Life with the Rosas Family

Being Blessed by a Boy!

2011-12-05T16:08:00.001-08:00

So, can you guess why I'm all wet? While giving my little man pre-shower hugs he decided to give me a little shower.

How does that little boy hold that much pee?!

And, my favorite thing about babies!!! Their little bums!

My Christmas Presents

2011-12-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

It's December 1st already and that means a Happy 1/2 Birthday to my little man! They are truly the best presents that I have not only at Christmas, but everyday (cheesy, I know, but they are the reason I get up every morning and the light of my life)!

We love you peanut!

November 2011

2011-12-05T15:43:00.001-08:00

Enjoying snack time!

Ayla with her babies! I guess she thought her brother wanted to hold hers...

This guy is quite the kicker. I was giving Ayla a bath and left him for just a few minutes and came back to him almost out of his seat. I guess those strap restraints are good for something, oops!

He's gonna escape one way or another!

Our little cheeser!

For Thanksgiving we had went straight for the Mexican dishes. My request was Tortas de Tamale, Gerson's was Milanesas and another was Sopes. Ayla LOVED it all and ate more than most of the adults.

Tio Eric and Tia Vanina

Our family!

Abuelita

Enjoying some good food at our favorite Mexican Buffet

Ahrian enjoying his lime

Tio Gerson and Tia McKelle

Milton just started working Mon-Thurs 10-9. It's been a little hard on Ayla to only see him for a little bit in the morning. She's used to us both tucking her in bed at night. He made up for any lost time and helped her decorate her own Christmas tree!

October 2011

2011-12-05T15:14:00.001-08:00

Our little peanut is 4 months old!!!

Gosh, look at that cute boy!

October was a happening month. Ayla graduated from the crib and straight to a full size bed. Uncle Brandon made her some foam wedges to put on the edges so she couldn't roll out in the middle of the night and they have worked like a charm...if only they could keep her in there. The transition went rather smoothly! Now, onto potty training soon!

She was so ready to go to bed, wish it could have been that way every night since then.

Ayla has a very cool cousin and they have so much fun together! We usually have play dates every other week alternating between each house. Xander has a hill in his backyard where they rode the big wheels down.

Once Ayla got to the bottom Xander would pull both big wheels to the top again.

Enjoying one of the last warm days.

Can't believe that I'm 27! Here we are getting ready for my birthday lunch at Red Robin.

I've never been so excited for Halloween. We went trick or treating 4 different times!

Ayla in the jump castle at the ward Halloween party.

Ayla loved cleaning out the pumpkin

Aunt McKelle is now living with us until the end of March while Ben is in training for the Air Force. We are so glad to have her here! The help has been needed and so has the company!

Showing off the pumpkins!

We went trick or treating at the mall and they had these adorable balloons that would skid across the ground as she pulled it. I couldn't resist buying her one and of course she picked out the ugliest one of the bunch!

August-September 2011

2011-12-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

Keeping my blog updated has became a very hard task indeed...two kids under two, plus 2 more kids that I watch 2-3 times a week has made me realize what being truly busy is all about. So, here's a short wrap up of August and September.
August was the busiest month of all! We had Ayla's birthday, Ahrian's baby blessing, my friend Michelle from Utah came to visit, and Vanina's wedding in Utah....
When Michelle came the middle of August we took the kids to the zoo. The zoo has a new splash park which was perfect for a hot August day.

Ayla is truly a sweetheart and loves to show it!

We took Michelle to see some of the sites and enjoyed a little ride on the paddle boats.

I have no idea why I didn't take more pictures at Vanina's wedding, but I will post them as soon as I get a copy of her wedding pictures. Ayla LOVES her tios!

Aunt McKelle and Uncle Ben came to the reception.

Ayla seriously danced the night away!!! Her poor cousin was exhausted.

Mami (Milton's Grandma who lives in Mexico) even came for the wedding!

I wonder where Ayla gets all her cheesiness from?!

On the way home we stopped to visit Great Grandpa and Grandma Garff.

Grandpa is so enamored by Ayla and loved all her kisses and loves.

We found this divine Mexican buffet in Aurora, but obviously Ahrian wasn't too impressed.

Ayla on the other hand, thank goodness she was free!!! That girl can eat! She even tried the ceviche (basically a raw fish/shrimp pico de gallo).

While I was at the Women's Broadcast Milton and Ayla went to the Lakeside Amusement Park. Ayla had a blast! She loves spending time with her Papa.

Such a big girl!

And a lady!

Ahrian's first attempt at rice cereal. He wasn't so sure about it in the beginning, but he LOVES food now.

Ahrian's Baby Blessing

2011-08-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ahrian Ulises Rosas was blessed on August 7, 2011.

After the blessing we had a carne asada BBQ.

The kids had a blast with Ayla's new swing set.

Abuelita, Ahrian, Ayla and Abuelo

Grandma and Grandpa Anderson

Great Grandma Garff (Ayla is number 21 of the Great Grandchildren and I believe Ahrian was 31).

Kisses from Papa

Stephanie Trujillo (the baby whisperer, lol).

A bit sacrilegious, I know...

We must say we are a bit concerned with how friendly Ayla is with the boys. She is always giving them hugs and kisses.
Thanks again to all who came for this awesome day! Milton and I can't express our gratitude for such supportive friends and family.

Ayla's Birthday Party!

2011-08-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

The weekend following Ayla's birthday (August 6th) was quite busy for us. We celebrated Ayla's birthday at Chatfield lake. Both her grand parents, Uncle Brandon and Aunt Tina, and even great grandma Garff made the trip.

Our dear friends, the Talbott family.

Great Grandma Garff wanted to go on the boat. In order to get her to and from in a dry and safe manor she was pulled on the banana boat

Ayla's second birthday cake! This girl has a bit of a chocolate sweet tooth like her papa.

Ayla adores the Purcell family. They gave her the adorable birthday bib.

Mordida! Mordida! (Take a bite)!

Cousins Xander and Spencer!

Ayla is 100% girl! She LOVES shoes and clothes. As soon as she opened Great Grandma's gift her crocs came off and she wanted to try the new sneakers on.

It was a very busy day and she finally succumbed to sleep on the last boat ride.
Thank you to all who came and celebrated with us! We love and appreciate you!

Ayla's 2nd Birthday!!!

2011-08-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

Ayla didn't have to wait till her birthday for a lot of her gifts...I guess we are all just guilty of wanting to spoil her rotten. Milton and I got her a baby pool and a Little Tikes large slide the week before. Then Sunday, the day before her birthday Tio Elton & Gerson came just before church looking for Ayla. They took her outside and to her delight they had bought her a swing set! She was so excited!!! Thank you Elton, Gerson and Vanina for giving a 2 year old the perfect gift!

Our princess officially turned 2 on August 1st and little man turned 2 months old. This is one of my absolute favorite pics of them! It shows Ayla's big sister, but cheesy personality and one of the hundreds of big, toothless smiles that Ahrian gives us every day.

For Ayla's birthday we met up with Brittany, Laura, Mikey and their kids at the zoo.

The Denver Zoo now has a new splash park, which the kids LOVED!

After nap time Tio Gerson and Elton came over for a birthday BBQ. Ayla had so much fun sliding into her baby pool.

Tio Gerson tried to convince me that Ayla wanted Crocs for her birthday (I personally do not like them). To my surprise, he was right. She has hardly taken them off since.
Tio Elton came bearing another gift, a tricycle! She's a bit too small yet, but I'm sure in no time she'll get it figured out!

Singing happy birthday.

It's amazing how she didn't need any help knowing what to do. She blew those candles out like a champ!

Mordida! Mordida! (A chant that means take a bite).
What a wonderful day and even more a wonderful daughter! We have been blessed beyond words with her in our family. We love and adore you Ayla! Happy 2nd Birthday!

Life As a Family of Four!

2011-08-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

One morning when I was in the shower I realized it was a bit too quiet. I went looking for Ayla to find her in Ahrian's swing. She turned it on and was on the brink of falling asleep.

I think that Ahrian looks a lot like his Tio Gerson, especially the curly hair.

It's amazing what I catch Ayla doing...she copies just about everything she sees (I've learned to be very careful around her lately). I was cutting up green beans and looked over to see her doing the same.

We ventured out and went to a local festival...it was ok, but good to get out after we had been sick for over 2 weeks. Who gets sick in July???

Ayla LOVES to investigate everything she sees, especially the bugs.

Papa and little man enjoying the fireworks.

We took a trip to beautiful Jefferson lake to celebrate Xander's 4th birthday. Even old man Kusko found the strength to join us.

I made every effort to catch a fish, but had no luck. At least Ahrian was comfortable.

Of course, Milton catches a tiny 4 incher just moments before we packed up to leave.

Xander, Ashton (Xander's cousin) and Ayla playing King of the snow mountain.

We were invited to continue Xander's celebration that Sunday. The food was delicious!

Xander showing off his presents. What an awesome boy he has become!

Our Babies!

2011-08-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful princess!

This is what happens when you let a 22 month old pick out her props.

Just an idea of what Ayla's personality is really like!

We decided very quickly this prop wasn't such a good idea!

I could (and do) kiss this face all day long!

Our future soccer player! Viva Mexico!!!! GOOOOOOOOOLLLL!

Unfortunately, Milton had SEVERE allergies and I was EXHAUSTED, topped off with a very cranky 22 month old and the family pictures weren't worthy of posting...here's one that was ok...

Ahrian's First 10 Days

2011-06-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

Abuelita is truly amazing! She was such a great help, especially keeping Ayla entertained and distracted while we adjusted to life with our new baby.

Ayla sure loves her new brother! Ahrian had his first pediatrician appt June 3rd. He weighed 7 lbs 3 oz (a weight loss of 7 oz from birth).

A very proud Abuelo!

A very proud Papa!

Our little man and his double chin

Just thought I would throw in a pic of Ayla during her first week

Just 3 days old and posing for the camera!

Ahrian and Brittany's baby, Joselyn. Yes, he is holding her hand (wink, wink)!

Come Monday I just couldn't be in the house anymore, so we took our first adventure to the park. It was a beautiful day and Ayla enjoyed some much needed time out of the house.

Our attempt to get everyone in the picture.

Abuelita enjoying her grandkids by the lake.

