••|organized chaos|••

| new job |

2012-01-25T14:23:00.000-08:00

Bryan just got a new job!!! (FINALLY!!!!!!!) We have been hoping and wishing for an opportunity like this to come for our family. We are so excited to start this new chapter of our lives. Bryan will be working at a company called HOJ Engineering. He will be a CAD drafter and project manager. This is a huge blessing and opportunity for Bryan. It is a job that finally utilizes all his abilities, degree, and talents, and gives him a chance for growth too. I am very proud of Bryan, he has worked hard to get where he is today and it is excellent to see him so excited for this job. Congrats, Bry!!!!!!

| kayla & mitchell fall 2011 |

2011-12-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

Here are a few impromptu pics we took one night while we hiked in the canyon to see fall leaves. Fall is my most favorite time of year. I love the colors, the coolness, the leaves, everything. The kids had a blast, and I love the fun pics we got of them.

| happy halloween |

2011-12-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

I have more updates to do than I have time. And NEVER enough time to actually pull the pics off my camera and edit them. So for now all I have are photos people have sent me. And blogging gives my brain a break from work. So enjoy a little random update here and there! These are from our ward party. Kayla was Ariel complete with her one main request... a WIG! She thought she was on top of the world with this on. I have never laughed so much watching her walk around flaunting her hair. Mitchell was Sebastian...Ariel wouldn't be complete without her crab! Bryan and I... don't ask...costume FAIL! He was Charlie Brown and I was Lucy. At least we tried right??

| I love this little man |

2011-12-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

Mitchell is quite the handful at times. He is busy, and very independent. BUT man is he funny!!! I find myself laughing a million times a day at the things he does. At a b-day party the other night, Grandma Becky was trying to take pictures and Mitchell was sure all the shots were meant to be of him. He stood at her feet saying CHEESE the whole time. Here are some of the shots. He was right... the camera IS meant for him :)

| moustache's are all the rage right now |

2011-11-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

Kayla decided she needed to hop on the moustache bandwagon. She went over to play at her friends house today, and I soon received this picture in my email. Awesome. This is what being a kid is all about!

| It's a .... |

2011-11-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

We went in for my 20 week ultrasound yesterday and found out we will be having another BOY!!! I am due April 11, 2012. We were a little nervous about Kayla's reaction when she found out the news. The first time we talked about the fact that it could be a boy she cried. We have been prepping her for weeks now and trying to explain that we can't pick. She handled it great. She jumped up and down and cheered and has been excitedly telling everyone it is a boy since then. I am super excited to have another boy, Mitchell can have his very own partner in crime now! ;)

| riding like a pro |

2011-11-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

Kayla has been determined to ride her bike without training wheels since summer began. She wants to be big like all her friends. She has been practicing it with no pedals on her bike for a while (helps teach her balance). We figured she wouldn't be ready to go for it until spring, but she surprised us and went for it the other night! I am so proud of her. She seems like such a big girl riding her bike without training wheels. I even shed a tear watching her for the first time. Such a cute girl she is, she couldn't be happier with her accomplishment, and neither could we!

| cousins |

2011-10-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

We took the kiddos on the Ahlberg side of the family to Foto Fly the other day to get some pics done. First off, might I say... hilarious. Good luck trying to get 9 children, 4 of which are infants, to be happy and sit still for photos. But man did we turn out with some good pictures! And they are such cute kids. I am so glad we did it. I just wished I had brought my video camera to capture some of the insanity!

| playa del ahlberg |

2011-07-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

In May we were able to take a family trip with Bryan's family. We all packed up and headed to Oceanside, California and stayed in a beachside mansion... there are 20+ of us, so what do you expect!? Seriously, such a fun trip!!! I have been digging through pictures tonight and oh how the fun memories have flooded back. We did so much fun stuff on this trip. We visited the aquarium, went to disneyland, and spent PLENTY of time on the beach. I wish we could be back there right now...

(I think she liked her Mickey Mouse ears)

We did glitter toes one night...

and got a mini-date the next! The parents watched our kiddos while we all went to dinner. It was so nice!

| walk, walk, waddle, walk |

2011-06-27T14:25:00.001-07:00

Mitchell has finally decided to walk! Hooray!! He took his first steps over 3 weeks ago (for Grandma Lyon!!!) and we finally have a walker. He would walk if bribed properly, but the past few days he has actually CHOSEN to walk without anyone prompting him to. Man, I love when they first walk, its ADORABLE. Keep going little dude!

| Mitchell turned 1|

2011-05-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

One whole year. That is how long I have had you in my life. And it has been wonderful little man. You are a delight. You love your sister, you are always talking to her, pulling her hair (which for some reason she tolerates), you copy everything she does. You think you are the world's funniest kid, constantly laughing at your own tricks and funny faces. You love to snuggle, which is WONDERFUL. Your pacifier has become a bit too much of your best friend lately. Once I weaned you from nursing, we find that binki in your mouth almost constantly... must be time to hide them. You love to dance, and you are getting quite the moves on you. I am still shocked you aren't walking, but I am learning you RULE your world. No one can convince you otherwise, so I will just wait until you are ready. You love to say "bubble, mamma, dadda, more (which sounds like "mooooooooaw"). But most the time you just jabber, and it is a constant jabber, especially if someone else is talking, you have to make sure you are in on the conversation as well. You have mastered using utensils. It's kind of funny to be honest. I cannot feed you, but you aren't just happy with food in front of you either, you must have a fork. But you use it quite well little man, especially with mac n' cheese. You love to color. You have already colored on my walls. But you sure do love to sit next to your sister and color for hours. I could go on forever about who you are. We love you Mitchell. Happy Birthday!!

XOXO

| Mitchell's Birthday Party! |

2011-05-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

Mitchell turned one on May 1st. I am so stinking in love with this little man. He is quite the ham to say the least. I love his personality.

We had a little celebration for him on his birthday. We ate his favorite meal for dinner, spaghetti. Which he slept through... And then had the grandparent's over for cake and ice cream. I am not sure who enjoyed opening the gifts more, Kayla or Mitchell.

He thoroughly enjoyed when we sang Happy Birthday to him. It was sweet. I love his smile.

no time...

2011-04-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

I have not time to blog. End of story. My life is wonderful, my kids are too. So much fun has happened. Maybe someday I will have time to document it...hopefully.
Here is just some stuff I found on my phone tonight. These kids are quite the pair.

This picture gives you an inkling to my insanity. I was trying to meet a super tight deadline one day. Kayla was over at her friends house playing (luckily!) and Mitchell had slept almost the entire time. But once he was up I had to try and keep him fully entertained while I worked my fingers as quickly as possible trying to hit the deadline. Needless to say...I fed him oreos for a good 30 min. He chowed on them...he loved them...and this picture is evidence of the joy in him! Mmmm...oreos! Doesn't it make you want one??? (If only you could see his fingers, and hair!)

| just because |

2011-03-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

No need for many words. Just a little photo fun we had the other day.

Mitchell wasn't the most cooperative...just wants to be on the move!

