M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E

That's right, we went to Disneyland! The day after Christmas, we packed Serra into the car to drive 3 hours for a day of fun. Overall the day was a success- Ian and I got to ride some of the "adult" rides without Serra and we got to ride a lot of the "kid" rides with Serra. We also got to watch the parade and a princess storytelling by Snow White. I think it's safe to say that our trip to Disneyland was the best day of our trip to Ridgecrest. Below are some of my favorite pictures from our day.

Serra and I on a ride- I think it was Pirate of the Caribbean.


Ian and Serra waiting for our canoe ride. [We loved how the life jacket pushed Serra's cheeks up to her eyes.]


Serra taking a nap while we were walking through the park to our next destination.


Ian and Serra is the rocket for Astro Orbiter. Every time Serra saw the rockets spinning she would point and grab at the air saying she wanted to ride it. I wish I would have gotten a picture of her huge smile after the ride!


Serra and I with our Autopia driver licenses. :)


It was a bit of a tight fit in the car at Autopia.

By the end of the day, Serra was pooped, but we never got a picture of her with Minnie and her mouse hat- so this was the best we could do!

The Tavish & Charisse MacGregor Family 2008

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas with Ian's family. Christmas Eve I got to play "Santa" with the rest of the women- here is our stockings laid out on the couch.

With 16 people, the Christmas tree was just a little crowded...

Here we are Christmas morning with our Christmas Eve pajamas- and something a little extra. :)

Serra was very excited about all the toys she got- before we left, we opened the big gifts and gifts from my family. Some of the presents opened then are a kitchen, table & chairs, shopping cart, Little People doll house, a new baby doll, and some cute outfits. In Ridgecrest with Ian's family, she opened up a mop and broom, vacuum, washer, books and tons more. Ian's main gift was a big stack of DVDs and PC games we bought at Black Friday sales. My main gift was a red Kitchenaid- that I am super excited to use!

We hope you all enjoyed the gifts you received- and giving gifts, too. But hopefully your Christmas season also included some wonderful spiritual aspects. On Christmas Eve, I went with some of Ian's family to see a live nativity outside of their chapel. I had never seen anything like it- they were just people standing in the cold dressed as Mary, Joseph, wise men, and shepherds. They didn't really do any acting except changing positions, smiling and nodding at each other. But their dedication to what they were representing was touching. The best part was when one of the kids there wanted a closer look at the baby Jesus. It was kind of out of place to have a child dressed in a down coat and pajama bottoms standing next to a manger with shepherds and wisemen, but soon all of the children there followed suit- and I couldn't help thinking about how we're supposed to be child-like. Would any of you have left the group to walk forward and look at the baby Jesus closer?

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, Tomorrow- You're Only a Day Away!

We leave for our Christmas break- you guessed it- TOMORROW! We're SO excited. Not just to get out of here, and to get presents, but also to see family [some who still haven't even seen Serra], to have time together- and apart [which is harder than it sounds with Ian working from home now]. The next two weeks should be filled with fun- we only hope that each of you also has a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

baking, Baking, BAKING!

Serra and I spent the day with Denise [one of Ian's aunts] in South Jordan baking up a storm. Serra had a pretty good time for the most part playing with Denise's youngest while we were busy. We managed to make Mounds, 2 kinds of fudge, Cherry Mash, cookies, Brownie Pops, Orange Juice Balls, and Gingerbread! It was a fun day, but man is my back aching! And now I have to get rid of some of these treats- or maybe I'll bring them on our trip to Ridgecrest and try to fatten up Ian's family. :)

Pay It Forward

I'm participating in a Pay It Forward Exchange. Who wants to play? I will send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward Exchange. You will receive your gift within a month from leaving your comment. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. I can't guarantee it will be anything amazing, but who cares if it is FREE! Remember, you have to have a blog to participate and must Pay it Forward on your site as well. Who's ready to play? Please leave your e-mail in a comment if I don't already have it.

New Stuff

Well, I thought I should finally update those of you who haven't seen us in the last month... we got a letter in the mail from a car dealership stating that they would give us above market for our car if we traded it in... and below market for a brand new or used car on their lot. So we thought we had nothing to lose and went in to see how fair a deal they'd give us. What we didn't expect was to come home with a van! We got a 2008 Chevy Uplander for less than half the price and they gave us almost double what our little 2005 Chevy Aveo was worth! We love our new van- it's fully loaded with all the bells and whistles. And Serra loves watching movies on the DVD player while we drive- especially at night. Also, her car seat is on a captain's chair so it's a little higher up than she's used to and she can actually see completely out the window! So we're all thrilled. Here are some pictures I took today, but we've had the van since the end of November- we were keeping it a surprise for our Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation, but decided we've waited long enough!




Also, I have been kind of sick of wearing ponytails everyday, but I didn't have the time or the energy to waste on doing my hair each day. So I went to a new stylist and paid the most I've ever paid for a haircut [not hard to do since I would go to the student places here and use coupons...] but I LOVE it! There are so many ways to style it- and it just takes a few minutes and sometimes a little product. Here's one of the styles I wear it in most of the time. [It's also dyed black, but my sister Paige did that for me a couple months ago... I need to redo my roots]. Sorry the pictures are a little blurry, but our camera is kind of on the fritz.

I LOVE Olive Garden!!!

We decided to go out tonight and took Serra with us. Ian and I have always been fans of Olive Garden, but now we're hooked! Not only do they have the BEST appetizer [Caprese Flatbread] but they also give you salad and breadsticks with any meal purchase- and they have the BEST salad! So, we order Manicotti to share and load up on breadsticks and salad. And we decided to try the Chicken Flatbread this time. Turns out he accidentally ordered the Caprese when he punched in our order- so they gave us the Caprese AND the Chicken Flatbreads- BOTH for free for our "troubles"! Insane! So we each ended up taking two bites of our manicotti and brought it home- with some leftover breadsticks and Caprese Flatbread. Then, to top it all off, Serra even decided to love their food- she kept pulling Ian's salad plate over so she could steal lettuce, tomato, olives and croutons! She even ate boths flatbreads and breadsticks too. Then after we were waiting for the check, she decided to try the manicotti and ate a few bites of it! This was certainly the easiest it's ever been to please her with food- so from now on, if we're going out as a family it's to Olive Garden we go!

Christmas Tree!