This is Ayla's very excited face. She was my little helper while giving Ahrian his first bath.

He is such a mellow and happy baby! I have been so relieved that he hasn't shown any signs of having colic like Ayla had. My heart still breaks every time I think of how much our poor little girl cried the first couple of months of her life.

Ayla has really taken the big sister role seriously. Her interest in the potty and her speech has really taken off these past couple of weeks. Abuelita noticed that Ayla had her "poo face" and hurried her to the potty. Sure enough, Ayla went poo poo in the potty and her reward was a sucker. She was honestly a bit freaked out when she saw what she had done, but after flushing it down the toilet she seemed to feel much better about the situation.

Holding her brother is very serious work.

Unfortunately, Milton's parents could only stay a week, but Grandma came to help out! Here's Grandma's first time holding her new grandson. My parents now have 5 grandsons and Ayla is still the only grand daughter!

She is always bearing gifts and brought Ayla some play food and dishes for her kitchen. Thanks Grandma!

We always cuddle on Saturday mornings and Ayla was more than happy to have Ahrian join the cuddle fest.
We are still loving every minute with our son! At his second pediatrician appt at 9 days Ahrian weighed 8 lbs 1 oz, a weight gain of 14 oz in just one week. We are starting to get on a good schedule of feeding every 3 hours and he has been waking up the past couple of nights just 2 times to feed. The first couple nights were really rough since he would not sleep in his bed and Ayla has been cutting her 2 year molars, but after some persistence I finally got him used to sleeping alone.
What can we say, other than life is great!

Ahrian's Birth Story

2011-06-12T20:36:00.001-07:00

Ahrian Ulises Rosas has joined our family! Here is his birth story...

At my 39 week appt I was dilated to a 1 and 60% effaced. My midwife, Patti (she delivered Ayla) was sure that I wouldn't be making it to my due date and said that if I went into labor over the weekend to make sure she was notified so she could come deliver Ahrian, even though she wasn't going to be on call. I was hopeful that was going to happen since she was so wonderful at Ayla's birth.
I "started" labor Sunday May 29th. We were getting out of the car to head into the chapel when the first contraction hit and had me about doubled over the car. They continued on throughout church, but I was a bit in denial that they were the real thing since I had been having false labor for several weeks. After church the contractions just stopped. I was a bit frustrated since I knew they had been real contractions and not braxton hicks. I was praying he would come before Tuesday because I had another appt and they were going to check my fluid levels. I had been induced with Ayla due to low fluid and I definitely didn't want that to happen again.
Monday night the contractions started again and continued on through the night about 10 minutes apart. They never got any stronger or closer together, but they were strong enough to keep me awake most of the night. I went to my appt the following day and explained that I was sure I was in labor. The midwife checked me and said that I was dilated to almost a 4 and effaced 70%. She didn't see the need to check my fluid levels and said to go home until the contractions got a little closer together.
I was fortunate enough to have a great friend, Marisa, watch Ayla for me up until her nap time. I was definitely uncomfortable enough that I couldn't handle a very energetic 22 month old!
After my appt they ranged anywhere from 5-10 minutes apart, but still didn't change much in intensity. Again, this continued on throughout the night. Luckily, I was able to get more sleep than the night before, but I knew that I couldn't go on much longer.
Come morning, June 1st (my due date) I called the on-call midwife and explained what had been going on. When she heard that I had been at a 4 the day before she said to come right on in.
We dropped Ayla off with her Tio Elton and headed to the hospital.
Upon arriving I was dilated to a 6-7, but my contractions still maintained the 10 minutes apart. After some monitoring I got in the tub for awhile. After a few hours I made no progression and we decided to have my water broke. The contractions at that point definitely became more intense, but again after another hour, no progression. By this time it was about 2:00 in the afternoon and I was wearing out quickly. Thinking back on my labor with Ayla, my water broke shortly after arriving at the hospital. I arrived dilated to a 3 and 15 hours later I was only at a 4! I knew that if my labor with Ahrian was going to continue to be that slow I couldn't go on much longer so Milton and I decided that maybe a natural delivery wasn't going to happen (something I had really wanted with both of my babies).
We let Wendy, the midwife, know that we had decided to start the pitocin and that I wanted an epidural (I remembered how intense the pitocin was when I had Ayla). They hooked me up and right away the contractions became INTENSE and right on top of eachother! While getting the epidural my nurse was wonderful helping me breath through the contractions. After the epidural had been given I kept wondering when it was going to fully work...well, needless to say it only took the edge off for about 20 minutes. Within 30 minutes I was telling Milton to get them back in the room because I needed to push!!! I kept hitting the epidural button hoping for some relief, but got none. The nurses and Wendy came rushing in and within just a few good pushes Ahrian Ulises Rosas was born at 4:41pm! I always wanted a natural birth and I guess that's as close as I may come. It was the most intense 30 minutes of my life! I felt everything! I don't know if I (or anyone for that matter) ever want to watch that birth video!
As anyone who has had a baby knows, as soon as I held my little man in my arms all was pretty much forgotten.

He is absolutely perfect!

We were told that he weighed 7 lbs 1 oz, but upon discharge we found out it was 7 lbs 10 oz and sure enough the picture and scale doesn't lie. He was 20 inches long.

Papa's first time holding his son.

Wendy, the midwife who delivered Ahrian.

Our handsome little man.

Ayla arrived with her Abuelos within an hour after his birth. She was super excited to meet her brother. They were in the process of moving us to our room and so she rode with me and Ahrian in the wheelchair. I asked her where her brother was and she hesitantly pointed to my stomach and then to him. I think she figured it out...either way she was very protective right away. Once we got to our room Ayla insisted that she and Ahrian sit with me on the bed and wouldn't let anyone hold him for quite some time.

Milton's parents had just arrived that afternoon and his whole family was planning on going to the Mexico vs. New Zealand soccer game that night. Of course, I told Milton months ago when he bought the tickets that if we were in the hospital there was no way he was going to leave me to go to the game. It was about 7:00 by the time we got settled into our room and I decided that maybe a little quiet time to bond with Ahrian wouldn't be so bad by myself, so Milton got the clear to go to the game.
Previous to his birth I had wrapped a present for Ayla "from" her brother. It was a baby kit that included a bottle, pacifier, spoons, diaper, etc and right away she was taking care of her baby too.

Here's a picture of Milton with Ayla the first night at the hospital. I thought that she was born with more hair than Ahrian, but after looking at pictures it looks like they are the same. Ayla was a lot darker in complexion and had pitch black hair and Ahrian has very dark brown hair and a much lighter complexion.

Milton and Ayla survived the game. Of course, after a late night Ayla was quite the grump the next day, but you wouldn't know it by how many kisses she gave her brother. I was determined to go home that day so I made it clear to all the nurses I wanted to get all the needed testing done. The on-call midwife, Jules, gave me a discharge that morning and we were just waiting for Ahrian to be 24 hours old for the PKU and jaundice test.

Justin, Celeste, Xander and Spencer came to see their new cousin.

Finally, come 7:00 we were discharged from the hospital under the condition that Ahrian see the pediatrician the following day to have his jaundice checked. Here's Ahrian getting ready for his first car ride. We were all excited to be homeward bound!
Life is great being a family of four! I can't believe we have been so blessed with such beautiful children. Ayla has been such a wonderful big sister. She is constantly giving Ahrian kisses and helping in any way she can. The adjustment has overall gone well other than she does take it out on me at times (better me than her brother).
I have felt really good! I had a slight tear from the delivery which hasn't given me any problems at all (I found out about a month after Ayla's birth that I was allergic to the stitches they had used with her). I can't believe how tired and exhausted I was for weeks after Ayla's delivery and how I've been dying to work out and get back to life after this one.

Thank you to all who helped us during my very, very long labor! I am so grateful to be surrounded by family and friends who are so willing to lend a hand whenever we need it.

I have a lot of catching up to do, so keep on checking the blog. I couldn't figure out for months why my blog wouldn't let me publish my posts, only to find out tonight that it was because of Internet Explorer. Stay tuned!

Happy 4th Adoption Day, Kusko!

2011-02-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

Today marks 4 years since we adopted Kusko from the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue. Many may not know that I dreamed of having a Great Dane for several years before I even met Milton. When I told him that I was going to have a Great Dane someday he thought I was crazy. He couldn't understand why I would want such a big dog. A month after we got married I started looking and Milton was convinced that he still wanted nothing to do with a Great Dane. Well, after realizing that I wasn't going to give up he started doing his own research about the breed and became interested. We then went to an event that the rescue was doing at a local dog show and Milton had his first Dane experience. He was hooked. A month after that we had the home check, paperwork all filled out and was ready to adopt our first dane. Luckily, the people at the rescue knew what they were doing and fit us with our perfect match, Bruno (aka Kusko).

The day they called to say he was ready to come home I cried and couldn't wait for him to arrive. Once he did though, the realization of how big they really are hit and we were all in for a bit of an adjustment.

However, it all went great and we have loved this guy since! The pic above was taken today. He really doesn't look bad for the condition his body is in and that he is 7 years old (which is pretty old for an extra large breed).

This pic was taken the night of his adoption after they had left. We let him on the couch for the first few days, but realized that we would no longer have one if it continued (he doesn't share).

Our adoption pic

I wish Costco still sold these beds! They were huge and very fluffy.

Kusko in his better days. He really had some moves for a big clumsy dog.

Kusko has always been the top dog.

Dane Deer

Hope we get to celebrate another anniversary with you Kusko...we know our days left are short, but are glad you've been a part of the family.

What a Monumental Day!

2011-02-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

Our Ayla is such a big girl now! This past week I had to go through all her clothes to determine what fit and most of her 12-18 month clothes had to be boxed up. She's now mainly wearing 2T which is a bit surprising since she's only in her 20th percentile for weight and just turned 18 months on the 1st of February (which means I'm going to have to get her a belt soon for all her low riding pants).

I'm also super excited that we were able to get her hair into a complete ponytail today! I have no idea why it is so monumental to me but I couldn't be more excited! Hopefully she'll leave this hairstyle alone so we can actually have her hair out of her face for a change.

She is just so adorable and already knows how to "cheese" for the camera. We have one adorable little girl!