And his tongue is out in EVERY shot I took. Silly boy.

| dance your heart out |

2011-01-31T20:06:00.000-08:00

Mitchell LOVES to dance. Seriously, that is almost an understatement. This kid will dance at just about any noise. My favorite is in church, the moment the organ starts playing he starts bobbing his head.

Kayla often serenades our family with her very own piano solo. Mitchell always enjoys!

| yummy |

2011-01-30T20:18:00.000-08:00

I was looking through my videos on my ipod and found one I had forgotten about. Mitchell was so funny when he first started eating food. It didn't matter what he ate, he would cringe as he swallowed.

| who you are today, my little Kayla |

2011-01-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

Kayla,

I can't believe you are three already. Every year your birthday rolls around I stop and reflect on the day you were born. The miracles that we witnessed, and the miracle you are to us in our life. You came 5 weeks early, you were so small, and yet SO strong. You made mommy one sick lady, who was all puffy from the side effects of preeclampsia. I was so over joyed to have you here though. My life had never felt so complete. Now as I watch you I realize how much you are meant for our family. You are definitely daddy's little girl. You two could not be more alike. The things you eat, the way you joke, too funny.

We have had quite the journey with you. I always worried about your speech. From the time you were 1. You never had a whole lot to say. We were able to get you help this last year, and I am AMAZED with how much you have to say now. It took just a few shorts months of therapy and you have become quite the talker. Letting everyone know what your mommy and daddy say. I can't tell you how many times I have picked you up and been told that you said, "My mommy says..." Good thing its all good stuff (thus far)! And not only that, you have become quite sassy too. Hopefully, that will be temporary!

You are quite possibly the sweetest big sister ever. The way you love Mitchell is so cute. You are always watching out for him. Keeping him happy. You call him "buddy." Anytime Mitchell cries you say, "It's ok buddy, I am right here, don't cry", and usually he stops. He sure looks up to you. You have taught him how to sign "more". And he always giggles and laughs when you sign it to him.

Your favorite song right now is "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam". You sing just about every word. And I find it to be so darn cute. When you read your scriptures that is what you say the whole time. "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, ok?" You like to say ok after your statements a lot. So funny. "Mom, I am going to do this by myself, ok?? ok?"

You are one independent girl. With quite the will. Just the other day you tried to use my water bottle and couldn't figure it out. I told you it was for big people like mommy and was a little too hard for you. You said ok. But the next day I found you trying to figure it out again. And you of course did. And turned to me with a look of joy and said, "Look mom, I am a BIG girl now!"

Kayla I couldn't love you more. But don't worry, you drive me absolutely crazy at times. You can be so strong willed, and so messy! But that is what makes you, you. I love you to pieces my cute 3 year old! I can't wait to see what this next year will bring.

Love,
Mommy

| happy 3rd birthday kayla |

2011-01-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

Kayla turned 3 this last weekend! (Jan 21). And boy did she party it up! She requested Strawberry Shortcake. She LOVES strawberry shortcake. And I was happy to go along with it. I mean who doesn't love eating strawberry shortcake???

I have an awesome neighbor who made a cake topper for Kayla. She does it for a living. You can check out her other AMAZING creations here. I knew Kayla would think it was the coolest thing ever, and I was right. She just kept saying thank you over and over again. And the cake I made was strawberry shortcake. And oh so yummy. Turned out better than I thought it would. Love when that happens!

Friday night we had Bryan's family (and my parents) over to have cake and ice cream. Here are a few pictures from that party.

We got Kayla a box of dress up clothes. She LOVES to dress up. She has come home from playing at friends houses sad because they didn't want to play dress up. She instantly had a new dress on which remained on until bed time.

On Saturday I threw a friend party for her. We were glad all our friends could join and celebrate with us. Kayla sure is one lucky girl!

Happy Birthday Kayla!

| crawling |

2011-01-27T13:56:00.000-08:00

It's official! Mitchell started crawling last night. It's more of an army crawl right now, but it is finally FORWARD motion, not the rolling a million times to get from point A to point B. Our world is about to change over here!!! I think he quite enjoys himself too. He has a permagrin on while he crawls around.

| piano |

2011-01-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting a piano for a REALLY long time. I love the music that comes from a piano. I am always in awe at the beautiful songs even young kids can play. We finally decided to purchase one. I have been on the hunt for quite some time. I have never played, I don't need a fancy one (yet. Once I am so amazing, I will need a baby grand or something right??) I just needed something that worked.

Well we found it. And refinished it. Which was an absolute must. And I am SO glad we did. Bryan was a trooper and helped me work on this large task. It turned out fabulous. Now onto lessons. I can't wait!!!

(sorry for the crappy pic. I almost forgot to take it right before the staining began)

| Santa |

2011-01-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

Kayla had a big party again at her school for Christmas. They had all sorts of reading activities and crafts for the kids. They also had Santa come. Kayla talked the WHOLE night about how she wanted to see santa. She acted as though she couldn't wait. We waited in line, got up to go see him and she panicked (of course). She wasn't very sure about him anymore. I told her I would sit with her. This picture shows her reaction quite well. No tears, but definitely panicked. She quickly told him, "I want a bike" and then wanted to get out of there!

| zoo trip |

2011-01-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

These posts are going to be all sorts of out of order. My computer is busy working on other stuff...so I am blogging :)

We just went to the zoo the other week while the weather was a bit better and we LOVED it. Couldn't have asked for a better "winter trip". It's always quiet and calm in the winter, but the animals are so much more active. (the only problem is they always have a BUNCH of stuff closed down, and animals gone)

I don't think I have ever seen the tigers this close before. It was so cool. I don't know if the girls even appreciated it as much as Shelli and I did. We couldn't find our camera's fast enough!

And I just love this little man. He enjoyed the zoo too! All bundled up and happy.

| 8 months |

2011-01-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Mitchell is 8 months old already. I just love this little dude. He is getting to be quite the ham. He smiles anytime I put the camera up. Glad he has that one figured out already! He definitely has become quite the gabber too, dada was his first words, but he has moved on to mama, which I am ok with :) He is such a silly guy, always laughing when someone burps (which I have to admit is kind of funny). And he can always make someone smile with his little giggle he has. I just love him. I took some pictures of him a few weeks ago and I can't even stand how cute he is...and I will be honest...I don't think you will find it hard to agree! I had to capture his "chub, it's all everybody talks about. So here he is, in all his glory.

(absolute favorite photo of him...ever!)

Kids and Christmas

2010-12-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

This is a great little movie to kick off the Christmas season. I love the views children have...wish I could be more simple like them every day of my life.

| 7 Years |

2010-11-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

Bryan and I have been married for 7 years. Our anniversary was yesterday. I can't believe it has already been 7 years, and that we have 2 kids now. I am so in love with him, and can't imagine my life being any better than what it is now. We were able to take a little family trip this last weekend and celebrate our anniversary a bit. I loved the time I had to just sit back and laugh and chat with Bryan in the evenings when the kids went to bed. Life is good, I definitely have no complaints. I love this man. Happy Anniversary!

| Mitchell 6 months |

2010-11-24T22:27:00.000-08:00

Man time sure has flown by. I am amazed at how quickly my little man has grown. He is such a fun little guy to have around. CONSTANTLY smiling. Mornings are so much fun at our house, he wakes up squealing in delight waiting for someone to get him. And I think he is most excited when Kayla is the first to run in there. He can hardly hold back the joy!