I finally got our Christmas tree up- it's a huge tree and takes a lot of effort and time [especially because I can only do it when Serra is asleep or she'll get tangled up in the branches and lights!] Since we won't even be home for Christmas, we decided to just do the tree and lights [and I don't want Serra taking ornaments off and bringing them to me throughout the day!] But it's still a pretty amazing tree- and we almost have all of our presents under there [man they sure look bigger now that we get toys, etc. for Serra... our presents were always so small before!] :) And yes, there are a few spots without lights, after getting the tree up a few strands decided to not work. And I've been too lazy to replace them yet!



Also, today I was putting out all of our other Christmas decorations while Serra finished her breakfast and she immediately wanted down to help me. So I decided to let her help a bit- and here's what she decorated all by herself [our favorite is Santa's sleigh flying straight up].

Simply Fun Party - Cancelled!

Well, no one RSVP'd that I sent invitations to [which said to RSVP on them]... so I called around and everyone said they couldn't [or wouldn't] make it. So the party is a no go- for now at least. I had all kinds of goodies made and we were ready to have fun playing games, but it just wasn't meant to be I guess! And now I'm at a loss, because I was going to use my Host credit towards Christmas gifts- so I guess some people just won't get these new awesome games this year. :) Anyway, we're thinking about trying again next month- but this time I'm going to ask people what day would be good for them BEFORE setting the date! I'll let you know when I have it scheduled!

Thanksgiving

We spent this Thanksgiving with some of my mother's family in Logandale, Nevada [about an hour north-ish of Vegas]. Serra had so much fun "chatting" with everyone, getting tickled, and just being silly. Ian and I went out shopping first thing black Friday morning and got a lot of great deals- mostly movies and games for Ian, but a few other things too. :) It was nice to spend a few days with family, but it's also nice to be back and unpack our suitcases! I guess it gave us a taste of what Christmas will be like- 2 WEEKS of vacation!!! It's going to be fun, but it's also going to a long time away from home...

SimplyFun.com

I went to a party hosted by Ian's aunt in the Jordan area and had SO much fun. Instead of the typical, our product is so great you should buy it jargon, we actually just sat around and played the actual games that they sell- no pressure at all to buy- and it was tons of fun! So much fun in fact, that I am now hosting my own party- and anyone in the area is welcome to come and play with me! It's Wednesday, December 3rd at 7pm. I'll even have refreshments- just let me know if you're coming so I can plan the right amount of goodies! [If you need my address again or directions just let me know!]

Tis the Season!

For those of you asking, our wishlists are still posted online, just go to www.kristenspoetry.com/wishlist

Crazy 8's

I've been tagged again- so here goes!

RULES
1. Post rules on your Blog
2. Answer the six "8" items
3. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 FAVORITE SHOWS
1. American's Next Top Model
2. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
3. House
4. Psych
5. Monk
6. The Office
7. any Law & Order version
8. Everybody Loves Raymond

8 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY
1. woke up :)
2. showered
3. made waffles for breakfast
4. comforted Serra while she teethed several teeth :(
5. went to church
6. conducted music in Relief Society
7. made dinner - not always done every day :(
8. and then I went to bed!

8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO
1. Thanksgiving- Nevada!
2. Christmas- California!
3. finishing Christmas crafts
4. putting up my huge & beautiful Christmas tree
5. Serra turning 18 months and going into NURSERY!!! :)
6. Ian's retirement [I know, it's a long way off, but I can have long-term goals!]
7. February 20th, 2010 [those involved know why :) ]
8. moving to Pocatello... hopefully eventually!...

8 FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
1. Olive Garden
2. Sizzler
3. Johnny Rockets
4. Cafe Rio
5. Don Pablos [Ohio]
6. La Gondola [Illinois]
7. White Castle... they really need one in the West!
8. Iceberg- but just for their HUGE shakes :)

8 THINGS ON MY WISH LIST
1. a makeover
2. a new camera
3. kitchen gadgets
4. movies
5. furniture
6. gift cards
7. anything to do with crafts
8. more time with family...

8 PEOPLE TO TAG
1. Cassie
2. Jes
3. Allison
4. Denise
5. Molly
6. Becky
7. Malia
8. Erika

Eyeballs and Ten Teeth!

Serra now has TEN teeth- we couldn't believe it when we finally pried her mouth open and counted them. It's amazing to think she had one 2 just a couple months ago...
Also just for fun, Ian and I decided to take pictures of our eyes really close up and use Adobe Photoshop to figure out what color the computer thinks our eyes are. Mine are obviously a bright shade of blue, but we are unsure of what to call Ian's and Serra's eyes. Here are the colors Adobe came up with [although I think mine is a little off... and therefore Ian's and Serra's must be just a little off as well.]

Ian's Blue-Gray

Kristen's Blue

Serra's Green-Gray

Silly Serra...

I can't tell you how many times in a day I'm calling Serra "silly"- she is such a nut! Not even a full 24 hours after I post silly pictures of her last week, she decides she has to go out and top them all! She's been quiet for a little while [usually not a good sign] so I go to investigate what she has gotten into this time. I suppose I should have been looking to see what she had gotten UNDER... she had pulled my lace tablecloth off of the end table in our living room and was wearing it over her head like a ghost... or a bride! What a silly girl!

Then of course after she had Mommy laughing hard, she had to walk around the house and find Daddy to show him what she had done [I guess she thought it was hilarious that she had put a blanket over her head but she could still see through it because of the holes!]

Funny Moments

Here are some pictures of some funny moments this past week.

"showing" for nothing

Well, apparently they didn't like our house because we never received an offer. We never received any feedback either- our real estate team isn't the greatest in that field. It's frustrating, but what can we do? Our contract with them ends next month, but I don't know if we should really switch to anyone else. After hearing our "sob story" they agreed to discount us to 5% realtor fees instead of the normal 6%. Any other realtor will still charge us 6%... which we can't really afford. But these realtors aren't really doing the job... so I don't know- we'll let you know what we decide next month! But just an update from our Halloween showing- no sale! :(

Babysitter

We decided to find a babysitter for Serra for those times that we just need to get away- my sister, Paige, can only watch her so much! So I asked around and, long story short, found a 15 year old girl in our ward. Her name is Rachel and I used to visit teach her mother, Nancy. She came over for a couple hours tonight to meet Serra and Ian and to give me a chance to show her around the house/Serra's schedule, etc. And for the first time ever, Serra didn't come running and screaming into my arms when we came back after leaving for a short while! I guess she really likes Rachel! So we'll be leaving her here when we go to the next BYU game next week. Ahh, time away is going to be nice...

A lot of guts...