Ayla's 1st Real Snow Experience

2011-02-07T16:10:00.001-08:00

Finally, it's February and we have enough snow and warm enough weather that we attempted Ayla's first play in the snow. She loved it much more than I thought she would and we ended up out there for over an hour today.

She was in explore mode the whole time. Since the boots I bought her are about 2 sizes too big, in hopes that they will fit her next year, she had a harder time walking in the snow so she mainly kept to the sidewalk (luckily we live on the corner lot and had a lot of sidewalk for her to travel).

In this video she points and says dog just before patting her leg when she hears one barking.

Mama's Little Helper

2011-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Ayla is truly my little sweetheart! Even though she can still be a girly diva she usually has such a sweet and loving personality. She's always good about helping me pick up her toys (even though her attention span may not get the job completely done), she loves to help me unload the dishwasher and now she is even starting to vacuum.

I have to be honest and say it's much quicker to do things myself, but I try to make it fun for the both of us and hopefully someday it will be easier to get her to do her chores.

I'm so blessed with such a wonderful daughter who is always so easy going and wanting to experience new things. She even started going to nursery a month early without any problems. She LOVES it and so do we! We love you Ayla!

A Visit From Aunt Rachel and Uncle Grant

2011-01-31T15:42:00.000-08:00

Uncle Grant and Aunt Rachel were headed to their new home in Chicago so we were lucky to have them visit for the weekend. Saturday was a beautiful day of 60+ degrees and we headed to the zoo.

Aunt Rachel took Ayla for a ride on the carousel.

Ayla was spoiled as always and never had a moment without being held by either Aunt Ray Ray or Uncle Grant.

Sunday night we got together with Grant's Sister, Diane and her boyfriend for dinner and played a few games of Sequence. We had a lot of fun and the weekend went by way to quickly!

Diane and her boyfriend (I'm afraid I already forgot his name, but he was a super nice guy, sorry).

Ayla was so sad that night when we made her go to bed an hour past her bedtime. She really wanted to keep hanging out with Rachel and Grant. Monday morning they left before Ayla woke up so when Ayla went to knock on the guest bedroom door and realized they were gone she started to cry. She hates it when her Aunts and Uncles leave her! I really wish that we lived closer to my family, but now we are all spread out from California all the way to Illinois!

I almost forgot abou this video! We got to witness some monkeys at the zoo having a lot of fun and Ayla was all giggles watching them play.

January Just Isn't Ayla's Month

2011-01-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

Poor Ayla hasn't had the best of times this month. I've always said how healthy Ayla is and that I've never even had to put her on an antibiotic, but this month I guess we played a bit of catch up...

To start off the month Ayla had her flu booster shot and 18 month vaccinations. We then had an appointment a week later for an allergy skin test, which confirmed that she is indeed allergic to peanuts. Luckily, the counts from her bloodwork were low enough that it is hopeful she may grow out of the allergy. She will need to be retested for the next couple of years and if the counts continue to drop then we will be able to do a food test and little by little expose it to her. Of course, the opposite could happen and she could get worse as time passes.

After the allergy skin test we got a little break and then Ayla had the news that she is going to have a little brother...I'm sure we'll find out how she feels about that in a couple of months.

However, last Friday as I am preparing food for the missionaries Ayla starts to fever and cough. The fever lasted all weekend and come Monday evening when Milton got home from work she was very lethargic and had a temp above 102. We decided that we may not want to wait and headed to the ER. Well, that whole experience lasted way too long! 5 hours later, chest scans for pneumonia came back negative, urine sample was ok and our initial assumption of a virual infection was confirmed.

Thankfully, Ayla woke up Tuesday morning with no fever and seemed to be getting better but she was abnormally cranky. This morning I decided to schedule a peditrician appointment to try and figure out why she was so unhappy. Sure enough, she now has her first ear infection and was prescribed her first antibiotic.

So, so sum it all up, we've made more trips to the doctors in just one month than the rest of her 1 1/2 years combined. Poor girl! I think that the picture of Ayla and Milton in the ER gives you an idea of how sick our little girl was (and of course how tired Milton was).

What Are Little Boys Made Of????!!!!!!

2011-01-20T18:58:00.000-08:00

That's right, we're going to find out what little boys are all about! That last two ultrasound scans are pretty obvious (especially since one of his hands just happen to be down there too, lol)!

These scans were the first images we saw as soon as the tech started the ultrasound. He obviously wanted us to know without a doubt of his manhood, whether we wanted to or not.

We are so excited to have Arian Rosas (middle name to be determined) join our family! To correctly say his name it is pronounced in Spanish - trill the r and the second a has an accent (~).

Here I am at 21 weeks. I am much bigger than I was with Ayla and to think that I just passed the halfway point is a very scary thought indeed.

Ringing in the New Year!

2011-01-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

For the past 4-5 years we have gone to the Spanish Ward's New Year party. We enjoy seeing friends and members that we don't get to see very often and miss from when we attended the ward.

Once again, Ayla surprised me by staying up until we headed home around 12:30am. She was fixed on all the people dancing and is obviously going to need to be put in dance lessons soon.
The pictures I took were horrible...I guess I had it on the wrong setting.
Ayla wasn't shy about interrupting her Tios so she could dance too.

Time sure flies by! This is our 5th New Year together, 4th year of marriage, we have a beautiful daughter and a baby on the way. Life is wonderful!

Denver Zoo Lights

2011-01-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

One of the gifts that we received from Tio Gerson was an annual pass to the zoo. Ayla and I are really excited! We LOVE the zoo!

We also received tickets to go to the Denver Zoo Lights, which was really pretty.
The highlight of the Zoo was Ayla's first carousel ride! Luckily, they give you several minutes on it cuz she was frozen in place for some time before she let loose and decided that it was fun.

Our Christmas Holiday

2011-01-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

This year for the Christmas Holiday we headed to Orem to be with Milton's family. We left early Thursday morning praying for good road conditions, which we luckily got.

That night we headed to Temple Square in Salt Lake. Despite the freezing temperatures it was beautiful and Ayla stayed in good spirits despite being very tired.
Ayla with her Abuelos

Ayla, Tio Gerson, Eric (Vanina's boyfriend), Tia Vanina and me

Ayla and her Papa

Christmas Eve is when Milton's family celebrates. Ayla was the angel who put the star of the tree (unfortunately, she was too big to be the angel this year).

About 10:30 at night is when the festivities begin by a yummy dinner.

Afterwards we opened the gifts.

Even Kusko and Bahlu were invited to the party.

As you can see, Ayla is always the centerpiece of all the pictures.

Ayla was spoiled! Milton and I didn't buy much this year, but her Tio and Tia sure made up for it. Thank you for making it such a memorable Christmas!

We made the mistake of giving her the baby bottle as one of her first gifts and she wouldn't let go of it the whole night or the following day.

Christmas Day Grandma & Grandpa Anderson, Rachel & Grant and McKelle and Ben came over for dinner. Grandma brought with her an old baby doll blanket, which Ayla loves to wrap her babies in and feed them like a good mama.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures that night or for the rest of the trip...not sure what happened.

We left the day after Christmas to head back home. On the way we stopped in Price to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa Garff. Grandpa looked remarkably well from our last visit a couple of months ago. We are grateful for us both being raised in amazing families who love eachother's company. It was truly a wonderful Christmas and we are so blessed!

Ayla's EARLY Christmas Present

2010-12-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Ayla is loved by many, especially her Tios & Tia. They couldn't wait to give Ayla her Christmas present so she got to play with it a little early (besides I don't think they could fit this train set into their luggage).

I think it's an adorable present, I just wonder where the heck are we going to store this thing!

The train tracks took up their whole living room so I know it's way too big to be left set up.

Thank you Elton, Gerson and Vanina for the awesome gift! I'm sure it will get lots of use in the next coming years.

Bye, Bye Chupon!

2010-12-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

Do you notice anything new or different about this picture? Besides that she's trying to ride something that is much too small for her?
Her chupon (pacifier) is gone! Ayla had become very attached to her chupon and had to have it with her most of the time. Milton and I were wanting to break her of it months ago, but there was just so much going on and then I was so sick that it just didn't happen...so a week ago I made the dreaded decision that it was time. I rounded up all her chupons, snipped the ends and handed them to her. I proceeded to explain that they were all broken and she was too big for them anymore. For the first 30 minutes she thought it was funny, but after realizing they were all broken she became quite upset.
Luckily, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. At bed or nap time she would cry for about 10 minutes before falling asleep, but overall it went quite smoothly.
I miss it sometimes when I need the quick fix to make her happy, especially since she is now cutting her top canines....however, it was time to say goodbye.

Ayla's Sure Knows How to Dance!

2010-12-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

Ayla has always loved music! She started head bopping and moving her legs as soon as she knew how. She is now starting to make her own choreography and it sure is fun to watch!

November Updates

2010-12-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, the beginning of November was the worst of my morning sickness so not many pictures were taken....But here's Ayla's ready to go for a walk in the cold!
We were very happy that Thanksgiving was at our house this year and we were able to celebrate with so many of our family and friends. My parents, McKelle and Ben, Justin and Celeste's family, Milton's whole family and a few friends were able to make the trip!

Xander LOVED pushing Spencer around in Ayla's doll stroller (Spencer actually enjoyed it too).

On Saturday we all met at Justin's to have dinner. Rachel and Grant were on their way back from having Thanksgiving in Missouri so they stayed the night there before continuing onto Ut.

Grandpa & Grandma

Justin, Celeste and Spencer (Xander was too busy playing to join the picture).

My family!

Ayla has become quite the toe jam picker and will take every and any opportunity to do so, even if it is someone else's toes, LOL.

After finding no lint in Spencer's toes she had to check her own.

On Sunday my family left so we headed over to Tio Elton's to hang out. Ayla LOVES to listen to music!

Thank goodness for Ayla's abuelos! Abuelita was so much help the week and a half they were here. I was starting to finally feel better but she made sure that I did as little as possible. She is always so much help and we just love when she's here to take care of us!

Why I've Been MIA...

2010-12-08T09:39:00.001-08:00

There's a reason I haven't posted in 2 1/2 months...And you can contribute it all to the picture below, our first ultrasound of the little nugget. I was really sick with Ayla and even more sick with this one. The morning sickness (all day sickness) started right at four weeks and didn't end until midway through 14 weeks. Yep, that's 2 1/2 months of seeing way too much of our toilet!