And yes, I know he may quite possibly have the chubbiest cheeks on the planet. I don't think there is a single shopping trip where someone hasn't stopped dead in their tracks and made some sort of comment about his cheeks. I love it. So funny. Even the dr made some wise cracks! But those chubby little cheeks are deceiving. Everyone is sure he must be a big baby. But he isn't. Here are the stats for his 6 mo. appointment:

Height: 25.5"—15%

Weight: 16.15#—35%

Head: 16.9"—25%

He is definitely short. I will give him that one.

He has LOVED the new freedom of being able to sit up on his own. He has been doing it for almost a month and a half now. He loves when I stick a basket of toys in front of him to dig through, I can't just pile them, they MUST be in a basket. So funny. He will dig through it for quite some time too. He definitely is quite the fan of baby food. Although he does pull quite the funny faces when swallowing some foods. He is quite the momma's boy. I have tried to avoid this a bit, but only because it makes it hard to go places when he just cries for momma. Luckily as long as he is entertained, he tends to "forget" for just a bit. I will say I do kind of like the sweet quivering lip that emerges when I come into his sight again. Kind of makes all my hard work feel like it is being noticed :) And Kayla and Mitchell are definitely the best of friends. What a wonderful treat!

| Halloween 2010 |

2010-11-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Halloween this year! I have a million photos too. So here I go...

Kayla all dressed up in her Cinderella costume. She LOVED it. I am so glad it turned out. I enjoyed getting to make it for her. And now she can dress up as Cinderella anytime she wants!

And no Cinderella is complete without her prince! Bryan was such a good sport, Kayla had been telling him for weeks she was going to be Cinderella and he was her prince. He had no problem dressing up for this girl!!

Here is a the kiddos and I. Yes, I went with the lame, traditional, "witch" costume...at least I dressed up right?!? And Mitchell was a dragon.

Kayla had a carnival at school the day before. It was SO much fun. I can't even believe how much stuff was there to do for these kids. She was one lucky girl!!

This is Jacque, Kayla's speech therapist. And let me just tell you, Kayla LOVES her. She was so excited to see Jacque dressed up as Snow White.

Later that night we carved Pumpkins. Oh I love this part of Halloween! Kayla refused to touch the guts. WHY?!?! I wanted her to so bad, but she refused. Oh well. She was quite proud and happy with the finished product, so that's good enough for me!

Mitchell was quite the helper too, can't you tell? He sat and ate whatever he could find, a toothbrush, fingers, fist...whatever :)

On Halloween we did all our rounds of visits. These are are few shots of Kayla and Mitchell at the Ahlberg's. I just love them, in all their goofy glory!

| family pictures |

2010-10-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

We just got our family pictures taken this week and the photographer posted a few of the pictures from the shoot. I absolutely love how they turned out. I couldn't be happier. Leah was such an awesome photographer (I HIGHLY recommend her), and she seriously did such a good job at keeping Kayla some what put!

Go visit her blog here, to see more of the shots from our shoot. I will post more when I get all the shots back from her.

Images from leahmillerphotography.com

| P- to the O- to the t-t-y! |

2010-10-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Just in case that made no sense at all, KAYLA IS POTTY TRAINED!! Yipee. I can't even hardly keep my excitement in over this wonderful feat we have accomplished. This is not my first attempt ever, the first was a not so good experience. She was barely over 2, and let's just say, definitely NOT ready. This was probably our third attempt. I don't really feel it should be an issue that should be pushed, so I never pushed it. (oh trust me, I wanted too, I wanted her out of diapers SO bad). This time around Kayla saw a potty at the store and told me she was a big girl and wanted to use it. So we went for it. It took a little time, and patience, but man oh man when she figured it out, it was smooth sailing! She is a champ. And so proud of herself. And one of these days I will have to get the potty dance on video, quite funny. I just love my little Kayla.

I had to snap this pic of her the other day in her undies. Super funny. More funny because she LOVES hanging out in this bouncy toy. I usually have to fight her out of it so Mitchell can have his turn. (she had a skirt on this day, hence the exposure of those little cheekies)

And since I am TOTALLY terrible at blogging, and have a million and one things to catch up on blog wise. Here is a cute pic of Mitchell taken on Bryan's birthday. We threw quite the mean 30th birthday party!

| busy, busy, busy |

2010-08-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Life as a mom of two is definitely much more busy...but is INSANELY busy when you add work into the equation. I am lucky to have the business I do. To be able to be at home with my kids, and still help provide for our family financially. This summer has been CRAZY busy with work, but I have sure had fun getting to work on some of the projects I have. Here is a little of what I have been up to....

| princesses |

2010-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Kayla has a new little friend who she just can't get enough of! She is constantly asking when Nikki can come over and play. It is so fun to see my little girl growing up. She LOVES playing princesses. This was a pic of them having a princess 'birthday party'. Crowns were a MUST!

| newborn shoot |

2010-07-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

I just realized I never posted the pictures from Mitchell's newborn shoot. I had so much fun taking them of him. He was six days old and dealt with everything we put him through like a champ! I love being able to take pictures of my new little babies. Mitchell has been one sweet boy. I seriously don't think I could have even imagined the happiness he would bring into our home. Kayla loves him so much, and it makes me feel proud to be the parent of two cute little kids!

| i love this little girl |

2010-07-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

* * *

'nuff said.

| 4th of July fun |

2010-07-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

I am so behind in blogging. Oh well, get over it :)

We had a great 3rd of July. We definitely filled the weekend with fun, there were birthday parties, carnivals, hot dog roasts, bubbles, blessings, and plenty of family time.

Here are some photos from some of the festivities, I still need to get the other photos off my small digital camera!

These photos are hilarious below...the progression pretty much tells the story

| a name & a blessing |

2010-07-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

We blessed Mitchell on July 4th. It was such a wonderful day! It was a crazy week/weekend for us with it being the 4th of July weekend, but everything went great.

I love blessing day's, I enjoy getting to hear Bryan bless our children. He gave a wonderful blessing on Mitchell. I am glad he holds the priesthood and is able to bless our family in the many ways he does.

We all wrapped up the day with a nice LONG nap, I think each one of us enjoyed the snuggle time.

(had to throw this one in, she loves the swing...and her sunglasses!)

| life |

2010-07-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

Well, rather than create some kind of order, and story I figured I would just upload some recent pics. I have SO many to upload. These are just some pictures people have sent me over the past few days (luckily they are good and download them MUCH sooner than I ever do). Someday I will have time to upload some of my photos. There is so much too catch on...so little time! So enjoy these for now! Thanks Becky and Amy!