Last Thursday, on my father's birthday, some jerk decided it would be a good idea to walk in our garage, open our car door, and steal my wallet- right during the time most of my neighbors were getting up and going to work! Thieves nowadays sure have a lot of guts! So I've been busy the last few days with things other than Halloween... calling VISA, closing bank accounts, ordering new cards, notifying my medical insurance in case of fraud, calling the police, writing statements, getting my picture taken. What a perfect time of year to waste money on fees for closing accounts, ordering new checks, etc. Christmas shouldn't be affected too much, but it has certainly changed the mood around here. We're constantly checking to make sure our garage is closed- and we lock our car even though it's parked in our garage [and I don't keep my wallet in the car anymore- although that one is annoying because I've driven off without it a couple times now!] It's sad that I have to adjust my life because one person took it upon themselves to try and ruin it- all for $1 in change, a $25 Sizzler gift card, and a fraudulent $45 gas charge. It's been hard trying to stay cheerful when in fact I'm thinking about all the ways to help the police catch this guy... Hopefully I can eventually forget about it enough to go back to living my life- but remember the lessons I've learned from this horrible experience! So to those of you who are even less careful than we are- beware! The world isn't as safe as you think [not even Utah is exempt from crime].

"Trick or Treat!"

Serra caught on to the idea of Halloween a LOT quicker than I thought she would. By the second door, we would let her ring the doorbell and if they didn't answer within a few seconds she was smacking her hand against the door! When they would lower their bowl of candy for her to choose one, she would take her time and make sure it was one she wanted [Twizzlers and M&Ms were her favorites this year]. And if she thought she could sneak more than one, she would grab a whole handful and give them the cutest grin- knowing full well they couldn't refuse such a cutie! Needless to say, she has more candy than she needs- but she thinks she needs it all the time. Here are some of our favorite pictures of the day.Our little angel grew horns!

Getting dressed for the event!

Posing with Aunt Paige.

Mommy "devil", Daddy "vampire" and Serra "pumpkin"

Serra enjoying her day's spoils.

Remodels

A few changes have occurred in our home [or outside of it]. I tiled a small part of our kitchen wall- a backsplash behind our oven. So far everyone who has seen it agrees that it really added to the kitchen. Also, our back-yard neighbors finally decided to put a fence between our yards [that's nice because now people know that the large patch of weeds is their property and not ours!]

A showing!

I'm trying not to get too excited, but we have a showing set up for this Friday! What a weird day to look at homes... Halloween and all... but I don't care, I'm just excited that someone is looking at our house! Whether they give us an offer or not is a whole different issue, but it's a step in the right direction! That would be such a great gift for the holidays- selling our house and moving, finally! But I won't hold my breath. :) We'll keep you updated.

"You Have To Eat Those First"

Dreaded last words...

We had dinner at my Aunt Kim & Uncle Tom's house down in Orem and Serra was a riot! My favorite part was when Kim was giving her some graham cracker cookie treats and Serra was just smiling and flirting with her to get more. Finally, she started resorting to pointing and grunting to ask for more and Kim said "you have to eat those two first" because she already had 2 on the table in front of her. So... Serra immediately plopped both cookies into her mouth and, while chewing, pointed at the box for more! Another time, Tom said that Serra was lucky because Kim wouldn't give him cookies if he just pointed and grunted. That conjured up one of Serra's best scowls- whether at Tom or Kim, I'm still not sure.

I need to get a picture of her scowl, but I just haven't conquered that feat yet!

We still have humor

Just to show that we still have some humor about the whole house-selling thing....



We've had a lot of neighbors asking what our new sign is... I guess they notice a sign, but don't bother to read it! :)

Wall*E

Ian and I just watched the Disney movie Wall*E and can I just say what a super duper cute movie! How funny the things that Wall*E goes through day to day and then when Eva comes... hilarious! But my favorite part by far was the fact that the movie starts with "Hello Dolly" clips- my favorite movie of all time since I was 4. In fact, Wall*E idolizes "Hello Dolly" and wants to be like Cornelius. Anyway, I just wanted to give a shout-out that if you're looking for a cute family-appropriate movie, Wall*E is a hit! :)

Where's Your Belly Button?

Serra has recently discovered her belly button- she is so funny! She has had the recent fascination with pulling up all of my layers to find mine- and pulling on the hairs on Ian's... and now she's discovered that she has one too! She keeps stopping in the middle of playing to pull up her shirt and take a peek and she just giggles... so cute!





She's also figured out where something else is...

Kids Say The Darndest Things!

Recently when Serra has wanted a drink or a bite of something that we have been eating, she has taken to saying "mine" while pointing at it. Needless to say, it gets her point across! However, today, Ian was eating ice cream and when she did her typical "mine" act he just laughed and said no. She furrowed her brow [a new facial expression just this week] and then said "bite?" Figuring that was the closest he'd get to a "please", he gave her a bite!

Also, we've taken to visiting Serra's aunt, Paige, in her classroom after school gets out. Since the quarter is coming to an end, Paige's class has been busy with students trying to make up tests they failed before. Today, Paige left for a minute to go to the bathroom and the 2 girls in there started talking and giggling instead of working on their tests. Serra walked over to them and started shouting and pointing- clearly telling them to "get back to work!" When they finally got the hint, she walked back to me and started laughing at her own cleverness.

She does the funniest things- I couldn't possibly blog them all, but I'll try to remember and write about a few of them as they come up.

I must be a slow runner...

I'm always tagged! Oh well, it gives me something to write about! :)

This tag is called the Brillante Weblog-Primio 2008 Award. Doesn't make a whole lotta sense, but figured I'd give it a try.

The rules: Answer the following questions with one word answers and pass it on to seven others.

Here are the questions:
1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Where is your significant other? downstairs
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? cheerful
5. Your father? helpful
6. Your favorite thing? happiness
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your dream/goal? MOVE!
9. The room you're in? extra
10. Your hobby? crafts
11. Your fear? death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? family
13. Where were you last night? walmart
14. What you're not? hungry
15. One of your wish-list items? camera
16. Where you grew up? midwest
17. The last thing you did? baby
18. What are you wearing? pajamas
19. Your TV? old
20. Your pet? none
21. Your computer? updated
22. Your mood? tired
23. Missing someone? multiple
24. Your car? red
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? general: walmart clothes: DownEast
27. Your summer? short
28. Love someone? lots
29. Your favorite color? difficult...
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? dunno

I tag Becky, Allison, Michal, Malia, Erika, Brittany, and Lorie [all fam!]

Personality- and then some!