Poor Ayla, she didn't make it out of the house much and play time was very limited. She's such a sweetheart and would pat my back while I threw up (I hope she hasn't been traumatized). She even got to where she would "fake" throw up with me.

Luckily, I managed to only lose a few pounds where with Ayla I just didn't care and ended up losing 12 pounds (either way I was chatised by my midwife that I shouldn't be losing weight). I'm finally out of the major morning sickness and feel almost back to normal.
A lot happened during that time. Ayla started taking her first steps at the beginning of October and had it perfected on my birthday, Oct 27th. Her favorite walking practice was grabbing a book from the book shelf and bringing it back to me (who of course was curled up on the couch trying to stay alive).

Papa still finds the most random things to put Ayla in and she loves every minute of it.

One morning I wondered where Ayla had gone off to and sure enough she was getting into things...This one being her old walker (which should have been put away months ago). I couldn't figure out how she did it, but eventually got some pics of her in progress. She would start by climbing up the back and pulling herself forward.

Once she was forward enough she would slide her feet into the walker.

And tada...she's in.

Halloween was a lot of fun! We spent it with the Gagon's who really know how to throw a cool party.

Ayla had picked out her custome months ago while shopping at Costco. Yes, she did pick it out herself and held onto it the whole shopping trip giving it lots of hugs and kisses along the way. By Halloween she was a pro at walking!

On Halloween day Milton was asked by a good friend to baptize her daughter Astrid.

Ayla and I hanging out at Justin and Celeste's for the afternoon. Ayla LOVES her cousin Spencer!

We were invited to celebrate Kaden Talbott's 2nd birthday. Ayla had a lot of fun playing with the big kids!

She's just growing up way too fast!

We Have Some Good News!

2010-09-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yep, Ayla is going to be a big sister!

Since I don't believe in due dates, this awesome event should happen sometime in May!

Viva Mexico!

2010-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

On Sept 14 we headed to San Luis, MX to visit Milton's uncles as well as celebrate the Mexican Independence Day. Ayla did really good on all four flights (we had a layover in Phoenix).
Phoenix is a very kid friendly airport! There were play areas in most of the boarding areas and when Ayla started to fuss one of the airline workers brought over a bag of crackers for her.

We arrived in Yuma and Milton's uncle Chaviez picked took us to San Luis, AZ where he has his main home and then onto San Luis, MX to his second home (which are only about 2 miles apart from eachother). Tio Chaviez works as a Pediatrician in Mexico and his wife, Blanca works as a nurse and a lawyer. Their two kids, Jessica and Sal go to school in San Luis, AZ.

I know what most of you are thinking! Where is Ayla's car seat? Well, it was in Tio Chaviez car and in MX kids don't even know what carseats are. Ayla was very proud to be strapped in like everyone else.

The first morning we were there we hit the good food first thing with Tio Jaime.

Ayla LOVED the plate of carne and ate it all each time we went.

We had our own guest room in the back of the house, which looked exactly like a motel room (bed, couch, tv and bathroom). It was a perfect and comfortable visit!

Ayla and her Papa ready to go to the Independence Day Festival.

Showing off her new dress!

Sal, Tio Chaviez, Jessica & Tio Jaime.

Milton's cousin Veronica that is currently going to college in Yuma.

After having lunch with Veronica we went to an infamous Prison in Yuma.

Can you imagine being locked in these cells in 115 degree weather?!

Tio Chaviez was the perfect host and made sure we had such a good time!

Ayla was so thirsty! The heat really took it out of all of us!

That night we hung out at Tio Chaviez AZ home. Ayla had them all wrapped around her little finger!

I couldn't keep Ayla out of Sal's or Jessica's rooms. She would always go looking for them and they were so good to play with her.

On our way to eat some more good food in Mexicali. Tia Blanca, Sal, Ayla & me.

Family Pic!

We even got to take Ayla to the beach for the first time! The Gulf of Santa Clara is only about 1 1/2 hours away from San Luis. The water and beach were perfect!

Jessica, Tio Jaime, Tio Chaviez and Sal comparing their diving finds.

Ayla showing off one of her seashells.

Ayla had no fear of the water! We couldn't turn our backs for a second or else she was off heading straight into the water.She is a true beach bum and was absolutely exhausted once the day was through.

Ayla insisted that she hold onto their dog, Tika while we were waiting for Tia to pick us up at the border.

We were very sad to leave! We had such a good time and are so excited to go back sometime soon!

Ayla's 1 Year Photo Shoot

2010-09-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

How did she grow up so fast?!!!

I have a lot to catch up on with our blog, but I'll start with Ayla's 1 year photo shoot. A good friend from my childhood, Jammie Hansen, took Ayla's pics while we were in Utah. She did such an amazing job and really captured some great pics of our beautiful princess.

Of course, the day started off rough with molars coming and lack of sleep, but we got lucky and got some great shots. The one above is my favorite!

If you ever need someone to do your pics, contact Jammie! www.jammiehansen.com

Utah Trip - Week 2 - McKelle's Wedding

2010-09-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday, August 27, was McKelle's Bridal Shower.
Ayla was very happy with all the attention that Aunt Ray Ray gives her!
The whole week before McKelle's wedding there was a lot of things that needed to get done. While dipping pretzels in chocolate Grandpa was so kind to take Ayla on a bike ride.

Afterwards she hung out with him while he set up the sprinklers.

If she wasn't being entertained she explored whatever possible. Her favorite was emptying all the kitchen drawers.

Or, helping to rip the tops off all the onions.

The night before the wedding Ben's family put together a rehearsal dinner that was very yummy.

Grandma, Grandpa, Great Great Aunt Beth and Great Grandma

Ayla really loves her Papa.

I didn't get very many good photos, so once we get them back from the photographer I'll post more of McKelle's wedding. Here's the couple, ready to say the "I do's."

The day was perfect other than the wind. Ayla was the flower girl!

Jammie Hansen, who I've known since we were just toddlers, was the photographer for the wedding.

After the reception we had the wonderful task of takedown and clean up. Of course, the grandkids found ways to entertain themselves. Climbing in the car was Bennett's idea and was quickly followed by Abram and Ayla.

I'm so glad that Ayla has such fun cousins to play with, even though they may teach her a few unwanted tricks.

Utah Trip - Week 1

2010-08-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

The first week we stayed in Utah (August 22-27) we hung out with Ayla's Abuelos. Abuelita gave Ayla her very own first ice cream cone. It took a while for her to figure out how they are to be eaten.
She seriously ate the whole thing! After it was all gone she kept telling me by her baby sign language that she wanted more and when I didn't consent she had a meltdown. Luckily, it was bed time so that we the end of the night for her.

I got to see a good friend Nicole and her daughter Tatciana.

Tatciana was really excited to see her cousin that she had never met before!

Milton's parents take care of an elderly couple in their ward, the Browns. They invited us up to their condo in Snowbird for the day.

We took a hike in the mountains, which were absolutely beautiful. Abuelita and Ayla had so much fun together.

I also met up with another good friend that I worked with years ago in Sandy. Michelle has always been a good friend.

Soaking Up Every Bit of Summer

2010-08-15T16:41:00.001-07:00

Last summer Tio Elton bought a boat and a wave runner and so these past two weekends we have been at Chatfield Reservoir enjoying time with friends and family. Ayla was very excited and wanted to go on the banana boat (sorry, maybe in a couple of years sweetie).

Tio Gerson bought Ayla a life jacket, which I can't believeit says it will fit a baby 20+ pounds. She couldn't even move her head while wearing it.

Milton looks a bit lost.

Abuelita looking good on the front of the boat.

Gerson, Me and Vicki after we got dumped off the banana boat (I definitely think we were abusing the banana boat and going on much rougher waves and speeds than it is intended for).

Ayla was so relaxed while in the boat and cuddled up to anyone who held her.

Ayla and her Tio Elton. Thanks Tio for such a great time!

A good friend Astrid pushing Ayla around at the swim beach.

The float was never used for anything both trips other than Ayla's place to hang out and eat.

Yesterday at the lake uncle Justin and Xander caught a frog. Luckily when Ayla gave him a kiss he didn't turn into her prince charming or else I would have had to kill him.

Gerson, Fai, Lily, Leilani and Hermana Santiago

Vanina raising the flag that we have people in the water

The best was when Milton, me, Marisa and Marcus went together. I think I'm going to need to see a chiropractor after those spills. Poor Marisa got slammed in the back of the head by my legs when we got tipped.

Fai, Lily, Mama & Leilani

Ayla LOVES hot dogs and we had to cut her off after two.

Uncle Justin, Marcus, Tia Vanina and Tio Gerson

Ayla really likes the water!

Ayla's Newest Skill, TANTRUMS!

2010-08-15T15:32:00.001-07:00

This past week has been a bit difficult...Ayla has started to throw tantrums. I know they are tantrums when she can easily get distracted or if I pick her up all seems to be well again. The other day I was quite wore out from the tantrums and decided to let her scream it out in the hallway while I worked on my church calling in the office. She had her head down on the floor, screaming away and then I heard a thump and Ayla's crying intensified. All I could think is that Bahlu had just fallen down on her, but when I went out to investigate he had laid down in front of her was trying to put his head in her lap. He was obviously very distressed that she was sad.

However, she wanted nothing to do with his comfort tactics and kept trying to shove him away.

As you can see in this video, it was a full on tantrum because as soon as my phone started to ring she snapped out of it and crawled away to go find it.

Random August Happenings

2010-08-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Ayla and her loyal steed (I meant dog). Bahlu loves Ayla very much and is always attentive to where she is and what she is doing. It looks like Ayla is howling in the pic, lol.
Today we went to the Spanish ward since Milton's parents are still visiting. Ayla really enjoyed the grass and small hill outside.
She was rolling around and trying to lay her head down and when the grass would touch her face she would start to giggle.

Ayla loves eating! When we went out to dinner this last week with Milton's family. Ayla had food in each hand and resorted to eating like a dog just so she wouldn't have to put anything down. She is always the center of attention and loves every minute of it!

