he decided to go back and jump again on Sunday. Now he is signed up to take the training class to jump on his own! He is such a thrill seeker. Skylar and I went on Saturday to watch him and it was really exciting and even though I was nervous about it at first, I felt really safe once I saw how it was done. It was fun to see his face as he landed and he didn't lose the adrenaline rush until we went to bed that night! He was all smiles!

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho...

2008-07-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day back to work after being on six weeks of maternity leave! That's right, my boring, lazy, uneventful and non-productive vacation (yeah right!) is over. To all of you moms out there you know that being home with your kids is a lot more work than going to work! I really enjoyed my time at home this summer but I was ready to get back into my old routine and I couldn't wait to see all of my friends and clients that I have missed! I was a little nervous to get back in the swing of things at the shop but today felt really normal so I guess it won't be that hard. I love being able to be home and also to be able to work! I have the perfect schedule.
Some reasons I love being home are:
-Letting my kids have a nap schedule
-Watching some lame daytime TV shows that I have come to love!
-Sleeping in (as much as a 13 month old and a newborn let me!)
-Playing with Skylar
-Having a chance to get some housework and laundry done...really hard to do when you work full time!

Some reasons I love going to work are:
-Having adult conversation
-Making my own money
-Keeping up on industry styles and techniques
-Looking forward to seeing my girls after work! It sometimes helps me be a better mom when I miss them a little!
-Keeps me busy and makes my days go by really fast!

So, I guess I hope to be seeing some of you soon...My chair is now open for business again!

Tagged!

2008-07-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have been tagged plenty of times but I have never participated...until now! So here goes!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was just getting ready to try out for the Jazz Dancers. I was coaching Warriorettes and working at the Timbermine (yes, I still work there), taking the summer off from college and just being 18.

2. What is on your to do list today?
I don't really have much I have to do today, but you know I could always do some laundry and clean some things but usually on Sundays we just relax!

3. If you suddenly became a billionaire, what would you do with the money?
I think that I would obviously pay off all of our bills (house, car, etc.). Then I would make sure my kids would be well taken care of for college, wedding and some $ to start out their life with. Then I would take lots of really fun vacations with my family and a few with just my husband! After that, maybe donate to some charities and invest the rest!

4. Where have you worked?
I have worked at Ogden Pizzeria, Timbermine, coached Drill Team, gas station, Mr. Rags (just for a minute!), Nicholls & Co. and I think that is all!

5. Where have you lived?
Ogden, the Valley (Liberty, Eden), Ogden again, Riverdale, North Ogden, Ogden again and Plain City.

6. What are three things people don't know about you?
1. Even though my hair has mostly been short, I would love to have awesome long hair!
2. I really like that show on Bravo called "Tori and Dean Home Sweet Hollywood"!
3. I hate to clean my cat's litter box!

I tag Steph and Kerri and whoever else wants to be tagged!

Memories!

2008-07-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

1- As a comment on this post, write a memory that you have of me or our family! It doesn't matter if you now us well or very little!

2- Post the same instructions on your blog and see what people remember about you!

I can't wait to hear what you remember...or maybe I can! I hope everyone has good memories about us!