Happy 6th Birthday, Leah!!

At 8:29am, Leah Nicole entered our world weighing in at 6lbs 14oz!! What a tiny! How in the world did she weigh only 6lbs, when I gained 40?! How does that work?! Anyway, she was so beautiful and so perfect!! We loved her instantly- not that we didn't love her in the womb, but now she was here and we were ecstatic! Welcome, little Leah!

Look at all that black hair! It didn't last, this is her at 4 months- one of my ultimate favorite pictures. Dana's mom made her that blanket, and I just had to use it in a picture- we still have it and use it daily!

Leah was always a photogenic baby- as you can see, I took many, many pictures of her, and had a hard time choosing ones for this post, so I just used them all- these are from her original scrapbook- She is just edible at this stage, and I loved taking them- since she seemed to love the camera, too! She was such a happy little girl! Here she is on her 1st birthday!! Even cuter, I think!
In September of 2003, Leah fell off the dining room chair and broke her left arm! How, again, did you say?! Well, I was feeding Alex and her dinner, when she threw some pasta across the room- nice...I went to clean it up, and I turned around to see her falling off the chair onto the carpeted floor- she cried, but not that hard, so I didn't think too much about it- until the next day, when she was holding her arm and whining. I took her to Children's Urgent Care, where they said it was broke in 2 places!! What?! No way, I hardly believed them, and they hardly believed my story, so fair enough...she got a cast and we made it red, since it was football season! Check out how cute she was- this was actually the day she got it on. She had to wear it for about 5 weeks- thankfully she doesn't remember it now! Here are some of my favorite pics of her from the summer of 2003.
Leah just keeps growing and growing, and here she is at 2 years...still so cute! Again, just too many to choose from, so I chose them all- check out the blonde curly hair!

This was from November 2004, and it is still one of my favorite shots of her.
In May of 2005, we had these taken for Dana for Father's Day, and they are adorable- she just loves the camera, and it loves her. This was totally impromptu...love that his dimples shine too!
On to age 4- how has she changed?! Well, we had her hair cut in January of 2005, and we just keep cutting shorter and shorter, but it is her signature cut, and now I can hardly remember, except through pictures, her hair any different way! Remember my cake skills?! Well, she said she wanted a mermaid cake, and this seemed like it would work- my vision, and her help in placing the fish and viola! She just loved it!
We took her to a fun water park for her birthday, and she loved it! On to age 5- her first big party with girlfriends....she wanted it at the park and with girls only- so, that is what she got! What fun! She invited all girls and we played fun games, made water bracelets, and ate yummy cupcakes- per her request- oh and that icing is cool whip, in case you thought it was too much!
Leah loves stuffed animals, and drawing, so she was very happy to get this doodle bear!
All of her friends, with a banner that Alex drew for her as a surprise!! Now, Leah is 6! I am still tearing up- that is so hard for me to believe, since she was just born the other day- seriously, it is hard for me- she is still so sweet and cute, and wonderful, and smart, and fantastic, and talented, and loving, and adorable, and strong, and outspoken, and determined, and tender, and adoring, and kissable, and grateful, and caring, and huggable, full of promise and full of all the wonderful qualities you could ever ask for in a child. I love her with all of my heart, and am so grateful she is here in our family- I couldn't ask for more (well, maybe less attitude sometimes, but that is to be expected...she is my daughter, after all!)

Here she is today, full of life and happy to be 6!!

I made this cake for her, a cherry chip cake with cream cheese icing, in a L shape, with fresh flowers from our yard- she loves flowers, and takes very good care of them- she loved it!

Typical Leah, posing for the camera- see, some things never change!
This was last night, after blowing out the 6 candles!

Her new birthday dress (a given, each year, I am dress freak for my girls), and it doesn't tie in the back!! Whoo Hoo- she loved it!

We love you, Leah!! Happy, Happy Birthday!!

22 July 2002

About this time, 10pm, 22 July 2002, I officially went into labor....

I had been having contractions all throughout the day, they would come and go, I even went swimming and then visiting teaching!! I just had to stop every once in a while to take a breath while the contraction worked through me. I had never felt real contractions before, even though this was my second pregnancy- I was induced with Alex, so going into labor on my own was a first with this one. I wasn't due for another week, but this little gem was intent on coming now! I took an afternoon nap, and then took Alex to my parents with me for dinner, since Dana was working late- till 11pm. I ate a shrimp salad, with feta cheese (probably the last time I have had either, I could explain, but I am sure you understand why...hint: I was screaming at Dana hours later for the trash can!!). Anyway, I laid down after dinner on the couch at my parents, and rested. Then around 8:30, I headed home, gave Alex a bath, and called Jen. I didn't know I was actually this far into labor (I was dilated 3cm on my last visit to my OB), so I didn't mention the contractions to her. While we were talking, I had to stop and not talk for a minute or so. She asked me what was going on, and I just said that it hurt to talk, but then it would be okay. She said, "hang up and call your doctor!!!" I was like, "no, I am not in labor- they will just send me home, I am fine!" She forced me, so I did, and the Dr. on call said I had to get to the hospital right away! I had to call Dana at work (we didn't have a cell phone), wait 30 minutes for him to arrive, and call my mom to come stay with Alex (he was asleep by then). So, I did, and we headed to the hospital. The drive there, I remember telling Dana to not talk to me, because it hurt to talk back!! I am pretty sure he was happy about that!