So, Ian put Serra on our sink counter while he was making her bedtime bottle- thinking it would keep her interested if she could see what he was doing [she was screaming for her bottle]. When all of a sudden he looks over and sees that she grabbed my toothbrush and sat in my sink "brushing" her teeth! What a nut!

Picture Tagged

Well, apparently I am supposed to go to my 4th file of pictures and put my 4th picture on here and talk about it. I organize my photos in a unique way... I have my personal pictures from growing up in one area, Ian's growing up pictures in another, and our pictures together in a third place. I decided I should probably do our pictures together for this- thinking it would be a wedding picture or something [apparently I haven't scanned all of those yet though...] so what I came across was this:

Not exactly what I expected.. but since I was tagged by my friend, Michelle, I didn't want her to see me not go along... and being so thrown off by the picture chosen, I couldn't really think of a clever way to choose another picture to put in its place without feeling like such a cheat. Talking about this picture is another issue- because of all of the emotions involved. Next week will be 9 years from when my mother passed away- so this is a bit of a reflective time for me anyway. Also, I look pretty silly in this picture with my bleached-blonde hair... what can I say, I haven't always followed styles! [Kind of like the dress I'm wearing, but I was wearing it for sentimental value- it was my mother's]. However, this picture is not from my mother's funeral- rather, it is from my father's funeral- 3 1/2 years ago. We wanted to take one last picture before he was lowered into the ground next to my mother. I hate to admit it, but I haven't been back to their gravesite since this picture was taken. [Living on the other side of the country could have something to do with that though...] Anyway, I'm supposed to tag 3 more people with blogs for them to also follow this assignment- hopefully it's a little more pleasant for you! [My friend Michelle came across a HILARIOUS picture - click on the title of this and it'll take you there.] So, I tag Megan B., Molly A., and Amy M. Good luck- I'll be watching for yours! :)

Nothing Much...

I don't really have anything much to add, I just noticed I haven't written for a while and thought that maybe I should! Serra decided to grow some more teeth afterall and 4 shot out from the top of her mouth just yesterday. We're a little nervous because her 2 bottom ones are overlapped/crooked and these 4 are REALLY spaced apart. I was told when I was younger that I had my father's line of teeth and they get worse and worse with each generation. I was hoping that none of my kids would get my teeth, but Ian's instead. However, it's looking like Serra may have gotten mine... I mean, have any of you ever seen a child with totally messed up teeth? Not that baby teeth come in perfect, but they aren't usually crooked and spaced and stuff... or maybe I just haven't met the "right" kids... Serra is constantly cracking me up though with silly faces and the things she decides she wants to do. Her latest fascination is with trash- not playing with it, but picking it up and throwing it away. So, I thought we might as well put it to use! So after each meal I ask her to please get the trash [which we have already gathered and put in a bag for her to carry]. She picks it up and carries it to the trash can to throw away. And once she's done that she comes back in clapping her hands and with a HUGE grin on her face. She is so funny! A few of my friends have announced pregnancies in the last month or two... looks like we'll be out of the loop again when we decide to get pregnant- we just aren't timing it right! :) Still no news on moving. We haven't had a single person come and look at the house, but we're trying not to get too discouraged- it has only been 3 months, so it's really not that bad yet. Anyway, we'll keep you posted on anything that comes up!

A new month... and WALKING!!!

Well, September is here- and along with it school, colder weather, and better reason to call Serra a "toddler". She's walking! It took her a while to go from walking a few steps when prompted by Mommy or Daddy to walking any chance she gets, but she's finally doing it- and getting better at it each day. Although she still resembles Frankenstein a little. We went up to Kamas, UT to visit some of my extended family and attend the Francis Frontier Days Rodeo. It was way too cold to go to a rodeo, but Serra behaved and still had fun watching the bulls and horses. We don't really have a lot else planned this month except to continue in our efforts to sell our house- and save money to do so! I've recently acquired a zeal for reading and have begun reading several books- fiction, non-fiction and self-help. I even joined a website called www.goodreads.com to log the books you read and write reviews- I only have 1 review so far, but it's been fun. Hopefully I can keep my enthusiasm! :)

New Ring!

For our 5th wedding anniversary, Ian surprised me by getting me a new wedding ring! I tried to take pictures of it, but our camera doesn't do so well at close up- we need to get a new one, but that's another story. Anyway, here's the factory picture of my new ring- I love it!

Ridgecrest, California

Wow, I guess it has been a while! We've been pretty busy this month. First it was all that hassle with moving, not moving, moving, not moving. Then we had Serra's 1st birthday. The day after her birthday we drove up to Cache Valley for some splurge shopping at all the great Utah's Own stores. Ian was a little upset because the jerkey guy wasn't there, but maybe he will be next year. Then we packed up and drove down to Ridgecrest, California to visit Serra's grandparents [Ian's parents]. It took longer than we would have liked since we had to stop halfway both there and back. But luckily I have lots of family almost exactly halfway, so we got to stay with some of them each time.

Ridgecrest was a lot of fun- Charisse [my mother-in-law] taught me how to quilt and I made a small wall-hanging quilt in a couple of days. And we played around with her embroidery machine to make some cute bibs for Serra. We also spent a lot of time watching the Olympics- crazy stuff! Ian had to work while we were there, but he was able to have fun on his breaks and in the evenings. We brought his younger brother, Gavin, down with us and they got to hang out a bit- shooting hoops, watching videos. It's really made us anxious for our Christmas break when we'll be there for over 2 weeks [and Ian won't work at all!] But with every vacation, it's nice to come home- and what was really special about coming home this time is that our house was CLEAN! We had cleaned it and set it up just in case we had a showing while we were gone [which we did, but they decided not to buy]. So we came home to a nice, fresh, clean home! Serra definitely missed home- and some of her bigger toys that we couldn't bring along. She just keeps giggling and speeding around the place excited to know where everything is and to be able to play with just about anything she can reach [because we've baby-proofed the house so much!]

Anyway, just a little side thought- I still can't believe that Serra is one year old, but when I look at newborn pictures of her I don't even recognize her- she looks totally different! And I've already forgotten what that time was like. I went to Walmart while Serra was napping [Ian works from home, so he was here "watching" her] and I saw this new mom pushing a cart with her little baby fast asleep in his carseat and when she came to the door, she saw that there was a big bump and proceeding through the door VERY slowly as to avoid waking him up. When I saw her do that, it totally took me back- I used to do that! And what's really funny is that the times I would do that would be the times that I could have picked her up out of her carseat, jiggled her, and set her back down to find her still asleep! It's now that any little noise or movement wakes her but I am much less careful. Oh well, I guess I just figured it's not worth the effort or something. But it was really funny to see this newer mother doing something I did as a newer mother and laugh [both at her and myself!] :)

TAG- You're IT!