And yes, Mitchell is quite the chub. We love those little bull dog cheeks :)

| 1 month old |

2010-06-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

I love this little boy!

And ps. people always ask me if he looks like Kayla did so I pulled a photo of her:

(I sure think they look a lot alike!)

| Lucky me|

2010-05-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Mother's day was WONDERFUL for me this year. I couldn't have imagined a better day. Bryan had already spent an entire week at home catering to our every need. And Sunday was no exception. He fixed breakfast, cleaned up breakfast (that is always the best part!), put Kayla down for her nap, and then took her to church. I got a nice long afternoon nap with just me and the baby. Plus, how could it not be wonderful when these are the kids I have to share it with...

Can I just say, I AM IN LOVE!

| Mitchell Bryan Ahlberg |

2010-05-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Our new little guy is here!

Mitchell Bryan Ahlberg

May 1, 2010 at 10:35 am.

7 lbs. 6 oz. and 20.5" long

We absolutely love him! There will be plenty of picture to come soon! But here are a few to hold you over!

| chapstick |

2010-04-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

Kayla has this "thing" with chapstick. This love obsession. Seriously. I pack her chapstick everywhere with me just in case she may need it. The other day she must have found one of her older messier ones (which I thought I had gotten rid of). She entered the kitchen with the most proud look on her face...covered in chapstick! I died laughing. Then I asked if I could take a pic, which she gladly obliged to. And as if the moment could have been better, this is the face she pulled...

| 39 weeks |

2010-04-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well this is quite the milestone for me. I definitely did not make it this far with Kayla. I am 38, almost 39 weeks at this point. Everything has gone really, really well with this pregnancy. And this little guy has definitely made me stretch my belly farther than it has ever been!

ps. I loved that Kayla wanted to be in this picture SO bad. And yes, she is trying to pull her shirt up so she can show her belly too. I just love her.

| Wee Sing |

2010-04-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Ever since Addelyn did Wee Sing we have just been waiting for Kayla to turn 2 so she could go. It is such a FUN class. Kayla is SUPER shy with new stuff so we have been trying to really get her involved in a lot of groups to help. It took her 3 weeks until she would actually interact with the class. She would try to dance to a song or two, but would always end up running back and hiding. Well, now I am happy to report she LOVES EVERY MINUTE OF IT!! She can't wait to go to Wee Sing, and neither can I.

I took some video today of her. I know there is a lot. I couldn't resist though, its so fun for me to watch her dance and sing the songs. Hope you enjoy! I stitched them all together into one video, hope it works ok! (she is the tiny one in the purple sweater)

| Easter 2010 |

2010-04-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I can honestly say we THOROUGHLY enjoyed our Easter this year. It was so nice and relaxing (well at times)! We were able to go to the aquarium, and take Kayla to lunch, and enjoyed some movie watching as well. And then to top it all off we had Sunday with Bryan HOME all day with us. I couldn't have asked for more.

We dyed eggs one of the days Bryan was home. Kayla loved it, except we just couldn't move fast enough for her. Eggs were in and out so many times. She just liked fishing them out with the little metal thing. But she did dye some pretty cool colors so its all good!

(this one was obviously her favorite at the moment!)

And yes, 2 eggs are missing. Bryan and Kayla ate them in the middle of dying. She loves eggs. Loves. So they stopped for a brief intermission and snacked on a few.

We had a fun party at my moms on Saturday, but I of course didn't take a single pic. I will have to steal some of hers.

We had our Easter bunny hunt Sunday, Kayla was pretty funny this year. She just wanted them opened so she could eat what was inside. It took over 30 minutes for her to find all her eggs. And that's mostly because the contents of each egg was trying to be consumed before she would go find the next. It was pretty funny.

She got a baby stroller for Easter as well. She has pushed it around non-stop since then. Bear is getting more rides than I ever think he imagined!

We then had a wonderful Easter dinner and ANOTHER egg hunt at the Ahlberg's. Here are some of the pics Becky sent me.

She got a box of books and I am pretty sure she made almost everyone in the house read them to her!

And don't worry, this egg hunt went like all the rest. No interest in picking up eggs, just really wanted to eat what was inside. She would point to them and tell me "you do it" while munching on her piece of chocolate.

| Easter Fun |

2010-03-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, I haven't posted in a while. Shame on me. Oh well :)

A while back Kayla and a few of her cousins went to the mall and the Easter bunny was there. Addelyn really, really wanted to see him. So we ventured over. Kayla STRONGLY opposed the idea. STRONGLY. The tears started to flow instantly. And mind you, she wasn't anywhere near him, she was just seeing him from a distance. She was very concerned for Addelyn's safety. She kept saying, "no, no, no!" with constant tears flowing down her face. I am not going to lie, it was pretty funny. Luckily we snapped a few pics.

Here is a pic of the girlies with their bunny ears. Which Kayla loves, and still wears around the house.

I also decided to make an easter dress for Kayla. Long before I realized Easter Sunday was also general conference. So, now she doesn't need an easter dress. But I still really wanted to make it. I am happy with how it turned out. It was time consuming, but fun! I like it when a project works :) She especially loves the dress. She has told me thank you a million times for it.

We can't wait for this weekend. Bryan will be home for a nice long weekend, and we are ready to just sit and enjoy all the family time together watching conference!

| 32 weeks |

2010-03-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Each week I get closer to my delivery date feels like such a milestone to me. At this point in my pregnancy with Kayla I had been on bed rest for 2 weeks already with toxemia. Every doctor appointment I have I worry it will be the week he tells me I have it again. Thus far, I am in the clear! It feels good to be this far and not have any issues.

Here is a pic of me at 32 weeks.

| stuck inside |

2010-03-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

We have been having so much random weather lately. One day we are able to go out and play, the next we are stuck inside watching the snow fall, or wind blow. BUT, don't worry we have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Much painting, crafting, and coloring has gone on.

I made Kayla a little weather chart so we could talk about the weather each day. She loves it. I mostly love when I ask her, "Is it snowing?" as she looks out the window her response is, "Hmm...no, no snow". It has been fun.

Here are some pics of our random fun throughout the week. And yes, painting takes SERIOUS concentration.

| not hard to love |

2010-02-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

I love babies, I love photographing babies. I loved photographing my new little nephew Sawyer. He makes loving him so easy, he is just so cute.

| Today |

2010-02-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Nothing too special has gone on today, but that's why it has been such a good day. Kayla and I have just spent time hanging out and doing what we do best, NOTHING :) I like simple days.

Kayla even did a little sewing. She loves to mimic what I do. (which is good and bad). Sure she is playing with pins, maybe not the best idea ever, but I thought it was cute that she remembered I had sewn these up and wanted to do the same.

| happy valentine's day |

2010-02-16T07:46:00.000-08:00

Well, I would have to say we thoroughly enjoyed our valentine's weekend! Saturday night we made a valentine's dinner. We had pink pancakes with strawberries, whipped cream, and strawberry syrup! Yum. We also had eggs, you know...to add a little nutrition to the meal. Kayla is getting to be such a ham. Here are the pics of her eating her dinner, she really wanted me to know she LOVED it.

