What's in a name?

I'm sure I'll blog about Christmas at some point in the future, but right now this is taking top priority in my life.
Chad and I are really struggling with finding a name for our up and coming baby girl! There are a few that we are able to agree on, but none of them seem to fit. We've always liked Madison (Madie for short) and Alex but they just don't feel right! So, for the past 7 months I've been hounding Chad with possible options only to have them all turned down and rejected. I'm getting desperate. I told him that I refuse to go to the hospital without a name and that I'd have the baby in a tub if it came down to that. His only help has come in the suggestion of two names. Several months ago he threw out the name Tangerine. Of course he wasn't serious, but he hasn't offered any other suggestions until the other night.....Britteny. At first I was dead set against it! Immediately the image of a bald Brittney Spears popped into my head. Brittney has never been on my list of names, but the more I thought about it the more it wore on me and really seemed to fit. It's a common name, but isn't really being used nowadays! I don't know. At this point I'm getting desperate and need your input, suggestions, and advice. I've listed a few names that we're okay with on a poll on my sidebar. So go vote and if you have any other ideas please let me know! Thanks for your help.....I really don't look forward to calling my newest little girl "baby no name" for the rest of her life.

A White Christmas

On Friday Dec. 18th we took Kinsie to the temple and became a forever family. I'd have to say that this has been the best Christmas ever!

Little Cindy Lou-Who and her morning do...

Kinsie's hair has been getting longer and I finally broke down and bought some mini rubber bands so I could start putting in some little ponytails. Of course Chad rolls his eyes at me every time I attempt to do this, but I think she looks super cute. Well, the other day I couldn't help but put in two mini pigtails. The result....our very own Cindy Lou-Who!The only draw back with the longer hair is the morning fro that comes with it. The other day I woke up to find Kinsie's hair all over the place. I couldn't stop laughing at my poor orphan child and her mangled up mess. I had so much fun snapping this kodak moment and trying to get her to smile and not stare dumb founded at the camera. I'm always amazed at how much better my days are with her around!

New Family Tradition??

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday this year. We were able to have 2 Thanksgiving dinners with our families. MY sister and her family came in from Arizona, so we celebrated early with my family on Wednesday and then spent Thursday with Chad's family. We had lots of fun and lots of food. Then Thursday night we decided it would be fun to go out to Chad's grandparents cabin for the rest of the weekend to do some hunting and four wheeling. We've done this before and have loved making a little vacation of Thanksgiving. So, my vote is that we start counting this as one of our new family traditions. Kinsie all bundled up and ready to go riding on the wheeler with daddy.

She absolutely adores being on the wheeler! Chad said she started talking during the ride. More than likely she was saying "daddy go faster...."

I had to post these next two pictures just to show you Kinsie's new trick. She's getting really good at scooting backwards and is anxious to start crawling. She wasn't too happy when I snapped these shots and you can see her crocodile tears in the last one.

I couldn't stop laughing!

We've enjoyed watching Kinsie learn new things and progress to each new phase. Lately we've been starting to give her small bites of what we call "mommy and daddy" food. Well, while daddy was snacking on a roll, while holding Kinsie, she decided to take a little bite of it. The funny thing is she didn't even try to grab for it. She just went in face first. What a little nut.

Kinsie at 5 months

We took Kinsie in to have some pictures taken. I would have waited until she was six months, but I wanted to put something together for her birthmom's birthday and thought some professional pictures would be nice for her to have. (you can see what I made at the very bottom)
Kinsie is doing really well. As you can tell she's a good eater and is such a happy little girl. Right now she is......
-rolling over
-sitting up on her own
-holding her bottle by herself
-sleeping through the night (10-11 hrs. straight)
-eating solids without any complaint (although we haven't tried peas yet)
-able to recognize when mom and dad aren't the ones holding her
- playing with her feet and toes (and I love it)
-little miss gabby
-slowly getting some of her hair back
-a morning person (I've never seen anyone so happy in the mornings)
-getting harder for me to pick up and carry around
-the sweetest thing I've ever seen and she makes our lives complete
We love her some much and consider ourselves the luckiest people on earth. She really has brought so much joy into our lives and we couldn't imagine life without her. We love you Kins!
p.s.-I didn't put blush on her cheeks. They are naturally that rosy!

Kinsie's birthmom's birthday gift from our family. She loved it and it was super fun to put together for her.

Playing Catch Up

In September Chad headed off to California for a business convention. Since Kinsie and I refused to stay home for an entire week, all by our lonesomes, we decided to make a family trip of it. Especially since the convention was taking place in Anaheim.Unfortunately, we actually didn't go into the theme park. Kinsie was way too little and we didn't want to spend an arm and a leg just to get in and take some pictures of her and Mickey. However, we did stay in one of the Disneyland Hotels and spent a good part of our days (while Chad was in seminars) walking up and down Downtown Disney. I was even able to get a few shots of Kinsie with some Disney characters...even if they couldn't move. We also took advantage of introducing Kinsie to the adventures of swimming. She wasn't quite sure what to think of the whole experience, but she was a good sport and let us get her wet. All in all, it was a nice little get away. More work than pleasure, for both Chad and I, but it's nice to say we've been there and done that. Hopefully we won't have to go back and deal with all the headaches and excitement of Disneyland for a few more years.

Teach em' while they're young!