Takin the Monkies to the Zoo

2010-08-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

My good friend Brittany and I usually meet up for the zoo about twice a month this summer. The kids always have a blast and it's amazing how each time we go Ayla gets more and more into looking at the animals. Kaden is pointing out a bird that was right up against the glass.
She paid such close attention this time around and loved being in the double stroller with Kaden so she could "pat" him on the head constantly, which of course he let her know he did not like.
If it wasn't Kaden getting a pat on the head then it was always someone else, this time around Mikey was close enough for her to reach. We had a blast and enjoyed pool time back at our house afterwards.

Bubble Fun

2010-08-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

We are so glad that Abuelita has been here the past few weeks to play with us everyday! Yesterday we pulled out Ayla's new bubble machine. (Can you tell that Bahlu is ALWAYS a velcro dog? He never misses anything).
Way too many bubbles!
She was quite fascinated by all the bubbles and the noise that thebubble machine made.

Later we took a quick trip to the park. Of course, the swing is always Ayla's favorite!

Ayla ridin' in style!

"Hey, what you lookin' at?"

My Little Basket Case

2010-08-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

It seems that with the one year birthday came a whole new stage for Ayla. She has really began to PLAY with everything (including things she's not supposed to). One of her favorite things is playing peek-a-boo her own way. This usually consists of her putting blankets, clothes, her toy baskets or anything else that will go over her head.

Now That's Some Big....

2010-08-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Now that's some big zucchini! The manure that Justin brought to our garden must be some good stuff! Actually, my zucchini plants are HUGE and right next to our wood pile, so I must have overlooked this one for quite some time! Now that's some big ears!

Picking Up Toys and Bugs

2010-08-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

Abuelita taught Ayla how to pick up her toys! Gotta love the sound effects that have to go along with it.

Ayla and I had gone to the garden to get some lettuce and a little grasshopper came back with us. Ayla's reaction to the grasshopper is so cute! Note: No insects were harmed in the making of this video (or at least he was still alive when I put him back outside).

Ayla Turns 1!

2010-08-03T16:06:00.001-07:00

First picture of Ayla on her birthday! We were all pretty tired after Ayla's party the night before, but I decided to make us some breakfast before church. Ayla hasn't been a big fan of eggs, so I spread some guacamole all over them and sure enough she ate them all.
While we were waiting for Papa to get ready for church Ayla decided to conquer the rocking chair. She has become quite the little monkey and has to crawl and climb over and on top of everything possible.
Once she climbs up she has to get back down to try it all over again.

"Look mom, I did it again!" She's cute even when she has boogers!

After church we were invited to a good friend's house to celebrate Yesenia's birthday. Yep, two birthday parties in one weekend! Astrid (the girl holding Ayla) wanted to hold and help Ayla get around while we were at the party. They were so cute together!

That night Ayla's tios came over and helped her take all her new toys out of their boxes.

She was so excited and just didn't know which one to play with.

She really likes the one that we got her. It can also turn into a little car that she can sit and scoot around on. She's growing up so fast!

Sunday night it was a bit hard to get her to wind down and get ready for bed. She kept getting off my lap and heading back into the living room to play with her toys. I eventually had to shut her bedroom door to keep her contained while I got her ready for bed.

We love Ayla so much and are excited to see what this next year has in store for us!

Ayla learning how to walk with her car.

Ayla's 1st Birthday Bash!

2010-08-03T15:09:00.001-07:00

Wow! One year has already come and gone since Ayla joined our family. I've been so excited for her first birthday party ever since she was born and it was definitely the best party we've ever thrown! We didn't do a head count at the party, but we invited about 80 people, of which almost everyone came. Friday morning I started early with the monkey face cupcakes, which were going to be the main theme of the party. Unforunately, the cupcakes were a bit of a disaster, resulting in over 30 of them being trashed. Luckily, I was able to save the others with a lot of frosting. reeses, twizzlers, m&ms and wafers.
Here's the table deocrations that I finally completed Saturday afternoon just hours before the party. I was so glad that Milton's mom was here for the week and offered so much help or I would never have been able to pull it off.
Milton was the grill master for the party and of course Ayla was the center of attention!
The menu consisted of hot dogs, hamburgers, carne asada...

Flautas (a party favorite that I've made for every party this summer), sides, desserts, etc, etc.

Ayla's favorite was the hot dog dipped in spicy guacamole.

Here's a shot of the backyard while everyone is digging in.

We sung happy birthday and assisted Ayla in blowing out her candle.

I had to coax Ayla in eating her cupcake (weird, huh?) She's not a big fan of cookies or cake.

Ayla letting me know that she is all done!

After all the food was literally licked off the plates we got out the pinata. Ayla had been eyeing it all day and we couldn't keep all the other kids off it.

Me and my best friend Brittany.

Brittany's parents, Scott and Maxine with their grandchildren Riley and Marsella.

The pinata almost made it through all the kids before it's head was decapitated.

Even Ayla got down and grabbed herself some candy.

Ayla's first sucker, which she very reluctantly gave up come time to open presents.

Uncle Justin and cousin Spencer

Ironically, the Powell's gave Ayla and Care Bear bubble machine that was identical to the pinata.

Ayla was very excited for all her presents and gave them all big kisses and hugs.

Her favorite was the sock monkey! Very true to the theme of the party!

The party went on until the sun went down! It was such a blast and we are so glad to have such close friends and family to celebrate such a special occasion. Thank you everyone for coming, contributing to the awesome food and spoiling our little princess!

Here's a video of Ayla hitting the pinata.

Utah's Pioneer Day Celebrations

2010-07-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, July 22nd we headed out for Utah to join the family in the Pioneer Day celebrations. On the way there we stopped on in Price to visit Grandpa Garff who had a stroke mid-June (just one week after we stayed with them during our last visit to Utah). The above picture was taken in June when Ayla and I stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Garff.
As you can see, Grandpa's stroke has really changed him. I knew that he had a long ways to go in recovery, but I wasn't prepared for how much damage the stroke had done. Luckily, he is still quite alert and he still has his sense of humor.

After our visit in June Grandpa couldn't stop talking about how much he loved Ayla, especially her name. He was very happy to see that she had come to see him and couldn't stop telling her how special she was and how much he loved her. We asked Grandpa if he could give us any words of wisdom, of which he replied "Love one another!"

Grandpa has always been very vocal about how much he loves his family. A typical conversation with Grandpa has always been,

Grandpa: "You know I love you right?"

Me: "Yes, I do."

Grandpa: "Good, you had better not forget that because your Grandma and I really love you."

Me: "I've never doubted Grandpa, I love you too."

Grandpa: "Good, you better not forget it!"

We love you Grandpa! Thank you for all the kind words you've given to me and to my family.

Friday night we made our way to Fairview's Horse Parade. And if you are wondering why the chairs are all tied together that's what we have to do in Fairview in order to make sure we get a spot to view the parades!

This was our favorite zebra (I mean horse).

After the horse parade we headed onto the rodeo. Ayla had a lot of fun being passed around from person to person and seeing all the animals.

All the cousins LOVED playing together. I think Bennett's favorite part was sliding underneath the table!

Saturday was the official Pioneer Day, which began with the children's parade. Justin and Bram took Abram and Xander on the four wheelers. Xander was so excited afterwards, especially since his little brother Spencer was "waving" to him from the sidelines.

McKelle was part of the parade in representation of their Softball State Championship that they took this year.

Milton, Ayla, Xander, Justin and Grandma all front and center snatching up all the candy.

Even Kusko joined us for all the celebrations. He was sporting his spike collar while laying in the shade. He was quite the celebrity with people coming up to pet him and take his picture.

That afternoon we had a BBQ at Grandma's with Uncle Doug and Uncle Jeff's families. Grandma had all kinds of games for the kids, such as the sand pile with hidden treasures, fishing pond and a BB gun shoot out.

For the teens Grandma had Milton hide 3 $20s for them to find. This is the backyard that I grew up in, which definitely has lots of memories!

That night we headed over to the rodeo grounds again (which is in Grandma's backyard) to watch the Demolition Derby. This derby has been going on since the beginning of time for Fairview (or so it seems). People (including Grandma) had to campout just to buy tickets for this once a year event.

It was definitely worth it, cuz we all had a blast!

I don't know what came out worse, the cars or Ayla's post derby hair! After the derby we all headed back to Grandma's to sit out on the lawn and watch the fireworks.

Sunday afternoon Kat and I made cupcakes in celebration of Xander's, Abram's, Bennett's and Ayla's birthdays, which are all only 3 months apart.

We were pretty happy at how they turned out since we had to decorate them in a hurry.

Milton assisted Ayla in blowing out her candle.

Ayla and Bennett just stared at their cupcakes for a bit before they decided to dig in.

Ayla really didn't care much for the cupcake, but wanted the strawberry and blackberry toppings instead.

Post lunch pic of the babies. LOL!

For some reason I think most of the pictures of Ayla are when she's running around in her diaper, which I promise she does get dressed. She's just always in her diaper come time to eat or else she would ruin every outfit she has.

Sunday evening we went up to Great Grandma Anderson's to eat leftovers and hang out.

Monday morning we headed back home. On the way we met up with Ayla's Abuelos to pick up Abuelita who is coming to visit for the week. I am very excited to have her here since she hasn't been able to come visit in a long time and Ayla needs some time to get to know her and she'll be here for Ayla's first birthday party.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for making such a memorable week! It was a lot of fun and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Ayla's 1st Independence Day!

2010-07-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Ayla was all festive for the 4th of July, thanks to her Grandma Anderson who purchased the dress last year when we were anticipating Ayla's arrival.
We had a pretty relaxing day with Milton's brother's and sister.

The Santiago family came to join us for dinner. Which Ayla ate a TON of (to start, baby cereal, hot dog, fruit, corn on the cob and then she topped it off with an ice cream sandwhich).

She was actually taking bites of the corn!

Unfortunately, it was a very wet holiday so we had to stay indoors, except for when her Tio Elton thought it would be a good idea to go and dance in the rain.

Ayla's cute white dress made it almost through the whole day, but she found her Papa's coke and helped herself to a drink. Needless to say the dress was drenched!

We didn't make it to the fireworks since it was still raining come night fall. We decided that we would just go to bed at our normal time since it just isn't worth it when you have a sleepy baby.

Kusko is a Fighter!

2010-07-02T19:51:00.001-07:00

You can't under estimate the will to live! Kusko has proven that over and over the past couple of years, even though his health has taken a turn for the worse.