Okay, I guess I've been tagged! So, here's how it works [I think mostly to see who is reading who's blogs :) ]:

List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts about yourself. Then tag 3 people at the end of your post. Alright, so here we go!

3 Joys:
-Serra
-Ian
-spending time with my favorite sister :)
3 Fears:
-dying young
-losing more family "early"
-the dark [yes, I know it's childish... but I have nightlights in our whole house!]
3 Goals:
-to sell our home in Utah!
-to get the house we want in Idaho!
-to be happy [sounds too overall encompassing, but I could use an unfocused goal occasionally]
3 Current Obsessions/Collections:
-working out/losing weight
-thimbles
-crafts, crafts, crafts!
3 Surprising Facts:
-I have all 4 wisdom teeth grown in and I still have 3 baby teeth!
-I want to go to Ridgecrest, CA [those of you who have not been there cannot understand how surprising that is... I purely want to go out of love for my daughter and a chance for us to hang out with her only grandparents- and it's nice to tell people you're going to California, even if it's not the "California" they think it is! :) ]
-I want another baby already... WAY too soon, but I guess we'll just see where it leads us!
3 People Tagged:
Lorie, Megan, and Cassie

Birthday Girl!

Serra had the best birthday ever! Okay, so it's her only birthday ever... but it will always be memorable to Ian and me.

First, we gave Serra a birthday hat.

Then we opened presents before Daddy had to start working.

Later in the day we had Serra's favorite dinner- tiny pasta!

After dinner, Serra got her first forward facing car seat ride!!!

Next we went to Serra's first movie theater movie! [We saw about 15 minutes of Meet Dave]

Serra's favorite part about the movie theater was the popcorn. :)

On our way back home we got a birthday slushie- mmm, peach!

And finally we went on our nightly family bike ride with Serra's new bike trailer!

And, of course, what's a birthday blog without a birthday suit picture! :)

August 2008

Not a whole lot has changed- no one else has even come to look at our house. I've been getting my hands on some simple craft projects [I can't do a whole ton because my craft room is one of the many things packed and in storage to make our house look less "cluttered" for shows]. Right now I'm making all kinds of hair bows for Serra- she actually has enough hair to hold a hair clip! I am so excited, I've made way too many bows. But I can always keep some as baby shower gifts or something! Serra is nearly 1 year old and we still can't believe it- she isn't walking yet, but she REALLY wants to. I think she could do it, she's just lazy because she knows she can crawl faster. I'm sure it'll happen in the next month or two. We're hoping to go to Cache Valley this month for some shopping- and visit Serra's grandparents in California. Hopefully we can get it all done this month, but we'll see! [It's also our 5 year anniversary- I can't believe it's been 5 YEARS!!!]

New Pictures

I just added more pictures to our slideshow! Just click on the slideshow on the top right of this page and it'll bring you to the webpage where you can view all of them.

*Buyers Beware!*

Well, this has certainly been a terrible, awful, no good, very bad experience! Our buyer was pulling our legs from the get-go. Apparently not only did he have a medical judgement on his credit that denied him his loan, but it turns out he lied about how much money he makes. He doesn't even make enough money to qualify for a mortgage large enough to purchase our home! I have really been trying to put myself in his shoes and see how he could have thought that he was doing the right thing... but I just can't see it! He lied, he dodged phone calls, he tried scamming us, and he cost us money, time, and emotional well-being by giving us a false offer and continuing to beat around the bush about it! So, we are most definitely- officially- back at square one. Our yard has never looked better though- we did most of the weeding and are working on some edging and gravel laying. We also have a few little "remodels" for inside the house, too, that I think will add to the value of our home. So now we're just waiting for someone to call up and say they want to see the house- and then call and say they want to buy it! Hopefully soon!!!

The biggest miracles are little...

With the recent frustrations in moving I have begun to feel very discouraged lately. I decided to try and take a nap while Ian was mowing the lawn and Serra was sleeping- finally! She has really had a hard time going to sleep lately, putting up a fight nearly each time I put her in the crib. Anyway, I couldn't sleep afterall and so I decided that I needed to pray. I don't remember everything I said, but I do remember saying that I know miracles happen, but I don't feel like any have happened to me- thinking about the trials I have faced, the grief that has touched my life. And that I could really use just this one miracle [referring to our house selling and getting the house we currently want in Idaho]. A few hours later, after Serra was in bed for the night instead of just a nap, I decided to check up on my friends on Facebook. I noticed that a few had posted links to their blogs, and since I am recently obsessed with blogs I decided to take a look. The last one I read devastated me- one of my friends from work had a baby boy just about 8 months older than Serra. In her blog she mentions that he died on May 30th- drowing in their pool. Instantly I felt pain and sorrow at her loss and quickly found an answer to my prayer. How could I forget the miracle of my little baby? Of her health and well-being? I would gladly go through all of this stress over and over again if it meant I could continue to keep her in my life. I have indeed experienced many miracles, but the biggest one happens to also be one of the smallest things in my life right now [that is, until she grows bigger!]

"Terrible, TERRIBLE news!"

Well, our buyer fell through- so we had to pull out of our offer, too. Hopefully we can sell our home again quickly so we can put an offer on the same house again. Our home is back on the market today- you can see it at http://utahcountylistings.idxco.com/idx/3082/details.php?idxID=150&listingID=807815. The home we want to buy isn't back up yet- hopefully that works to our advantage in the end! Anyway, wish us luck- and send any possible buyers our way! :)

SOLD!!!... AGAIN!

We went up to Pocatello this last Thursday on sort of a last-ditch effort to find a home before we are homeless [seeing as the closing date for our current home in Utah is within a few weeks, if we didn't find a home this time, we'd probably have to stay in an apartment in Idaho until we did find a home]. But we were fortunate and found two great homes. We put an offer on our favorite of the two and received a reasonable counteroffer just today- which we accepted! So we close on our Utah home on the 29th of this month and close on our new Idaho home on the 30th. It is a very nice home that we are VERY excited to move into. It probably won't be posted long, but until they take it off the internet you can see it at: http://www.satterfieldrealty.com/mls/residential/530840/
It has 5 beds, 2 baths, and laundry upstairs; kitchen, living room, family room, dining room on the main floor; a small family room, craft room, and theater room in the basement. It also comes with a beatifully landscaped yard- and hot tub! We were a little nervous at first since it was built in 1986, but a lot of the home has been remodelled- and some of it is even add-ons. Hopefully we can put more years into this one- I don't want to move again anytime in the near future! :)

***SOLD!***

We sold our home!!! After only about 3 weeks on the market we received an offer two days ago that was a lot lower than we would have liked. We decided to give them a counteroffer instead of just refusing and they came back to us today to say they accepted it! We were actually sitting on a blanket outside waiting for the Provo parade to start when we received the call. I immediately gave a whoop and told my extended family the good news [the parade was part of our family reunion]. Anyway, so we will be going up to Pocatello on the 10th in hopes to find a home- and we'd better hurry because our currently home closes on the 29th of this month! That gives us just a little over 3 weeks!!! So many plans, reservations, and packing to do! But at least we've sold the house- for a fair price- and we'll finally be moving on and moving up [or at least up in a northward direction :) ].