The nurse checked me when we got there, and I hadn't progressed much, but they decided to admit me and pursue with this labor....

We watched Seinfeld reruns and it all just took it's course. I got an epidural, Dana slept soundly (barely making it to grab the trash can, by the way), and then.....

Chipper's last game...

We call Alex, "Chipper", because his favorite baseball player is Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves- Daddy's favorite team, too! Chipper Jones is a 3rd baseman and also a switch hitter, so Alex has tried really hard this year in baseball to be like him. When he is up to bat, we cheer for "Chipper", and Alex just loves it! He is also #10, just like Chipper Jones. Anyway, the Orioles had a terrific season!! They finished the year 6-2! Alex played many positions throughout the season, but really loves 3rd (shocker), and 1st base. He can get it from 3rd to 1st very quickly and that deemed effective in getting the other batter out! He had terrific plays this year, and has really grown to be a great ball player. My Grandpa I am sure is so proud, looking down on Alex playing baseball, because he played AAA for a team when he was in his 20's. Alex loves baseball and continues to practice in the evenings with Dana in the backyard. He is now learning the mechanics of pitching, since next year he begins "player pitch" games. We are so proud of our "Chipper" for always trying his best and being a team player. He is always cheering on the other boys on his team, and all the boys are a great support for each other. We loved watching him play, and here are some pics from the last game...(we beat this team twice- their only 2 losses!!) He is batting right handed here, but if we were winning and it was the last time he was up to bat, Dana let him hit left handed, and he got a hit every time! His speed is improving too!
Chipper at 3rd- waiting for the other team to get ready.
Rick and Dana were the coaches- and this was their huddle after the win!
My parents, Sean and Steph and the girls all came to see him play!
No matter what sport Alex plays, he tries really hard to learn the game and do his best. He no longer wants to play soccer, and basketball he is still on the fence about, but he really loves baseball. I just want him to have fun with whatever he plays. What is so nice about this age, is that it is not that expensive to play all the sports and try them out to see what you like the best and what you are good at. He has played many sports since he was 5, and this seems to be his favorite. We are proud of his sportsmanship and how he has grown this year. We look forward to next year and seeing how it plays out. We love you, Chipper!

Throwback Thursday 7- Utah 1996

In July (this weekend, in fact), Esther, my sister -in- law (now) and I traveled to Utah to see my missionary Blake marry his sweetheart, Jennie!! We bought tickets, and planned it all out- we would get there on Thursday, Blake would pick us up in SLC, and then we would drive to Spanish Fork, crash for the night, (oh, first we hit Chuck-O-Rama), an experience within itself, met his family, and then readied ourselves for the wedding the next day!! All went as planned, believe it or not!! We were so excited for a trip- I was 20- and Es was younger than me (we were just kids, right?!) Anyway, this was a BIG deal for us to go away all the way across the USA! Wow!! Lucky us.
The next morning, we woke up VERY early and drove with their families to Manti, for their temple wedding!! It was hot, I remember that, and the drive was curvy, and lots of turns, (we were in the mountains, after all), and I was sooooo sick!! For those of you who don't know, I get REALLY ill in cars- I always have, and cannot sit in any seat except the front, or I am driving- otherwise, I am nauseous and probably losing it all in the back. This was the case that day!! I just remember pleading for us to get there fast- and finally we did...this is the Temple:

They were doing some construction on it, so this is the only angle I could get without scaffolds in it! So beautiful! I had only seen the DC temple before, and had never been to Utah before, so this was only the second temple I had been to and what a beauty!! It was stunning, actually, and I could barely take it all in!! Es and I waited outside, for what seemed to be forever, in the heat, just waiting for Blake and Jenny to come out- there were probably 20 weddings that day, and when they finally appeared, we were so happy- (we had to keep moving our spots, because so many couples were having their pics taken and we seemed to always be in the way!) Here are the happy married couple! I had never met Jenny before, and so this was my first sight of her, and I just remember thinking that Blake married well!! She is so lovely and her personality just fits perfectly with his- I just love them, and Blake will always hold a special place in my heart- here we are at their reception. I loved this dress, by the way, and I had the same on in a mint green color too! Sad, I know. I think my hair was in a clip or something- not sure why I didn't actually do it for the special occasion- probably because we had to leave at 4am or something like that- oh well, it was special anyway! Here are Blake and Jenny cutting their cake...it was a really fun reception, held in the backyard of Blake's brother's house- his family is amazing and I fell in love with all of his brother's and their wives- they treated us like their own, and we felt very comfortable there. The landscapes there are just amazing and I loved looking out at the mountains- so picturesque and now I see why it was "the place". So, the next day, Es' friend of many years, Dave, picked us up (Blake's mom drove us half-way to where Dave lived) and he picked us up. I had never met him before, and this was a real treat- he is CRAZY!! Yes, crazy, he is!! SO crazy, in fact, that he drove us crazy- in a fun way, though. He is very sweet and treated us well, too. He took us all over Salt Lake and we saw all the fun sights...here we are throughout the day... I am pretty sure we intentionally dressed alike...we were just having fun!
I don't remember when we changed our clothes, or why, but this is the same day...
I remember that it was a carefree trip, and making fools of ourselves seemed really fun at the time- now I look back, and after rolling my eyes at some of the pics we took, I do still smile! It was a fun time in our lives. Dana was in Chile, as my shirt denotes (funny thing, I wouldn't be caught dead in a shirt like that now, but somehow since it was about Dana, that made me like it and wear it-0dd, I agree- but seriously, I would never wear it now- sadly, we still have it, and Dana wears it as a swim shirt with his trunks- it is actually in our family pic from the beach last year- I am dead serious- he cannot get rid of it!!)
I remember that our feet were killing us- we wore Keds without socks (the in- thing to do, by the way), and we got the biggest blisters on our heels from that!! So, we bought tons of band-aids and wore socks from then on out!
The most beautiful Temple- Salt Lake: these are the pics I took outside the gates- aren't they so nice?! I was in awe....still am, actually.
The next day, we stayed in Bountiful and went to church with Dave there. Here we are dressed up and ready to go! Look at that hair!! I do have to remember that it was still the 90's! I love that I didn't have hips like I do now then, either- those were the good old days!
We spent some time in Bountiful, and got to see the temple there- it was only a year old then, and it is stunning, as well.

Many other fun things happened while in Utah- we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant with Dave, where his brother worked, somewhere near the ZCMI center, after seeing Legacy at the theatre, and while we were eating, a server spilt a tray of spaghetti all over Dave and a little on us! It was hysterical!! I just remember laughing so hard my cheeks hurt. The manager gave us free dessert or something....and then we went to a BBQ at some student's house one night, and the BYU girls drove Es and I a little nuts- they were so stinkin nice that it was making us crazy! They were super sweet, and a little over the top- we were not, but we still had fun!! I just remember that we had fun despite the people- who were just too nice to us!!
Dave dropped us off at the SLC airport really early the day we left, so we just slept in the terminal while we waited for our flight. Things were different then, the way you check in and all, so when our flight was ready, we had to stand in line at the terminal to get your assigned seat. Es was tired and not feeling well, so I attempted to check us both in- the man was not so nice to me- he said she had to be present and in line to get her seat- I remember not being so nice to him, and making some rude remark (shocking, huh?!). He handed me our seat numbers, and I was really mad then, because he gave us C and D seats!! That means we were across the aisle from one another!! That was not good!! Well, when we boarded the plane, we realized we were in FIRST CLASS, and right next to each other!! I felt so bad that I was so rude to him- he gave us those seats for no extra charge, and I was a jerk to him!! We very much enjoyed our flight!
So, that was our trip: I am sure I left out some fun details, Es probably remembers more than me, she is younger, after all....but it was nice. I called Blake and Jenny the other night to wish them a Happy 12th Anniversary- I feel blessed to have been able to share in that day with them, we love them dearly. I have fond memories of the fun time with Es, too, and we spent a lot at the book store, since we don't have one here, and the Christmas following, she bought me a huge Second Coming picture that I loved at the store there...she is quite thoughtful. I treasure that painting and remember the simpler times in our lives, pre-marriage, pre-kids and pre- priorities!! It is much different now!!
Hope this was fun for you- I had fun trying to remember all that we did- one thing I didn't write about that we did, was hit all the fun sites in Salt Lake, like the Beehive house, and the monuments that are everywhere. It was a learning experience about the Pioneers and the Salt Lake Valley- I am glad we went, and I haven't been there since, but someday when I do go again, I hope I have as much fun- but rest assured, I will NOT wear a Chile t-shirt!!

Girls just wanna have fun...

These are totally random pics I haven't posted of some girly fun! My girls are so fun and they just keep me laughing (most of the time)! I thought these would make you laugh too!

This racket is nearly the size of her body!

Leah and her friends from school- are they not cute, or what?!

My girls so love each other!

Celeste and Emma at the sprayground.

Aren't Leah's goggles so funny?!

Seriously, Celeste is always eating or drinking something!


Leah and Adriana are great together!

Leah and Avery hanging out at the park.

Leah learns tennis and is so cute on the court.

My 4th of July girls.

They love the water.

Adriana and Leah love the water sprayground.

Leah and Emily chill out at the movies- we saw "Bee Movie".

Celeste loves bubbles and being outside.

Playing dress-up is becoming so fun for Celeste.

These girls just love to have fun!

We love to have fun and more in the sun!!