The vet appointment went relatively well. After counseling with the vet, we've come to the conclusion we've done about all we can for Kusko. We feel good about where we are at right now and will continue to enjoy each day we have left with him. However, his spirit is still very much alive most of the time even if his body isn't.

It really seemed that getting out of the house last night for the appointment really boosted his spirits and he had a better day today than most, so I decided to take advantage of it and go for a walk. Our hopeful destination was a park not far from our house. I knew this was going to be a huge stretch for him and had Milton on standby incase he had to come pick him up.

The round trip to the park, including time for Ayla to play usually takes about 30 minutes, but it took us over an hour tonight. He only fell 3 times, one of which he was able to get back up on his own. I don't think that I'll attempt this long of a walk with him again, especially after seeing how bloody his paws were afterwards. He especially loved the pats he got from Ayla.

And of course she loved it too! Look at both of them grin!

When to Say Good-Bye???

2010-07-01T15:51:00.001-07:00

What can we say....we are dog lovers and have fallen in love with our two Great Danes, Kusko and Bahlu. However, we all know there comes a time when we have to say good-bye. Kusko has always had joint problems since we adopted him 3 1/2 years ago. We've been able to manage it all through limited exercise, play, some pain meds, anti-inflammatories, glucosamine and fish oil, but within the past month his health has declined significantly. We've known this day would come but was hoping that he would make it beyond a mere 6 1/2 years of life.

Two years ago we had a neurologist give Kusko an exam and they determined that he may have had a torn ACL at one point that was never taken care of as well as some arthritis. They didn't think he had Wobblers (which was what we had taken him in for) since he was 4 years old at the time and most Danes are diagnosed while puppies. However, I wasn't convinced and have always thought that Kusko has Wobblers, which is an abnormality of the spine resulting in the compression of the spinal cord. Kusko is now unable to get up especially if he falls down (I don't know how much longer I can lift a dog that weighs as much as I do off of the floor). We've have put rugs down where he is most likely to fall, but even that isn't helping much anymore. He has now shown signs of losing control of his bladder and his front paws are beginning to knuckle when he's trying to step down or get out of his crate.

Both of these pictures have been taken within the past few days. In each one he has fallen and of course Ayla takes the opportunity to go say hello. Both dogs have been so good with her and she loves them dearly.

We don't want to make any quick decisions since he is very much a part of the family. Kusko has always been my walking companion and enjoyes his exercise. However, he hasn't been able to leave his house or even his crate for the past 6 weeks.

We have an appointment with the vet tonight to determine what our next and possible final step will be. We are hoping for a miracle but are prepared for the worst. The appointment will mainly be for counseling to determine his quality of life. We definately want him around as long as possible and as long as he's happy. Unfortunately, he has started to whine and cry quite often (and not only because of the pain), especially when we are heading out for a walk.

I've shed many tears in the past couple of weeks and am dreading the day when we will have to say good-bye. We love you Kusko and are so glad that you are part of our family.

This is a video of Ayla and Kusko from this afternoon. Ayla had escaped from me mid-dress as soon as she saw Kusko was on the floor.

Fun Times in the Pool

2010-07-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Last summer Milton bought Ayla and Xander pools. The pics in this post are all a bit random since we've had many pool play dates.

We've had several play dates with our friends and family.
Ayla loves being in her baby float.

Ever since the FIFA World Cup her favorite thing to do is raise her arms up while we scream GOOOAAALLL! Besides the typical Mama, Papa, Dada her first official word was GO (trying to saying Goal).

She is a very vocal baby and will scream at anything she thinks is worth screaming at.

This is our first little dip in her pool.

Mexico vs South Africa

2010-06-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

The World Cup is here and Mexico's first game was Friday morning. Believe it or not Milton had the Carne Asada, beans, rice and guacamole ready by 7:30 am. Everyone sported their Mexico jerseys (or onesie) and enjoyed the game. Unfortunately, it was a tie so we hope that Mexico can win all the rest!
Ayla was so glad to be with her Papa after a long time away in Utah.
She loved hanging out with her Tio Elton too!

I managed to pull myself out of bed for the occasion as well despite being exhausted from our trip.

Utah Trip - Part 2

2010-06-12T17:42:00.001-07:00

For second part of our trip we first headed up to Clearfield. Along the way we stopped at Uncle Brad and Lisa's house to visit. Ayla was coaxed by Jared 3/4 of the way up their stairs. Luckily we already have baby gates!

We also met up with a childhood friend of mine at Murray park. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics other than Ayla eating her cucumber, which she LOVES.

Ayla really loved Brandon's dogs. Here is Ayla and Nike having a stare down.

Nike even taught Ayla a few tricks, including squeezing herself between the couches.

After a night at Brandon's we headed up to Kathryn and Bram's in Samak. Ayla was in toy and kid heaven! They had so many toys and Abram was so good to entertain both babies.

I joked about how redneck Bram has become since moving to Utah. Here he is shooting the gophers in the yard and Abram is right behind him in his underwear (he doesn't usually run around in his undies).

You gotta love his boots that are so worn out from his constant use.

Monday morning we went to the Kamas Aquatic center. Ayla loved the floaty especially once we got in the shallow end and she was able to run around as if it was her walker.

Later that day we picked up the Uhaul trailer in Heber and headed to Orem to visit Ayla's Abuelos. She was loved constantly!

Tuesday we headed to Scera park and put Ayla in the swings (her obvious favorite at the parks).

While Abuelita pushed her I sat on a bench and Ayla would look over her shoulder and wave to me.

Ayla has really become mobile within the past couple of weeks. She is cruising along everything and starting to look less and less like a baby everyday.

On the way home from the park we stopped by my old neighbor's house to say hello. This pic is of Barb. As some of you may know I lived in Orem just a block away from Milton's parent's house for a year before I moved to Colorado. A bit ironic that I ended up meeting him a couple of months after moving to Colorado...I know we would have ended up meeting sooner or later regardless of whether I made the move or not.

Abuelita takes care of an elderly couple and had to go show Ayla off to Sister Brown.

Abuelita gave Ayla her first doll. She's never really been exposed to dolls, but she immediately knew what to do by hugging and giving her kisses.

Wednesday morning we drove to back to Fairview to pick up my mom's piano that she gave to us. It was the piano that I played on growing up and was so excited to bring it back with us. I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of the trailer, which was not only loaded with the piano, but a bed, box springs, clothes, shower doors, etc.

After loading up the piano we headed to Price to visit my Grandpa and Grandma Garff.

My childhood best friend, Myndi, lives in Price as well so she brought her three kids over for a quick visit.

Finally, Thursday morning we headed home with the trailer in tow. We were so excited and glad to see Milton that the trip seemed to take FOREVER! Ayla did so good the entire time we were away, but I am so glad that I have a husband who helps me out with the day to day things and taking care of Ayla. Two weeks of being on my own was way too long! We had to make a few stops along the way, one of which was my favorite rest stop just East of Glenwood Springs. It was absolutely beautiful! The river was full, the trains were going by and it was so green.

Ayla enjoyed crawling all over the grass and pulling out as much as she could at a time.

Despite sleeping most of the way to Colorado Ayla was EXHAUSTED when we got home. I think she was relieved to be home and in her own crib.

Here's a cute video of Abram teasing Ayla and her funny reaction. She just couldn't handle some of the excitement!

Thank you everyone who made our trip so enjoyable.

Utah Trip - Part 1 Continued

2010-06-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize on my last post that I had missed so many pictures of our time in Fairview, especially the pics from McKelle's graduation (which was the biggest reason we even went to Utah).
Kathryn and cousin Bennett

The graduate with her niece and nephew

McKelle with Grandma Anderson

Ayla and my cousin's little girl, Brooke

Ella (Steve and Laura's girl), Brooke and Ayla. They were all jammin' and dancin' in a circle.

Our Road Trip to Utah - Part 1

2010-06-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Ayla and I headed to Utah on May 27th for a two week trip. We made a stop in Grand Junction for lunch and she was loving crawling all over the grass.
We made it in good time and shortly after we arrived so did Aunt Kathryn and her two boys, Abram and Bennett. Ayla and Bennett were so cute together! We did have to watch them closely to make sure they didn't crawl down the stairs, bite eachother or push eachother down, but overall they played so well together.

Grandpa went to the park with us and was pushing Ayla much higher than I was comfortable with...but of course Ayla loved it!

Grandpa Anderson passed away almost 4 years ago. I hadn't been to his gravesite and the moment I saw the back of the headstone I knew it was his. I have felt him with me many times since he's passed and hope that I always do. He was a very influential person in my life and I am so grateful that we grew up just a block away from my Grandparents. Thank you Grandpa for all the sacrifices you made and the example you were to me!

The back of the headstone. It was so beautiful and the inscriptions gave such a wonderful picture of what his life was like.

Uncle Victor and his family came to Fairview to pick up a few bummer lambs. We tried to get Ayla to pose with the lambs, but instead she wanted to play with the dogs that were laying nearby.

Tuesday we packed a lunch and headed west of Fairview to the original homestead of my Great Grandparents Selma and Cleon Anderson. Some of the family members decided a few years ago to restore the homestead.

Glad I never had to live there!

Here's the pictures of the humble couple.

The memorial sign is posted on the front door of the cabin.

It was a bit chilly on the ride.

Ayla and her grandparents overlooking the Fairview valley.

I got Angel when I was in middle school and she's still alive! That makes her about 12 years old, which is amazing for a farm cat.

Wednesday night I got to meet up with some childhood friends. This is Stephanie and her daughter Seattle. The picture was taken by her 6 year old son, Damien...pretty good huh?

Great Aunt Beth (Grandma's sister) has always been an important and sweet person in our lives. She lives in Fountain Green so we all decided to make dinner Thursday night and head over for a visit.

Ayla was definitely the life of the party (are we surprised?) She wanted to touch everything possible, including Aunt Beth's bird chi chi.

Friday morning we were head up to the SLC/Orem area to visit more family and friends for the second part of our visit. Grandma made us a yummy breakfast and Ayla decided that she no longer wants me to cut up her bananas. I had turned my back for just a second and she was going to town on the banana, peel and all. I guess this explains why her favorite animal is the monkey.

Our little changita.

Welcome to the Family Baby Spencer!