Daddy teaching Kinsie how to play the family game Make-a-Million. Knowing how to play this game is a must in our family, so we figured we should get her started on it asap!

Mommy teaching Kinsie how to brush her teeth.....I mean her gums. You can't get them into this habit early enough! She loves watching both us brush our teeth, so we thought we should get her used to haveing something in her mouth that has bristles on it. So far she's an absolute pro! Next step....getting the teeth.

"Got a whale of a tale to tell ya lad, a whale of a tale or two...."

I had to snap a couple of shots of my sister and I during a recent family reunion. We're both prego with little girls and feel as if we're the size of whales. Although, I can't imagine getting any bigger than I already am...even with my sister as living proof that I'll continue to blossom.
They say that if you're carrying a little girl they tend to steal some of your beauty. All I have to say is this girl better be gorgeous because she's sucked me dry. Oh well. Here's to another 3 months for me and less than a week for Keri.

WARNING: Bumbos=Blowouts

I have to say that I am in love with my bumbo seat. Kinsie got one at a baby shower and it has been such a little life saver. Now that Kinsie is big enough to sit up with help I can plop her in this chair to shower, eat, make dinner, do laundry, etc. while she enjoys watching me or playing with some toys. I love this thing and would recommend that everyone get one, but they seriously need to put a huge warning label on the packaging.
WARNING: Bumbos=Blowouts
Kinsie has never been prone to blowouts until we started putting her in the bumbo. There is seriously nowhere for the "stuff" to go but up and out the back. It's not to a point where I will stop using the bumbo (because I love it too much), but I've started paying closer attention to her since we've had several SEVERE blowouts. So, to anyone who is pondering over purchasing this lovely little product; by all means GET IT!!! Just beware...and be ready to get your hands dirty.(this was one of the more mild blowouts we've had)

Cold Front

I love Utah weather! I'm a four seasons type of person. I enjoy the changes that each season brings and wait anxiously for each to arrive. I especially enjoy fall. I'd have to say it's my favorite. I love the crisp cool air, the changing leaves and all the great football games. There is something about fall that reminds me of being with friends and family. Well, last Wednesday had me bundled up inside pulling out my winter stash of clothes that don't fit my belly. We had a cold front blow through and it brought us a little dusting of snow. I have to admit, it was nice to see some snow again! It got me excited for the holidays that are fast approaching. So, of course, I had to post a few pics of the first snowfall of the season. (This is an unofficial snowfall in my book since it only stayed in the mountains, but it's still snow)

Loving the Garden!

There is something to be said about fresh produce from your own garden! I've loved having certain necessities (like tomatoes) right outside my back door. I've especially enjoyed being able to freeze certain items for future use. mmm.....carrots and green beans. We've already harvested plenty of carrots and green beans and have more that will be ready over the next few days. This doesn't include the tomatoes that I can't keep up with, the zucchini stocked up in the fridge, or the bell peppers.
The corn is actually from Chad's grandpa's garden. We're going to attempt corn next year. I also missed having squash, so that will be included in the garden next year. Along with: onions and hopefully some type of melon. I tried strawberries for a few years, but the birds enjoyed them too much. I would also love to plant some fruit trees, but I know they can be a lot of work. Anyway- hope you're all enjoying the wonderful harvest season!

Ashley's Baptism

Yesterday Chad and I had the opportunity to participate in the baptism of Ashley. She used to live in our neighborhood/ward and was one of my young women. We (along with several other people) have been encouraging, supporting and praying for her has she has gained a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel over the past 5 years. It's been a long wait for all involved (including Ashley), but she was finally able to be baptized last night by Chad. It was amazing to see Chad help her into the waters of baptism and perform that sacred ordinance.
It was such a wonderful night! So many friends and family members were there to support her in her decision to join the church. She is now the only member in her immediate family and I know she will be a source of spiritual strength to them.
Today we were also able to attend her sacrament meeting where she was confirmed a member of the church and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. It's been an emotional 24 hrs., but so amazing to watch the gospel touch her life. She's entered through the gate and is now on the path that will lead her toward the temple and exaltation.
Ashley we couldn't be more proud of you! We love you so much. Congratulations!!!
Please ignore my screaming child in this picture. She wasn't having a great night.

Current Event

Kinsie just wanted to fill you in on our most recent current event. I'm letting her give you the details because she's super excited about it...as you can tell from the photo. (p.s. you'll need to read her shirt)

As you can tell from the photos this isn't really that current of an event. I'm close to being 5 months along and we're happy to announce that Kinsie is going to be having a little sister to play with. If you're patient enough to do the math you will realize that our two little girls will be a mere 9 months apart. YIKES!!!! (Connie...I'll be calling you often for advice!)
We are thrilled with this exciting news and held off on telling anyone (including family) until I was four months along. After 6 years of infertility we didn't want to jinx anything. There are a lot of little details involved with this pregnancy, but in order to make a long story short let's just say that a surgery in February played a huge factor in us getting pregnant.

As excited as we are about finally being pregnant it also feels anti-climatic. We feel that Kinsie was and still is our little miracle. We know that she was meant to come to our home and that our family needed to start with her. So, essentially we feel like we're just waiting for our second one to come. I don't know if that makes sense. Although I have to admit, seeing that little heartbeat on the ultrasound for the first time was the most miraculous experience of my life!

Anyway-there you have it...WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

Funny side note: we took the pregnancy test the day we picked up Kinsie at the hospital.