Kayla, I am glad you thought it tasted so good!

I actually enjoyed valentine's falling on a Sunday, I feel like there was a WHOLE weekend of fun instead of just one day! I made Kayla a dress for church and she loved it. I like that she makes me feel like she is grateful for what I do for her now.

We then had a party at my mom's filled with pizza, and WAY too many treats, but we had a ball.

| valentine's fun |

2010-02-11T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Kayla had a little valentine's play group. She got to decorate her own little box for her valentines to go in. She loved every minute of it! I should have made the box twice as big because she wanted to keep putting stickers on it. I was quite proud of her finished product though. Not too bad! (I did help with the layered stickers, but that is only because she wanted more on and was quite frustrated that there was no more space)

These are pics before we headed to the party, and her tinkerbell valentines she handed out.

She had tons of fun with her friends, and loved decorating her cookie. Which she ate none of, I am not sure if its because there were FAR too many sprinkles, or if she was just trying to be nice and share with me :)

Happy Valentine's everyone!

| 2 year stats |

2010-02-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

Kayla had her dr. appointment today, it went well. She hasn't grown much, but the dr said he is going to just consider her little and not worry too much about it. She only gained half a pound since her 18 month check. Here are her stats:

Weight: 22 lbs. (3%)

Height: 33 in. (40%)

She has some fluid hanging out in her ears and the dr is a bit worried she may have 'chronic' fluid. Which would mean she needs tubes. We will find out in 6 weeks.

I am still in awe at how much she has changed over the last 2 years. Here are a few pics of the past, she sure was a baldy!!

4 days old

6 months old

1 year

18 months

2 years old

Here are some other fun facts about Kayla at 2:

Favorite food: Pizza, pancakes, rice, corn

Favorite snack: Any fruit. She requests apples or clementimes constantly

Favorite word: 'mine' :)

Favorite song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and toes, or "Little Turtle"

Favorite things to do: Wrestle with dad, play music and dance, read books, watch movies, climb on anything possible, and play dress-up.

What does Kayla like:

Loves tinkerbell, or any princess. But also loves her toy cars. Some days she is all girl, other days not so much.

Loves nursery, which is wonderful for me too!

Enjoys any and every minute she can spend with cousins, or friends.

Always runs to Grandma Becky for tickles or butterfly kisses.

Loves playing at Grandma Luxie's, especially since the dog is there!

She has such a fun personality, and is super independent too. We have both had to learn to be patient with one another.

| 26 weeks |

2010-01-31T14:43:00.000-08:00

I had Bryan take a picture of me this afternoon so I can keep documenting my growing belly. Wish I was better at this when I was pregnant with Kayla, maybe I was and just didn't mark the photos or something.

I am at the point where my belly is definitely noticeable. I like this point. I actually enjoy looking pregnant. Just wish my face didn't...

| hair, hair, hair |

2010-01-28T09:19:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know I have had all kinds of issues with Kayla's hair...or the lack there of. I just never know quite how to do it. And it is so whispy that even when I do it, it still looks all crazy. Last night she found her little rubber bands and asked me to put them in her hair. I figured why not.

It turned out to be quite funny. She kept wanting me to put more and more in. I was dying laughing, but she loved it. She would walk over to the mirror and try and look at the back of her hair. She then insisted we take pictures. I gladly obliged.

This morning she asked to have her hair done again. This time we did it a little more normal :) Maybe I will get better at this with time...

And as a complete side note. Kayla, after her bath today put on my high heels, which is not uncommon, but as I took a pic she really decided to strike a pose. What a diva!

| sawyer pilcher |

2010-01-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

My sister had her new little baby boy just a week and a half ago. The hospital had strict rules on who got to come visit, so we missed out on seeing him within the first few days. There is just something about seeing a fresh new baby, ya know?! Luckily we were sent some photos of him to keep us calm.

He was born on January 14, 2010, weighing 9lbs. 4oz., and was 22" long. He may be a big guy, but still seems so stinking tiny.

I already love him! And so does Kayla. I think he got his fair share of kisses from her.

| kaylas birthday festivities |

2010-01-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

Well, Kayla sure did have a fun filled birthday week! We made sure of that.

When Bryan got home from work we went and got her favorite meal, pizza and breadsticks. Which she ate only breadsticks. No pizza. So funny.

We then let her open her gift. Which she loved. It was a baby Elmo that talks and kicks. She loves him.

(it takes a lot of concentration as you can see to feed him)

We were then off to walmart to let her pick out her own fish. Well, five fish to be exact. The names are as follows: Pink (both orange fish), cookie, elmo, and popcorn (the white fish).

I am pretty sure Bryan is the most excited about the fish. I catch him looking over the bowl all the time.

On Saturday we had her Elmo birthday party. She was so excited all day long waiting for everyone to come. It was so much fun having all our family over. And especially nice because I got to see my sisters brand new little baby! (pics of him coming soon)

And in true Ahlberg tradition, we did the kid shot, which is usually VERY painful for all involved. Not this time though! They were all so cute!

Then the present opening began. Kayla was even nice enough to share a gift with her cousins to open. Which were clothes and I am pretty sure once Addelyn discovered that she didn't even finish opening the gift :)

And lets just say, present opening was quite the whirlind. But I love her face begging me to open her princesses.

She did good and even blew out her own candles this year. She is such a cute little girl. I just love her.

Thanks to everyone for making this birthday such a fun one. Kayla loved every single minute of it!

And Becky just sent me a few photos from the night too. They got to our house a little before the party started. Kayla had just gotten done having an hour long cry session, and so these photos are kind of funny. You can see her tear stained cheeks. Glad she wasn't this way for the whole party.

(I love this shot. She was smirking while everyone sang happy birthday to her. And I love all her princesses lined up watching.)

| She turned 2 |

2010-01-21T08:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Kayla!

Today is Kayla's birthday, and we decided to start the day out right. Kayla had cinnamon rolls and chocolate milk for her breakfast. We have many more fun things planned for the day! And hopefully plenty of more pictures to post!

I love you little Kayla, these past 2 years have been so fun with you in our family! (I especially love your crazy, crazy hair!)

2010-01-18T08:07:00.001-08:00

This is how Kayla has decided to spend her day. Silly as usual. I love her.

| so funny |

2010-01-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

Becky just sent me this pic of Kayla from Christmas Eve Eve. I love this face. It is her "HUH?!" face, we see it all too often!

| Christmas Eve Eve, & Eve |

2009-12-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

Nice title huh?

Well, we had our fondue dinner on the Eve before Christmas Eve at the Ahlberg's this year. It was wonderful as usual, and NONE of us took any pictures of the actual eating...too busy eating I guess! Afterwards we opened all our gifts which was so much fun. Kayla is definitely much more into present opening this year than last year.

We started out by reading the story of the Nativity with puppets. The little kids really liked that.