2010-05-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Justin and Celeste were blessed with another handsome son, Spencer Thomas Anderson. He was delivered by c-section last night and both mom and baby are healthy! We were able to go and meet him for the first time today and am so excited to have another nephew/cousin.
I don't know if Ayla was too happy about another baby being on my lap though...Poor little guy got his first slap in the face : (

I must admit that I prayed he would come a bit early so I could hold him before I head out to Utah for a couple of weeks. He is so adorable and looks just like Xander.

Despite some jealously Ayla was still very attentive to her little cousin.

Milton was able to get work done a bit early so we all could go together to see him.

So cute!

The proud parents!

Grandma Priday brought Xander over for an afternoon visit. He was very excited to see his little brother!

He was so excited he even gave Curious George over to Ayla (as some of you may know he is VERY attached to George).

Here's a video of Ayla running down the hall (with help from her Papa of course).

Xander is an excellent big brother. When asked what his baby brother's name is he says Pinecone (which you may not be able to hear in the video). It became Xander's nickname for him after his Grandpa Priday said that maybe they should name him Pinecone. Congrats Justin, Celeste and Xander! He's adorable!

Ayla's Sock Mishap

2010-05-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

While on our way over to say good-bye to the Gagon's house and to pick up some of the artificial plants they so graciously gave us Ayla was unusually quiet. When we got there I noticed she had a very long string in her hand and her sock had obviously had a blowout. She must have pulled and pulled on the string until she undid the whole seam...For some reason I found this quiet funny, especially since they were brand new socks (go figure!)

Rachel and Grant's Short Visit

2010-05-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

This past week has been BUSY! I finished painting upstairs, cleaned the carpets downstairs, went to a friend's BBQ on Friday night, Relief Society Activity on Saturday morning, had a BBQ at our house on Saturday night. As some of you may know that we are well known for our BBQ's. I spent 2 days cooking and preparing for it! We had invited over 60 peoplel, most of which did come. Unfortunately, I didn't take a single picture!!! All that work and nothing to show for it! However, the food was awesome and so were all the guests.

And then tonight we had a BBQ in behalf of our short visit with Rachel and Grant. They were on their way to Chicago for the summer and taking a little vacation to Cancun between their drive out there.

Grant's sister, Diane, lives in Aurora so she was able to come over for the night as well.

Xander really enjoyed the rocking horse.

Rachel held Ayla most of the night.

After dinner we all played Phase 10 and enjoyed our time together. It was good to see Rachel and Grant and wish them the best in Chicago!

I Shouldn't Have, but I Did!

2010-05-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

After running some errands I decided that we would make a quick trip to check on our community garden plot....Of course I let my ice cream craving get the better of me and we stopped at McDonalds Drive-Thru on the way. While getting Ayla out of her carseat she noticed I was eating something and HAD to HAVE it. I relented and of course she LOVED it.

It's been kinda nice that she eats just about anything we do...but there's no hiding anything from her either. Even if she is eating the same thing we are she still wants what is on our plate instead. What can I say...she has parents who like to eat and she's inherited our genes.

One taste just wasn't enough. I'm not sure who had the most.

On our way back from looking at our garden (which is starting to sprout) I didn't have a napkin with us so I decided that licking her face would be the fastest way to clean her up. She thought it was hilarious and I happened to get a picture after the first lick, hence the reason only one half of her face has ice cream.

Oh, Ayla! We sure love you!

Milton's 32nd Birthday and Haircuts

2010-05-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today is Milton's 32nd Birthday! We got up early and went to get some breakfast. Ayla really liked drinking apple juice...

And of course she wanted more!

Shortly after Milton had a hair appointment...much to my dismay he decided to cut it off. Here's a before pic.

This is just a small amount of hair that was cut off. It was definitely enough to cover a small dog.

Ayla also had a small haircut. Her bangs were getting in her eyes and she had some very long strands of hair in front of her ears.

She did so well and didn't even put up a fight.

Here's the after pic of Milton and Ayla. We really miss his long hair...

Happy Birthday Milton! Ayla and I love you very much and appreciate all that you do for us!

Little Miss Independent

2010-05-10T18:28:00.001-07:00

Ayla has grown up quite a bit lately and decided that she no longer needs to nurse or eat baby food. It's been a bit bittersweet, but she has shown interest in everything we are doing and wants to do the same. Here is her first grilled cheese sandwich with some green beans. Even though it takes her a lot longer to eat now, she is much more content than me trying to force baby food anymore.

She really likes strawberries and even had her first egg quesadilla. She definitely LOVES her Mexican food, especially black beans. She knows what she wants and will smack her lips until she gets it!

My first Mother's Day

2010-05-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

What an awesome day! Mother's Day has definitely taken one a whole new feeling and meaning to me. I am so thankful that I was blessed with such an amazing daughter and look forward to having more children. Ayla, thank you for choosing me as your mom and I promise to always do all I can for you!

April Update

2010-04-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a bit behind on my posts and thought that I better give a quick update on what we've been up to this past month. Justin and Celeste invited us to go to the circus with them, which was a big hit with Ayla.

She really liked Xander's sword that lit up and blinked. Xander was great with sharing and let her chew on the top.

Ayla has always loved going to the store and now that she is big enough to sit up in the carts it has taken on a whole new level of excitement. No matter where we are she is constantly screaming and talking to whomever may walk by. Despite how much I'll try to get her to sit up straight, she will eventually be lounging, one leg the way it's meant to be and the other propped out to the side.

Brittany, Kaden and Austin went with us to the WOW (World of Wonder) Children's Museum, which was more of a huge playground, but a lot of fun. Ayla had just started to get the hang of crawling so she was quite content just playing on the baby mat.

Kaden had fun with all the grocery store produce.

And Austin put together a few puzzles.

They even had a lizard that Ayla really liked.

Ayla has started to point at just about anything or anyone (hopefully nobody is offended by her impolite manners). She especially likes it if we point back or touch fingers.

After several weeks of trying to get to the zoo it was finally warm enough to go. All the male peacocks were giving us quite the display (or should I say the lady peacocks).

Once again we spend quite a bit of time with the Primates since it is our favorite!

When leaving the primates there was a gorilla that was sitting right against the glass. Austin and Kaden were quite excited to be so close to the best zoo animal. Thanks Brittany for always bringing us along to the zoo!

From Army Crawl to Inch Worm

2010-04-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

Ayla just about has the crawling down...I feel excited seeing her learn and grow so quickly, but sad too. I just want her to stay my little girl forever and I know that isn't going to be the case for much longer.
Ayla started army crawling at about 6 months and the past 2 weeks she has started to get up on all fours, rock back and forth and then she'll push off with her feet, which usually results in a bit of a face plant or belly flop. She has her legs all ready to go, but the arms are a bit behind in moving with them. I know it won't be long now before we'll truly have to baby proof the whole house, put up baby gates and watch her every move.

Here's the belly flop.

Ayla's First Easter Sunday

2010-04-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was not only Ayla's First Easter Sunday but we also had our LDS General Conference. I decided that I wanted to continue my childhood tradition of hiding our Easter baskets. The above picture is of Papa and Ayla getting ready to start Are we Hot or Cold?

Milton was a bit of a poor sport and didn't want to waste anytime. He found it a bit too quickly...I had hid it in between the dresser and wall in the guest bedroom.

Ayla's basket was filled with toys and an outfit and book that Grandma Anderson had sent to her. The dinosaur was one that she had picked out and was the toy she played with the most for the rest of the day. Milton couldn't understand why I would get such non-baby friendly toy, but I find that the toys she picks out always become her favorites. Maybe I'm giving her too much freedom of choice at such a young age...

Ayla wasn't too happy in this picture since we kept taking away the Easter grass that she was trying to eat.

This picture was from last Sunday of her in her early Easter dress that Grandma Maxine Gagon had given her. She looked absolutely adorable! Thanks Maxine!

Ayla's Kisses and Hellos

2010-04-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Ayla has become more and more social with everyone around her. I haven't noticed much separation or stranger anxiety (even though she may act a bit shy at first), so I'm hoping that we can bypass that stage completely....
She is known as the "singer" at church and she does have a lot to say. Besides her amazing vocal skills she's developing she's learned a few others. This past week she started waving hello and giving us kisses. I love both, but getting a kiss from her when I'm least expecting it has been such an amazing feeling. Being parents truly gets better and better each day!

Ayla giving me kisses.

Ayla waving hello. Thank you Grandma Anderson for the adorable outfit she's wearing!

Ayla's First Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-05T10:25:00.001-07:00

Ayla experienced her first Easter Egg Hunt this past Saturday. The Gagon's invited us to join them at their family Easter Egg Hunt, which was such a blast. It was a quite windy so they decided to have it at Ian's house.

She was finally able to pick up the slippery plastic egg.

She was feeling like such a big girl while carrying her own basket. We didn't let her keep any of the goods that she found since she wasn't able to eat them anyway, but it was definitely worth the pictures and experience.

Of course her Papa is always teasing her!

And he even puts her in the most odd things. I think she was actually a bit comfortable sitting in her basket.

Puppets on Strings

2010-03-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

We got this puppet over a year ago when we were in Mexico and Ayla just noticed that it has been hanging in her room. This afternoon Papa was playing with her while she was sitting on my lap and she was cracking up like we've never seen her before. Unfortunately, she doesn't laugh as much in the video since it is her nap time and she isn't sitting on my lap anymore, but it's still so stinking cute!

Rock a Bye Baby

2010-03-20T16:22:00.001-07:00

I don't mean to be biased by we truly have the most adorable little girl ever! She brings so much joy and laughter to our house.

Sometimes entertaining her can be the hardest thing, but the simplest of objects can keep her occupied for the longest time.

I've been meaning to get a video of one of her newest activities, which is rocking. The beanie really has nothing to do with it, but both together made it even better to watch.

Some Our MANY Projects

2010-03-20T16:08:00.001-07:00

We've been quite busy already this year doing home maintenance projects. It's been going on 4 years since we renovated the house, so it's time to do some work. I've been painting the kitchen all the floor and base boards and still have a lot more painting to do. When Milton renovated the house they stuck to pretty much the same paint color throughout since the original intention was to do a fix and flip, but we decided to keep in when we got engaged.