July 2008

Well, another month has flown by and we can hardly believe it. Serra will soon be 11 months old- very close to 1 year! I can't believe it was one year ago... It just amazes me. Anyway, our house is still on the market and we have no idea how quickly it will sell- luckily Ian's work is willing to work with us so that he can continue to work at home until it sells. Obviously if several months go by, we may need to work something else out. Our Russian guests are currently in Las Vegas now after a few days in southern California. They should be returning in two days. It has been an adventure to have them- to have boys running around the house, to have another woman living here, to have communication issues, and even some culture differences to deal with. I think if given the chance, we would do it again- but we may change some of our preferences as far as who is housed with us. But it has been fun overall. We also have a reunion for my father's side here in Utah County and are looking forward to seeing some of my aunts, uncles and cousins from other states [as well as those who live here]. It has also been nice to have my sister finally back from her 4 week trek in Europe- we have both missed spending so much time together, but I guess we'll have to get used to that when we move to ID! Anyway, we hope all is well with you and that you have a great month- oh, and happy 4th of July!

The Russians Are Coming!

Well, we volunteered to have some Russian ILP students stay with us for a couple weeks while touring the Utah/California area. We were going to have 6, but one cancelled. We have a mother [Ira] and her 16 yr old son [Alex] and three 11 yr old boys [Serg, Ilya, and Konstantine who goes by Kostya]. They have been a handful, but a lot of fun. Shortly after their arrival they showered us with gifts from Russia- we have a lot of work to do to find them equally meaningful gifts from the U.S. to take home! They even brought a few toys and books for Serra. They seem to be very excited to be here- and we hope that we can all have a lot of fun together. They will be here until the 26th when they leave to tour California and Vegas and return on the 3rd of July to stay until the 10th when they fly back home to St. Petersburg, Russia.

Showings Left & Right

We have had several showings so far- no news from any of them yet. We should be getting comments [good and bad] that people make while in the house, but I think they only give those reports once a week on Fridays. We went up to Pocatello this last weekend to look at homes, but we haven't found any that we really liked. We finally gave up our end of the search and gave our realtors a list of wants/needs so they can try finding a home for us. Next time we go, they'll be the ones deciding which homes we see, according to our list. It should turn out good because it was our realtor last time who found the home we're currently in! Hopefully they can find something though- there are a lot of nice homes up there, but just not exactly what we're looking for so far. We'll keep you posted!

On the Market!!!

We are finally on the market- our house, that is. We got the "green light", so to speak, and rushed to get our house finally ready. We still have a lot of yard work we'd like to get done, but we need to have it out there available for people to look at- we'll just do the additional yard work on the way. I'm so glad it's finally listed- now we just need people who are interested! If you want to see it, you can go to the Remax website and search for it- it is MLS #807815.

June 2008

Well, another month has flown by! May went by so quickly- we hope that June goes by a little slower, but it probably won't. We got the "green light" to sell our home and move to Pocatello [finally!] So we'll be putting our house on the market in a week or two. We also signed up to house 4-6 ILP [International Language Program] students. ILP is a program run by BYU where they send Americans out to China, Russia, etc to teach English and then some of the students in those countries pay to fly out here and tour all the sites. We will be having some kids from St. Petersburg, Russia. It should be a lot of fun. They get here on the 19th and stay for a week, then go to Vegas and California for a week, and then come back for one more week with us. We also have one trip planned to Pocatello on the 13th to look at some homes more seriously- one of the few steps I actually enjoy about moving! We're excited because one of our favorites from browsing before is still available- at a lower price! But I've added quite a few more to our list to see, so we'll see what we end up choosing. And as a last note for this month, my sister [Paige] flew to Europe yesterday with one of her fellow teachers to tour several countries for 4 weeks! I'm certainly going to miss her, but maybe it'll give us practice for when we're not living so close anymore.

TEETH!

Serra finally cut a tooth- two, actually! We were sitting at the table eating dinner when she pulled herself up using my leg and gave me a huge open-mouth smile to show off her new milestone! I was so excited, I nearly spit out my food! One of her two bottom front teeth has broken all the way through and just needs to keep coming up- the other one is only peeking one tiny corner out. But, finally, our 9 1/2 month old has TEETH!

Modernizing

Ian and I finally took the plunge and decided to get matching cell phones! We've had enough troubles with land-line phones that we have cancelled our previous phone service and joined in a family plan with my sister at T-Mobile. We've had fun programming our phones and playing with them- Serra is getting jealous of our new toys! :) So... you're all probably asking, what's your new phone numbers? We will be sending out an email to those in our email lists with that information- if you did not receive an email and would like to know our phone numbers, send us an email! Also, we did not pay for texting services, so DO NOT text our phones [Ian says he'll send you a bill for the charges you incur by doing so!] We look forward to having our phones with us wherever we go, but we still reserve the right to ignore calls when attending to Serra, sleeping, driving, and using the facilities. :)

Birthday Dinners, Redbox Movies, and Keylime Cheesecake- Need I Say More?

It has been an eventful week! Today I turned 26. I'm glad I'm finally on an even year again, I feel so odd being odd... It was a fun day- we went to what used to be known as The Mayan, a restaurant featuring indoor cliff divers while you eat. It is now known as Mayan Adventure and is nowhere near the same experience. Needless to say, we shall not be returning! But it is okay because life is full of disappointments, and while you hope not to have any on your birthday sometimes it can't be helped. We then rented a movie from the Redbox- an ingenious invention by McDonald's where you can rent movies for $1 +tax per night. We, however, do not pay to rent their movies. If you go to www.insideredbox.com, they give you promotional Redbox codes for free movies. You can use each code once per each credit card. So Ian and I have kept up on our movies this year! Unfortunately, Pocatello does not have a Redbox yet, so we will no longer be the movie buffs we currently are whenever we move up there. And lastly, we enjoyed a slice of my favorite dessert: keylime cheesecake- which I had to search high and low for since everyone seemed to be out when I needed one! Cheesecake has to be the richest, most elegant dessert ever to grace the face of this earth- and to add the bold flavor of keylimes... need I say more?