We then opened gifts. There were plenty of pics taken, but Shelli was somehow in most of them, and she has requested that I not post any pictures of her that day since she was really under the weather :) So here is one of Kayla opening her car she got, SHE LOVES THAT THING. And honestly, so do I! She has spent many hours in it.

The girls enjoyed a little Grandpa time:

(Sorry for the terrible quality, I am not so good with my little point and shoot)

For Christmas Eve, we spent the evening at home and it was WONDERFUL!! We had my parents over and made a waffle supper. And had some fun just sitting around chatting. Kayla really enjoyed having them over, and so did we! I didn't take any pictures, but thats because we were too busy just relaxing!

And here is the dreaded shot I don't really know if I want to post, but will. It's not that I mind how I look pregnant, it just seems like every time I remember to take a picture I am just not looking the best. This is picture is from Christmas Day. I was exhausted, and this was AFTER my 3 hour nap! I am 21 weeks in this shot. I will have Bryan try and take some more of me soon :)

And last, but not least. I found a picture of the doll that is a better shot of her.

Kayla carries her all around the house, and takes her on all kinds of "car" rides in her new little car.

| christmas 2009 |

2009-12-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

Well we had a WONDERFUL christmas this year. It was busy, and chuck full of events. I will kind of be 'back posting' a bit after this post of our pre-christmas activities, but for now here is the Christmas morning post!

We decided to have a homemade Christmas this year, it was tons of work, but WELL worth it. Bryan built Kayla a kitchen and we spent many hours getting it done. It turned out quite nicely though, I am really happy with it. So was she!

She ran straight downstairs cheering for Santa the whole way, and saw the gift and quickly began wripping off the wrapping paper.

And ran straight back to us when she opened it. She was so excited. She gave us hugs.

After that, there was not much present opening. She would tell us no every time we would ask if she wanted to open more. It was fun to see how much she liked her gift. Well worth all the work!

We did get her to open a few more things after a while. They were mostly clothes anyway. Not too exciting. I did make her a little doll, not the best pic of the doll, but she loves her. Maybe someday I will make clothes...maybe.

We spent the rest of the morning at my family's house eating way too much food and opening more gifts. We did squeeze in a 3 hour nap in the afternoon, so it was a GREAT day for all!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

| the ahlberg name continues |

2009-12-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

Bryan really wanted that title. And in case you need a little more clarification...

It's a BOY!!!

I feel excited, overwhelmed, and nervous all in the same breath. A boy!? Can I handle a boy? I have always been excited about having a boy, but now that I have been so engulfed in girl for the past two years it seems just right for me to have a girl. It's fun to know we will already have one of each, guess I can be done now right ;)

Kayla seems excited. Not sure if she really gets it, but when we ask her what is in mommy's tummy she says "brother". And she says "wahoo" when we tell her that she will have a baby brother soon.

Can't wait! It DOES give me a REALLY good excuse to go shopping!!

| halloween '09 |

2009-11-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it is like a month late, but I figured I better post the few pics I have before thanksgiving hits.

Kayla HATED the whole dress up idea. She didn't like much of her costume except the tutu. That is all I could get her to to keep on. I even tried to do a formal halloween photoshoot with her and all we had were tears, so this is it 3 whole photos from halloween.

I let her paint her own pumpkin that morning and she loved it. I need to pull out the painting supplies more often!

| family pictures |

2009-11-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

well, we finally got around to getting some family pictures done this year. I wish we would have done them BEFORE I was pregnant, but luckily we took them just in the nick of time and I wasn't really showing yet.

Kayla hated every moment of it. Lovely. She used to be really good with pictures, not so much anymore.

I have been trying to retouch them for a while now, and haven't made much progress yet, but here are a few of my favorites for now. Hopefully there will be more to come very soon! In fact, I have already uploaded 3 more in the middle of writing this!

Thanks Amy for taking your saturday morning to do this!

| pregnant |

2009-10-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Yep. I am.

| Disneyland |

2009-10-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yes I know I have been MIA for a while, but sometimes ya just need a break! I was there.

This year for our family vacation we decided to go to Disneyland, simply the happiest place on earth right?! Well, not so much for Kayla. She LOVED riding the tram that took us to Disneyland, and couldn't stop cheering for all of the waterfalls outside of the entrance, but once we entered the park and hopped on our first ride, Kayla quickly became frightened by all things! The rides that were for kids were still really scary for her, they were dark and things kept popping out of the walls, oh and it was REALLY loud. No wonder she was scared. So, we had to make sure all the rides that we rode were outdoor ones. She had no problems with those!

So I will start from the beginning. There are A TON of pics. And we had fun, I am glad we went, but we will save Disneyland for a time when Kayla is older.

Here is a picture of Kayla waiting at the airport. Why on the floor, I don't know, but she was happy!

Here are some pics of us waiting to get into the park, we got there about 10 minutes early and there was hardly anyone there, it turned out to be a perfect day to go.

Kayla saw goofy from afar and really wanted to go see the "doggy", she was all excited and cheering and could hardly wait in line. Once we got up to him though, SHE HATED HIM. She sobbed, as you can see. It was kind of funny.

Luckily for us, she happily took a nap while there. It gave us all a good break, and Bryan and I sat and ate chocolate covered bananas. Yum.

Bryan also went and rode Splash Mountain while she was napping. He said this is his favorite ride and couldn't imagine coming here without riding it. He was one happy camper, especially since the wait was only 15 min. He is the one in the back with his arms up.

Kayla did love the Tiki Room, but I don't have pics, they don't allow them in there. She had fun climbing this tree though. I was exhausted by this point. My legs ached from hiking all the steps. I don't know how she did it! There were A TON of stairs.

We also visited the petting zoo, which Kayla loved. She likes to poke the animals though not pet. She kept trying to poke them in the eye. What's up with that?!

Kayla's favorite ride in Disneyland...DUMBO! She loved it. She would let me jerk him all around and just giggle the whole time. I am glad she liked something while we were there.

The next day we spent our time at California Adventure. We all really liked it here. There were a lot of little kid rides Kayla really liked. We rode plenty of rides over and over again. This is our only family picture we got. Lame, we didn't ever dare ask people to take one, but someone offered for this one.

And as you can see by this shot, Bryan enjoyed the kiddy rides!

Bryan also rode the roller coaster while we were there. Kayla and I rode the carousel 7 times! She loved it. She loved getting to pick a different sea animal each time, and was very particular about which one. I actually really thought it was fun to see how happy she was.

Our last day there we spent at the beach. I love, love, love the beach. It was fun going. We spent quite a while there, until we realized we packed no food and were all starving.

It was pretty windy so there were a lot of waves, and surfers, but also a lot of DOLPHINS. It was so cool, there were so close to the beach. I don't think I have ever seen that before. I know that they are hard to see in this shot, but there are dolphins there I promise! They just swam amongst the surfers.

We would dig Kayla a hole and then fill it up with water, she is pointing for Bryan so he knows right where the water goes. So funny.