I have decided that this year I am going to give a garden a try. In our backyard I will have the tomatoes, sunflowers, pumpkins and squash. For all the others (beans, peas, lettuce, spinach, etc) I am going to buy a plot at our community garden. I think it's awesome because all I have to pay is $20, which includes a 10x20 plot and water. One of the reasons out of many that I am doing a garden is my new church calling which is the Welfare/Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for our ward. So, yes I have a lot to learn!

Since Colorado has such a short growing season I was advised to start most of my plants in pots and the above flat about 6 weeks prior to planting so that they will have the best shot at harvest before the frost comes.

Milton has also been very busy too...We do have a fairly large plot for our house, but most of it is front and side yard, so we've decided that the two large trees in the back need to go so we can accomodate for the small garden, Ayla's pool and room for our patio set. I have no idea how Milton did it, but he was able to take down the smaller of the two trees. However, after over 2 days of work on this one alone I think we'll leave the larger one to the professionals...It was dark by the time he was finished so I wasn't able to get a good picture of it and then it snowed later that night. I just hope the dogs don't end up falling into the hole or breaking a leg!

Of couse, the work never ends!

Ayla's First Time at the Pool

2010-03-08T20:23:00.001-08:00

Ayla's is ready for the POOL! I think she could feel the excitement because she was all pumped up before we even left the house (which was shocking since she didn't take very good naps today).

We weren't sure what to expect since this was her first experience, but she had a blast! She was screaming in excitement (her way of communicating) at everyone around her, including the ladies in the locker room.

Her favorite was the shallow part where she could sit up and splash away. She is such a sweetheart and we love every minute!

A Touch of Spring

2010-03-04T17:32:00.001-08:00

Milton and I have been quite busy this past week getting back into our workout routine, home repairs, painting, etc...So, I decided that we would take part of the day off to enjoy the 55 degree weather. Brittany and her boys joined us to Ayla's first trip to the playground. We put her in the swing and she acted like it was something she's been doing her whole life.

I think she liked looking at the ground the most.

Kaden on the other hand didn't like the swing at all!

Austin was all over the place, climbing and exploring.

And Ayla just watched all the excitement from below.

She's really taken to the finger foods, but sometimes she just eats it right off the tray (maybe she thinks she's a dog already).

I can't believe how much she's grown! She's sitting up investigating anything within her reach. One thing I can't figure out if why does she like her toy boxes better than the actual toys?

February 26th Will Always Be A Special Day

2010-02-26T22:07:00.001-08:00

While at the temple today I was thinking back on the past 5 years and how much has happened in just a short amount of time. I made a big move from Utah to Denver, met Milton, dated him for 1 1/2 years, got hitched, adopted Kusko and Bahlu, went to the temple to be sealed one our 1 year Anniversary, excelled in my job, had a beautiful daughter, decided that I was going to be a stay at home mom. etc etc...Then it occured to me that the 26th of February has been very good day...

Four years ago Milton said the three (long awaited for words), "I love you." Now, normally it may not be something I would remember the date over, but in this particular case I did. By that time Milton and I had been seeing eachother for almost a year and I had confessed to him several months prior that I was falling in love with him. When I told him that I was falling in love with him all I got was...silence...followed by more awkward silence...then he went on to say that he wasn't a person to say what he didn't mean (basically he wasn't in love with me, definately not what I was wanting to hear). However, he did think we were going to get married some day. HUH? How can someone think of marriage before they can even say that they love someone. But I held on for some reason and knew the day would hopefully come...soon. It did about 3 months later and that's why I remember it so much. February 26, 2006 started a good trend.

One year ago today we got to have the amazing ultrasound to find out how baby was doing and the sex. We had actually found out in an earlier ultrasound that she was a girl, but on February 26, 2009 we got the final confirmation. I had felt from the moment we found out I was pregnant we were having a girl and every thought went directly to baby girls.

Then today I had the most amazing day at the temple. Not only did I feel the peace and knowledge that I was part of a much bigger plan, but it was so wonderful and that I got to spend it with great friends, my wonderful husband and my beautiful daughter. What a great day!

Not for Those with a Weak Stomach

2010-02-18T16:06:00.001-08:00

You may be wondering what the above picture is and as I warned you in the title, if you have a weak stomach you should move onto to the next post. The last couple of weeks has been a bit difficult. Bahlu has always been the puker and Kusko the pooper and we got a lot of both. Now, I love big dogs, but I have to admit that I don't like the larger things that come with them (poop, puke, slobber, vet bills, etc).

Bahlu started throwing up two weeks ago and it got worse and worse. The morning that we found the above puke in his crate we knew we had to take him to the vet, especially since he was losing weight and there appeared to be blood in his puke. Ayla and I took him to the vet and feared the worse, but luckily he had a bacterial gastro...(yeah, I can't seem to remember the medical terms) infection. He had to be put on several medications and a bland chicken and rice diet. If you're wondering how he got the infection the truth is SQUIRRELS! Those darn animals bring junk into our yard and halfway bury them only for Bahlu to dig them up and eat it. One time in particular just shortly before he got sick I found him munching on a crab leg shell.

In report, he hasn't puked in several days and seems to be on the mend. Now we just have to get him to gain back 15 pounds.

Kusko has always been the "princess". We would know that Bahlu had just puked when Kusko would have a panic attack. Every time he would run around frantically and refuse to go near the area that Bahlu had just thrown up, which was usually their room. Well, one morning Milton went upstairs to discover that Kusko had literally "crapped his pants" after one of Bahlu's sick episodes. The video is quite hilarious since Milton always adds humor to every situation. If you're thinking of getting a big dog, don't let this dissuade you because they really are great dogs.

February 2010

2010-02-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night I had a get together with some of the ladies from church and Ayla went over to her Tio's house. Once the party was over we were both so exhausted we didn't even make it to bed before falling asleep.

Ayla had her first bubble bath and had to try and taste them all.

A couple of weeks ago we went to Casabonita with Justin, Celeste and Xander. Ayla and Xander loved the rides on the way out of the restuarant.

Justin didn't appreciate that we let them hold hands, but of course Celeste and I thought it was adorable.

Ayla's first ride!

Ayla's new puppy cousin, Gerber. He's a miniature poodle and as cute as can be.

Why Babies Shouldn't Be Let Unattended

2010-02-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

You know when your in the other room and hear a crash that baby has gotten into something. Sure enough, last night that's what I hear and Ayla had decided to rearrange my vase.

I guess it's time to start baby proofing...Ayla has learned to use her walker to get ahold of things she shouldn't. Once again I heard and crash and go in to see that she had knocked over my picture frames.

Of course, she throws a fit when you take away the things she shouldn't have.

The Zoo in the Winter?!!

2010-02-11T15:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, we went to the zoo in the cold of winter! Brittany invited us to go along since they have a guest pass and of course I couldn't pass it up. It was actually very pleasant and quite deserted so it was perfect for a lazy afternoon. The animals were much more active than I've ever seen before, so they must have been much more comfortable with less people around.

Ayla was quite bundled up! She had thermal lined jeans, long sleeve onsie, t-shirt, snowsuit and her fishing hat.

She didn't particularly care for the elephants and took a little snooze.

She woke up in time for the primates. Her favorite was the silver gorilla (you can see him behind her head). We hung out there for quite some time to let the kids play.

Getting some face to face with her good friend Austin...don't be trying that when you're older dude!!

We had a really good time. Thanks Brittany!

Happy 1/2 Birthday!!!

2010-02-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

Happy 1/2 Birthday Ayla!!! (We are trying to get her to point to February 1st on the calendar). We can't believe that is has already been 6 months since we welcomed Ayla into our family. She has grown so much and brings so much needed laughter to our home everyday. She has a lot of people who love her...

Her Papa loves her!

Her dog Bahlu loves her!

And her Mommy loves her most of all (well I'm the one writing it so I get the last say)!!!

We love you Ayla!!!

Green Beans and Teeth

2010-01-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

Ayla experienced a lot of new things today. First, she woke up about 5 this morning, which is about 2 hours earlier than normal and had a rough time going back to sleep. I didn't think much of it until later that morning when I was feeling her gums and sure enough that little bud is now a little tooth. After several months it finally broke the surface! I just don't think that I'm ready for it yet...

Second, she had her first baby food besides cereal and oatmeal. I thought that we would start with the "nastiest" and then hopefully she would like them all, but it didn't really work out that way.

She hated them!!!! After just a few bites she would no longer open her mouth, such a stubborn little girl!

Third, she had her first sippy cup with water. I have given her sips out of my cup before and she seemed so interested I thought she would catch right on, but I think she was a bit afraid of anything going into her mouth after the green bean experience.

At least she seems to get the idea of it.

January 2010 Updates

2010-01-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

January has flown by and we have had yet another busy and happening month! My Mom, Kathryn, Abram, Bennett and Rachel came out January 4-9th while McKelle decided whether or not she would like to stay. We had a lot of fun hanging out and letting the grandkids play!

Friday night we all went out to Beau Jo's Pizza. Uncle Justin is so good with Ayla and is always wanting to play with her.

Ayla was even getting some tips from Xander on how to color.

McKelle and Rachel

The whole group!

While McKelle and I were shopping I couldn't help myself at the Children's Place! They have the cutest clothes and I had to get her the hat. I went home to tell Milton that I couldn't help spoiling her and his reply was "You are just spoiling yourself. She could care less if she wore the same thing everyday, it's you who thinks she has to have it all." I guess he does have a point, but she will appreciate it someday when she sees all the pictures and how cute she was!

It's amazing how she's catching onto the idea of play and toys. She was just overwhelmed by her toy box and couldn't decide which one she wanted.

After much deliberation she chose the stuffed cat.

She has also out grown her baby tub and has loved the freedom the sink gives her!

Ayla Brings in the New Year!

2010-01-15T22:42:00.000-08:00

Tia Vanina dancing with Ayla at the Spanish Ward's New Year's Eve party.

Milton's classic scary look! He never means to do it, but it sure comes out in a lot of pictures.

Ayla's sure got a lot of New Year's kisses. Aunt McKelle came home with us after Christmas to see if Denver would be a place she would like to live.

I can't say I've ever looked forward to another year before, but with Ayla in our family I'm so excited! We've already started planning her birthday party, our summer activities, etc, etc. She just brings so much fun into our lives!

McKelle finally decided to give dancing a shot and Milton was very happy to take the teacher role.

McKelle did get the hang of it rather quickly.