Ahhh... the Temple!

Today I had the priviledge of escorting my younger sister through the temple to receive her own endowments. What a treasured moment in my memory! I love her dearly and am so excited that she was finally able to take that step, bringing her closer to God and His blessings. The temple is such a beautiful, wonderful, sacred place that I enjoy going to [less often now that I have Serra, but it will improve!] I love it because of what it means to me, what it symbolizes, the feelings surrounding it, and the presence of my Savior. I like to think that my parents are there with me, too, and I often feel that they are. I am so grateful that because of the temple and the blessings promised there, that my parents were able to keep their covenants so that we could be an eternal family. I miss them and long for the day to be with them again, but I know it will happen... it will happen!

*For more information about LDS temples, click on the heading to this post.

Happy Mother's Day!

Yesterday we went to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake- Serra's first zoo visit! She had more fun staring at other people and fence posts, but it was fun trying to get her to see the animals far away. Today I was pampered for my first "real" Mother's Day [as in, I'm actually a mother of a child, not just pregnant with one!] And it has made me realize just how important my job as a mother is- and how precious my little baby is! I have had a few friends and family who have had struggles with recent- and not so recent- additions to their family. With finances, health, and energy. We are so lucky to be able to provide for our family- and to have the physical and emotional means to do so! We are so lucky, as Ian once put it: "I can't tell you how much I love Serra too. I would be content spending the rest of my life just watching her play. She is the most beautiful baby ever. I was worried about her being born with physical deformities...and not only does she not have any, but everything about her is perfect, even her personality. I can't even imagine a more perfect child. I can't believe how insanely lucky we are to have her."

I Love Thunder!

I forget how much I miss thunderstorms until we finally have one here! Living in the Mid-West, I grew up with thunderstorms as a normal occurrence. Serra has never seen rain or heard thunder, so I wasn't sure how she would handle it. But when I was walking her over to the neighbor's house in the rain, she was loving it! I had a blanket over her head, but she just kept staring out at it with a twinkle in her eyes- I just know she'll be the type to jump in puddles! While we were at our neighbor's house, we heard an incredibly long and loud thunderbolt- Serra hardly even noticed it! I don't know what I was so worried about- apparently she's just like me and calms to the storm.

Basic Dinner Rolls

I made my famous rolls for a family event tonight- and they were, of course, a hit. I've had so many people ask me for my recipe that I thought I'd just post it here! It is the most forgiving recipe I have ever dealt with- the flour can be bread flour or regular, the milk can be scalded or right out of the fridge, the sugar and shortening can be done in any combination [most sugarand least shortening, most sugar and most shortening, etc.] When I make them, I just roll them into long strips and tie the strips into a knot- with one end sticking out on top. People think they are elegant looking, but they're so easy to shape! If you click on the heading to this post, you'll find it is a link to my recipe website [which has this roll recipe and hundreds of others]

Basic Dinner Rolls

1/2 c warm water
2 T yeast
2 c scalded milk- cooled 5 minutes
1/4 - 1/2 c sugar
1/4 - 1/2 c shortening
2 t salt
2 eggs
5-6 c bread flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Set aside. Combine scalded milk, sugar, shortening and salt with 3 c flour. Beat until smooth. Beat in eggs and dissolved yeast, then add additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead well. Let rise until double (30-45 mintues). Shape as desired. Let rise again. Bake dinner rolls at 400F for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

May 2008

I can't believe how quickly the year is going! Serra will be 9 months old in about a week. It's crazy to think that just 9 months ago she was in my belly... strange stuff! Things have been going well for us. Our garage sale has been postponed time and again because we didn't want to have it during poor weather [I know there are a few crazies who will shop garage sales rain or shine, but I figure our chances are better in shine]. So the next tentative date is the 10th of this month- hopefully we'll be able to have it and make some money to help out this month. It will be a busy month with another trip to Pocatello, ID on the 9th for Ian's work, my 26th birthday, Mother's Day, our garage sale, my sister getting her endowments, and several other little events. I'm sure this month will fly by too! This last month has treated us well- Ian enjoyed his birthday and gifts. I surprised him by asking his boss for the day off- so he woke up for work and I told him to go back to bed! We took Serra swimming for the first time- and she LOVED it! She kicks all the time just when we're holding her, so it happened naturally in the pool and she was thoroughly pleased at the response of the water. It's a little expensive for us to go though- $5 each [Serra being free, of course]. So we won't get to do it often. But my sister has a pool at her apartments that will be open this summer and we can go there with her for free- so we're looking forward to that. Also this last month, we've gained a little more insight to why we aren't able to move yet. Apparently Ian's position, salary, and moving expenses have been approved by his boss and his boss' boss.. but it has to be cleared by the "top" boss [the boss of all bosses] in order for us to get clearance to move right now before the shareholders have their meeting about the budget changes sometime in the next 3-4 months. However, the "top" boss is hemming and hawing about approving it- so it's looking like we'll have to wait until the shareholders' meeting [or until Ian's boss pesters the "top" boss enough to give his approval]. So we are officially in the waiting game. It kind of stinks because we're ready to move- we've told everyone that we're moving and everyone keeps asking why we haven't moved yet. :) But it's nice because it's giving us more time to get ready, strategize the sale of our current home, deeply investigate the homes in Pocatello, and save money for the move and down payments. I think in the long run it will be worthwhile, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating now! Anyway, that is what's going on with us- hopefully each of you have a funfilled month coming up too!


Love,
Ian, Kristen & Serra

P.S. For those of you asking, my wishlist is still up-to-date at http://www.kristenspoetry.com/ [Login, and there is a link for "Wishlists" on the right].