We of course found plenty of sea shells. Which Kayla loved to watch wash away in the waves.

She also had to chase the birds, she loves birds. But just couldn't quite get her hands on them.

Love this face.

We had tons of fun, and it was a nice an needed break. Maybe next time we try for Disneyland Kayla will like it...we will see!

| keaton & emily | august.15.2009

2009-08-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

So. I am behind. Very behind. I have SO many other things to blog about, but I just wanted to post some fun pics from the lasted wedding from the Ahlberg family.

Keaton and Emily got married on Saturday, in Richland, Washington. We were able to drive down there and attend. And I am so glad we did! We had fun, and Kayla even survived all 24 hours we spent in the car!!

I have some fun pics from the driving, but here are just a few off of my camera from the wedding.

Emily's back yard was AMAZING!!!! I could hardly hold myself back from jumping for joy. The only problem was, I had very LITTLE time with the bride and groom. I feel like I want to drive back there and make them get all dressed up again just so I can shoot some more pics. The light was perfect, the backdrop couldn't have been more amazing, and I only got to take a few little pics!

I took a ton of the other family's though so I will post those soon!

| sand between our toes |

2009-07-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Little did we know, that we could go right across the road to a sandy beach. Daybreak has a beach at the North Shore Lake, and it was tons of fun!

The girlies loved to splash and Addelyn especially loved to go as deep as she possibly could into the water.

Kayla loved every minute of it. The water was a little cool so she would play in it for a minute and then run back and want to be wrapped in a towel to warm back up.

It was tons of fun! And we will definitely be going back soon!

| july.04.2009 |

2009-07-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

We had a fun filled holiday WEEK this year. We made sure to pack in plenty of events and see how mad we could make Kayla :) She was a pretty good trooper through most of it. (until 8pm hit)

On Wednesday we visited the {City of Fun}, rode the rides, ate 2 corn dogs each (I loved every bite), had some funnel cake, and watched the carnies. Kayla didn't love all the creepy men helping her get buckled in on the rides and she would just start crying the moment they came near her. She seemed to enjoy some of the rides, but not many!

On Saturday I started out the morning with a run. I did the Riverton 10K. Which was quite an accomplishment for me. I can't really say I have been training for it, but for the past 3 weeks I have at least tried to go running. I haven't run for over 4 years now, so it was really fun to be able to run the 10K. I was glad to have family along side me to keep me going. Hopefully the next time I run another one it will be faster, but I don't think I did too bad for my first time ever.

We spent the afternoon at my parents, and I forgot to take pics of the water balloon war! Maybe we will have to have another one so I can get pics :)

We then went to Bryan's parents to watch fireworks. We always have our yearly tradition of taking pics of all the grandkids together. I did get some good ones, but this one is by far my favorite...only because this whole "tradition" of taking the picture is always quite entertaining. It isn't too easy to get all the kids to cooperate at once. But as you can see, Kayla had her cheeser ready wether or not everyone else was ready. Silly little girl.

| 2 little monkeys |

2009-07-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

Finally I am getting around to doing a new post. It has been FOREVER! We have been one busy little family.

I was able to go out a little while ago and do a photoshoot for Kayla and Crandall. It was a blast! And you will quickly see why they became our 2 little monkeys. They were so much fun, and I fell in love with my Kayla just a little more. I loved seeing her cute little smile, and her giggles at all of Crandall's jokes. I rarely take the time to do a REAL photoshoot of Kayla, so this was a real treat for me. I definitely need to do it more often.

Here are my favs:

| why not |

2009-05-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

So since I had all of my sewing stuff out from making all the baby shower stuff I figured I would just keep on going. I recently bought a TON of fabric, and I received some advice from a very wise friend who said I better make sure I use it all, and not just buy it and let it pile up. Since then I have just sat an found TONS of patterns online for little outfits I could make for Kayla.

Well I wasn't really in the mood to sit and read patterns and try and figure out what the heck they are trying to tell me to do, so I decided I was just going to come up with my own.

I have seen a really cute dress on Shabby Apple for quite some time now and yesterday when I looked at it I decided I was just going to go for it. What is the worst that could happen right?!

Well it turned out GREAT! I love the little dress. Kayla looks adorable in it! I need to take a picture of her in it, but she was just too wiggly to let me get one when I put it on.

| new project |

2009-05-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

At my house we are ALL girl. I am so used to girly shirts, colors, activities, you name it! I have a baby shower coming up and my friend is having a boy. What a boy?! What on earth am I going to make for a boy? I honestly racked my brain forever trying to think of something. Sure I can make a blanket, and some bibs (which I am doing), but what else....

I found this tutorial at Tangled & True a long time ago, and had all kinds of ideas for girly shirt I was going to make Kayla, but then realized I could make a cute boy onesie too!

I printed the whale on the fold of the onesie, and I really like how it turned out.

Here is some detail of the whole whale.

This was a fun little project. The screen printing was actually pretty easy, and not really even that time consuming. The problem was the stitching around the collar. I should have just hand sewn it. In fact I think the look of hand sewing would have been really cute. I just thought the machine would be so much easier and quicker. Maybe for Amy, but DEFINITELY not for me. I unpicked it 3 times before I just decided it was going to have to just be the way it was.

Can't wait to make more shirts and onesies. I think I am hooked!

| avery denise |

2009-05-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Amy and Trevor had their baby on Tuesday, May 12. We were so excited to have another new baby added to the Ahlberg side of the family. I love all her hair, and her adorable little nose! Avery weighed in at 7 lbs. 4 oz, and was 19" long.

I was curious how Kayla would do when I was holding a baby. She didn't care one bit...until Bryan held the baby. She wanted nothing to do with me, she just went and sat on the floor by him, and watched his every move. She is definitely a daddy's girl!

| lucky me |

2009-04-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

I was able to go out yesterday and take some pics of my brother-in-law and his fiancé for their engagements. It was so much fun! The weather was gorgeous, the sun was shining, the trees were in bloom. I couldn't have been happier.

Here is one of my favorite pics from the day. I was selfish and mostly took this shot for me! I couldn't resist the trees and bright sky...they were calling my name!

| happy easter |

2009-04-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

The easter bunny visited our house today! I know it is a day early, but growing up this is how we did it. The bunny came on Saturday, and on Sunday we spent the day reflecting on the true meaning of Easter. I actually really liked it this way because then I could go out and play with my new stuff!

We were really excited for Easter this year. I was hoping Kayla would be able to actually kind of enjoy and understand a little better what we were doing. She LOVED the easter egg hunt. She came downstairs and picked up an egg. Opened it, and found a surprise! Once she realized there was food involved she couldn't get eggs fast enough! She would pick one up, give it to Bryan, and then run to get another one.

And then sat and ate all her treats! (boy am I glad I only put one fruit snack in each one!)

I guess she was a little worn out after the hunt!

She also got some toy cars. Which she sat and made a little vroom vroom sound with the moment she got them out! She knows the people at church who have these toy cars hidden in their bags, and always wants to go sit with them. I figured she may like to have some of her very own. We will see if it makes Sunday just a little easier!

She loved her basket. She kept taking and putting the eggs in and out, and carried it everywhere!

What is funny about this pic is on Saturday mornings Kayla and Bryan always sit and watch the worker-man shows together. So their faces of joy are not because of Easter, but simply because their FAVORITE show is on!

Happy Easter Everyone

| senior portraits |

2009-04-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

It is getting that time of year again for graduation. I remember back when I graduated all I had for my photos were my shots taken at school. Not so cool. I wish I would have done more. It is a big accomplishment, that should be marked with a FUN photo shoot! I am scheduling senior portrait sessions right now. If you or anyone you know would be interested in this please let me know! Can be high school, or college graduates. Pass the word along, send people a link to my blog, or even my email address.

I can also put together announcements for the occasion.

Contact me by email to find out more on pricing and availability: doodlebloom@gmail.com

or visit my blog at doodlebloom.blogspot.com

| sick |

2009-03-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a sad week around our house. Kayla has come down with a terrible cold (which she kindly gave to me). She has gotten progressively worse as the week rolled along. She has had a constant fever for days now. We decided last night we better take her into the doctors. She went this morning and to our dismay she has croup AND an ear infection. Ugh. Poor thing. Today was probably the roughest day yet too. She has done nothing but sit in our arms and whine. Hopefully she will get better soon, I feel so bad for her. We rarely get to see her cute smile and bubbly personality when she is like this.

| little piano player |

2009-03-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

Kayla LOVES music. As I am sure most little kids do! She will dance at any moment music begins to play, wether it is on tv, or a toy, or at church (that is still my favorite).

She also really likes to make music. She loves to play the piano at the grandparents. In fact it can be hard to keep her away from it at times. I was in the middle of trying to change her into her jammies in this pic. She just couldn't wait any longer!

Her and Addelyn, playing together.

She is trying to lull Addelyn to sleep in this one. She is such a mozart on the piano, so I am sure Addelyn was nice and relaxed listening to her BANG on the keys!! :)

| west side |

2009-03-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know Bryan and 2 of his brothers served their missions in Santiago, Chile. 2 of them on the west side and one on the east. Well Russell was CONSTANTLY flashing his east side "mission" signs, in all of his mission pics, and constantly now that he is home.

The other day Kayla started flashing hers! And she proudly flashed the west side in support of her dad! Here are some of her other signs she flashed quickly there after.

And yes, that is a mandarin orange stuck in her hair. Mealtime usually always requires some sort of scrub down afterwards!

| big girl |

2009-03-16T20:58:00.001-07:00

Kayla is officially a BIG girl. She is now sitting in her big girl seat in the car and LOVING it! She had been throwing such a fit every time we put her in the car so we decided it was time. She grinned at me the entire time she rode in it for her first time. I think it is safe to say SHE LOVES IT!

It still seems so crazy to look back there and see her looking at me. I love it though.

Amazing how quick they grow up!

| 2.2.8.09 |

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

2.28.09??? What? Where did time go. Tomorrow will be the third month of 2009. Yikes. I feel like some days time is just going by to quickly for me. I have so many things to accomplish, but yet none of those things ever seem to get done. As I got home tonight from enjoying a WONDERFUL evening with my fam I realized how much I forgot to do tonight. That HAD to be done! Ugh. Ward newsletter...check. Speaking assignments for enrichment...check. Check all my new emails in my inbox and email all urgent messages back...check. Check. Check. Check.

I have been on this big kick lately where I want to try so many new things. New design techniques that I am into. New photography things. New sewing things. New house decor things. All these new things are making it so I can't get ANYTHING accomplished. Instead I just have a list of things I can seem to ever CHECK off.

But yet, the one thing that seems to always distract me, is something I couldn't be more grateful for. Little Miss Kayla. She seems to change all of my schedules, and keep me from getting much of anything done, and loves to make messes. But I seriously don't know if I could be any happier than I am now being a mother. I find myself just sitting amongst a pile of her toys just happily smiling. Not stressing. Not caring. I guess when people say motherhood isn't all it's cracked up to be, they are right. It is MORE!

So. Goodbye February. Hello March. We can't wait for what you will bring.

| sweet 'lil thing |

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

This is a fun little picture from a photo shoot I did the other day. I just loved this sweet little girl. (I think she is yelling at me in this shot, she put up with quite a bit!) Thanks for letting me adore her for a couple of hours Kim!

| Photo Dump |

2009-02-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to upload all of these random photos for a LONG TIME. I could do a bunch of posts, but I am going to just do one. So enjoy all the photos from the past little bit!

Kayla LOVES to unload everything. She especially love to unload my diaper bag. As you can see it provides much happiness!

Or how about the dishwasher...

One of her other favorite things to do is watch out our front window. There is a dog who lives across the street and she just sits and waits for him to come around.

Wii anyone? Kayla will gladly join. Lucky for me though. I am able to do my Wii fit ANYTIME I want. As long as she has a Wii remote in her hand. (This pic is at my mom's house, all the grandkids are getting there Wii time in)

A while ago we had a little feild trip over to Aunt Amy's house. Addelyn wanted to take a nap, WITH EVERYONE! They were so funny all snuggled up in the bed.

A really LONG while ago we stopped by the grandparents one evening. They were just about to put a movie in, so we joined them. Kayla wanted to sit right in between Grandma and Grandpa. She happily sat there for quite a while.

I have been trying to give Kayla some more opportunities to eat with a spoon all on her own. She takes about 2 bites and then this is how it pretty much goes from there.

Such a silly little girl!

| Savings Anyone? |

2009-02-18T09:30:00.001-08:00

I have started doing a new grocery savings program called Grocery Smarts. It is an online program that is FREE! Yes, you heard me FREE. All you pay for is the newspaper. No strings attached, I PROMISE!

Today I did my shopping at Albertsons. I bought 41 items and spent $11.50! That makes each item about 28 cents a piece. My bill initially rang up for over $60, but when I used all of my coupons it came to $11.50. And at the bottom of the receipt where it tells you how much you saved it was a whopping $104.48. All I can say is YOU CAN'T BEAT THAT!

If any of you guys would be interested in joining this program let me know. I can give you all the info you need. We can also have a party and have one of the ladies come and explain how to do it all a little better. Plus when they come to a party they offer even better prices on the newspapers.

Mmmmm...I love savings!

| Up and running |

2009-02-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

Phew! It's about time! I finally have my new blog up and running. There are still a lot of tweaks I need to make, but it feels good just to have it up. I have gotten so sick of using my other blog. And I am sure that is was beginning to become a pain for some of you readers too! I might try doing this blog a little different than my old one. I am thinking of posting more about some of the work I am doing as well. Some of my designs, or maybe something that inspires my designs, or just random color theory...I LOVE COLOR. I can't wait to truly start posting away on this blog. See you all soon!

I posted this video on my old blog as well, but wanted to put it up here too. Just to get the posts going. Kayla is growing up so fast, I can't believe she has started walking. I just love her!