April 2008

March was a lot of fun- we got a small taste of spring/summer and then were hammered with cold weather and several snow storms! It was rather depressing. We were doing so good at getting a little weeding done each night and then we woke up to see a couple inches of snow on the ground! The snow has all melted now and the weather is finally looking a little warmer. Serra is growing up so quickly- she loves to babble and scoot all around the house [backwards, of course.] She is starting to show some separation anxiety when I'm away- she'll even give Daddy a hard time when he tries to take a turn caring for her.

swGp,yt. ' uy op uyujnghj

Sorry, Serra saw Mommy typing and wanted to join in the fun! As you can see, she favors the spacebar. Anyway, this month should be fun as well. We are going to have a garage sale with some other families in the neighborhood at the end of the month. I'd been planning on having one anyway because we needed to get rid of some junk before moving- so it works out! Ian's 28th birthday is also this month [the 9th]. For those of you who need a wishlist, you can still visit www.kristenspoetry.com, login and click on the Wishlists link on the right of the screen, then Ian's Wishlist. If you need more ideas, feel free to email me or call!

exxxxxxxxc5555555555555?::::m j, Hmhhn 1 ,

Some more from Serra. :) Anywho... we might also be taking Serra to the indoor swimming pool sometime this month- we got her the cutest swimsuit! It will be fun to see how she reacts to the baby water toys/waterfalls they have there. We are still planning on moving to Idaho. Just recently we received notice that Ian's job is cleared through all the red tape and they won't be cutting him loose afterall. However, the moving expenses they were going to fund are still under reconsideration. So we are waiting another few weeks to figure that out- then we will be posting our house for sale [hopefully before the end of this month!] We have found a couple of houses that we really like in Idaho and the prices are starting to decrease, but we just can't chance having a mortgage on two homes! So we'll sit here and wait for this house to sell before we get serious up there- hoping that one of the homes we like is still for sale. If not, we'll just find something else! We have actually found out from some neighbors that there are several parties interested in our home- we apparently snatched it up from right under their noses and they are still looking for a home! Hopefully that means it shouldn't be too hard to sell, but with the market as it is we'll just have to see. Anyway, we hope you all have a great month- and we hope to hear from you soon!

Love,
Ian, Kristen & Serra

P.S. As a heads up for next month, it'll be Kristen's 26th birthday and her wishlist is still at www.kristenspoetry.com as well [a rather large list even]. Also, the Hogle Zoo in Utah is having a Mommy & Me day in May [the 10th] I was planning on going and thought I'd see if anyone else wanted to go. You just buy a T-shirt for $7 [instead of the $9 entrance fee] and kids under 2 or 3 are free. Anyway, let me know if anyone in the area would like to come with! :)

March 2008

Well, as some of you may have heard through the grapevine, we are going to be leaving our first home and moving to Idaho. I had mentioned last month that Ian was leaving Nuvek, the company he has worked for for the last 6 or so years, and would be going to a new company. Nuvek is a subsidiary of a company called Varsity- and Varsity was a little disturbed to hear that Ian would be leaving because they knew and appreciated his hard work, work ethic, and expertise. So long story short, they sent us an offer we couldn't refuse and he quit his other job after only a week. He is already working for Varsity, but he's telecommuting from home. We went up to Pocatello, Idaho [where Varsity is headquartered] this last week so Ian could meet his new coworkers face-to-face and to familiarize ourselves with the area. We looked at a few homes to get a general idea of the neighborhoods and what kind of a home we could get for our money. We were very pleased with what we saw and can't wait to make this exciting new transition! Unfortunately, Varsity just underwent some unannounced changes that may or may not affect us. So to be on the safe side, they have postponed the need for us to relocate until further notice. Most likely it will take 2-3 months for them to iron out all the details. We will post our house after we get the green light and it will most likely take a few months to sell. So we will still be in the area until sometime this summer or fall. We are nervous about leaving so much family, but Pocatello is only 3 hours away. We are very excited to be living somewhere new and to see where this new job will take us. Ian is hoping to continue to work for them until retirement [but obviously that is a long time from now and lots can change]! If you would have told us last year when we bought our house that we would be selling it within a year and moving to Idaho, we would have told you that you were crazy! We still can't believe how quickly things have changed- and how many "coincidences" have fallen into place to make them happen. We are certainly being led in this direction. So for now we will slowly be preparing our home to put on the market in a few months and Ian will work from home, driving to Pocatello twice a month for some face-time. Serra is enjoying the changes at home- she can certainly sense our excitement. She especially loves to "help" Mommy pack by unrolling bubble wrap, sitting in boxes, and throwing packing paper around the room! I can't believe she will be 7 months soon. She is rolling all over the place and always bouncing, kicking, or wiggling in any way she can. She wants so badly to crawl but can't get her arms and legs to work together! She has her little hands into everything- she is going to be quite a handful when she is mobile, but we look forward to it. She has finally not been sick at all for a few weeks straight now- we look forward to spring and summer when illnesses don't travel around as much! Anyway, I'd better go- her naps only last so long and I have a lot to get done. :)

Love,
Ian, Kristen & Serra

February 2008

I can't believe it is already February! This year seems to be going by faster than last year! Serra is continuing to grow and amaze us each day. She loves to sit up by herself and roll over from her back to her belly. She has yet to conquer the other way around! She is constantly babbling or giggling and brings a lot of joy into our lives. Needless to say, most of our time is spent dealing with her- we have no idea what we used to do before she was here! I am still staying at home with Serra each day, though I did try to find a part-time job for just a couple hours each day- it didn't work out and I decided I'd rather be home with Serra anyway! Our biggest news this month actually has to do with Ian. As of the 13th, he will no longer be working for Nuvek- where he has been employed for the last 6 or 7 years. It was a big step finding other employment, but as Ian says "it's time to move on". He has accepted a offer for another company in American Fork called Market Partner. He is excited to be doing something new and working with new people. We just hope it turns out as well as we plan! We hope all of you are doing well- and we wish you a happy Valentine's Day! :)

Love,
Ian, Kristen & Serra

January 2008

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season- I just can't believe it's over and 2008 already!!! New years are always kind of sad to me... it's like it hits me that a whole year has passed- a year I can't take back. And I wonder if I did everything I could have- or should have. Did we create enough lasting memories? Did I take enough pictures and write in my journal? But with it comes the excitement of brand new year. We have a lot of hopes for this year- I suppose you could call them "resolutions". Things are still going well for us. Ian has enjoyed his time off of work, but dreading his first day back tomorrow. It's always so hard to go back when you've been gone so long. And Serra and I will miss having him home all day! Serra is growing so much and just surprising us each day. She can almost sit up on her own now, but she still hasn't bothered to roll over. She loves to stand [with help of course] and she is constantly babbling or giggling- especially if she has her fingers in her mouth. We just love every moment with her- and we can't believe it has been almost 5 months since she came! Time certainly does fly... Anyway, we hope all of you are doing well and have some great expectations for this new year- Happy 2008!!!

Love,
Ian, Kristen & Serra