What a Wonderful Life!

7 months old and September

2011-10-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well I quickly needed to post Anderson's 7 month pictures before he turns 8 months old. September was CRAZY! We were gone for most of it and on the go! We did Oregon, Hawaii, and Mexico! We are so blessed! So here are a few quick pictures which I hope to post in detail later each event!

this is in Washington for Aunt Jennifer's wedding! It was beautiful and great!
My two cuties!
Anderson's first swing ride! He wasn't too sure about it but came around at the end
Anderson in Mexico!
In his 7th month he
-got his two top teeth
-got his first cold
-got to meet all of his cousins and aunts and uncles
-slept in his first tent
-went camping and to the beach
- went to the park for the first time
- is so happy
-drools like crazy
-loves to growl and spit
- still so giggly
-loves to play and talk to sister
-started to know who his family is and pumps his arms and grunts when he sees us!
-Loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Hates to have his nose wiped or cream put on his face
-has a bad case of never ending eczema on his face
-so much fun to be around
-wearing 18 month clothing!!!
Us in Hawaii! I am still having withdrawls and crazy cravings to go back! ;)
It was a great month!!!!

weighing in

2011-08-25T22:35:00.001-07:00

A quick post for Andersons 6 month check up! He now has 2 teeth on the bottom which he got last week and he weighed 21.6lbs and 29 1/2 inches long. The doctor said that he is not fat just big and his weight and height match perfectly. I guess we will have to quit calling him "chubba and chunk"! He took his shots like a champ and is still so fun!

LOVE THIS BOY!!

2011-08-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

He is almost 6 months old and it kills me! He is growing up too fast! He got his first tooth this week and found his high pitched girl voice that he loved practicing at church! He is almost sitting up and while taking this picture turned himself all the way around in a circle. Teething has not been fun but he still has a great attitude despite it. He loves eating his new foods, but surprisingly not a fan of the banana. He has been on strike a little with the bottle partly because he is teething but in my opinion because he just wants to eat the real stuff. He is wearing 12 month clothing and wearing them well. He loves jumping in his play things and is obsessed with soccer balls! He is still so giggly and loves people! We are having lots of fun with him and love him so much!!!

5 months old and July

2011-07-21T21:23:00.001-07:00

Anderson is 5 months old today! I can't believe it! It is going so fast and I want it to stop. He is still such a happy and easy baby. He is so giggly and makes me feel like I am the funniest person in the world because he will laugh and anything I do! He will sleep through the night on most days unless he is teething or sick. He goes with the flow so well no matter if he is on schedule or off, which I am so grateful for because we are on the go a lot. I would say next to me he loves his Aunt Amber and Lindsay most. He loves to smile and play with them. He is a big flirt and will smile and laugh for anyone that will give him attention. He has started trying to take food out of my hand, but understandably, doesn't think rice cereal is the greatest thing. He is wearing 9-12 month clothing and I swear as soon as I buy something he is out of it. He really is such a sweet little guy and we are so blessed to have him! Love you Bubba!

He loves his bouncer and excersaucer
He is like, really guys this is not funny. I'm not a doll.(this is Isabella's doll stroller) She thought it was great fun to push him around in it!
This is his serious face, because come on, being superman is serious business!!

I guess I turned 30 this month and Rich and I had out 6th wedding anniversary! Those holidays are a day apart so they most of the time get lumped together. (I don't know what I was thinking when we decided on that day!) But both holidays were good and low key which was what I wanted
Kellene came to visit and got to stay with us for a week. She is so cute and so well behaved! We loved having her. The only down side was that we all got the flu that week including her. All of us took turns on different days but she and I were sick on the same day! But she was a good bed buddy to be sick with and she got over it the fastest.
All three kiddos before bed. This was the best I got of all three of them looking
I flat ironed Isabellas hair for the first time. Loved It
Hannah and Anderson watching the Ipad together. He kept touching the screen and she would tell him not to so she finally moved over and said," If you are not going to listen to me then you can not watch the Ipad with me!" and he promptly fell over on her and spit up! We laughed out loud about that one!!!

Isabella's 3rd Birthday

2011-06-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

Three year olds are oh so fun! She keeps us on our toes and happy as can be. We had a little swim party at our house for her birthday and she had lots of fun! It is fun to see her excitement about things now that she gets it! So here are a few pictures of what she has been up to lately and her party!
Isabella has really been enjoying all of the baskets and things we have in our house now due to Anderson. It cracks me up!
In his car seat peeking out and then hiding when there was a scary part in her movie
She spent a lot of time in this for a couple of days. I had it downstairs so I could give it away and in the mean time she had a blast!
Just enjoying a Popsicle in this handy little bouncer. She luckily is still such a petite little thing that I have no worry of her breaking things!
Just before her first ballet class!

She sang happy birthday to herself 3 times before we could get the candles lit and everyone in the house. it was so funny! She loves cakes and ice cream and birthday parties!!!
All the kiddos in the play pool. They were all so cold. Of course when you count on Arizona to be hot, it wasn't!
Aunt JJ and Uncle Zac got her a scooter and stole the day! She is sooo in love with it and the next morning even said,"ohhh my scooter, good morning scooter!"
Don't worry that I curled her hair for the 2nd time in her life and before I was aware she went right down stairs and dunked herself in the pool! So this is the aftermath
CHEEEEEESEEE!!!!!
Happy Birthday Isabella! We love you sooooo much!!!!

Isabella turns 3 and Anderson 3 months!

2011-06-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Isabella turned 3 and Anderson is now over 3 months old. Time is sure flying. I took these pictures for Rich for fathers day and let me tell you it was a labor of love. I almost needed to be commited after trying to get a 3 year old and baby to smile at the same time and it never really happened. But we got some cute individual ones.
Isabella-she is a busy body and the life of the party! She has so much excitement about life and
she shows it. Someone in church yesterday that was sitting behind us tapped me on the shoulder, after rich took her out kicking and screaming, and said that girl has a lot of spirit in her little body! She loves to watch her movies, mostly Curious George and Diego. She loves ice cream, ballons, helping mom bake(mostly tasting all of the batters), swimming, the zoo, water and washing her hands with pump soap(as she calls it), taking baths, french fries with ketchup, playing in her play pin, wrestling with daddy and building forts. She has started a little dance class and soccer and likes them both. She loves to run and be tickled, she still doesn't like to eat much, but sleeps well. She won't sleep in her big girl bed yet and insists on sleeping in her little bed which is a play pin since Anderson took her crib. My favorite things she says right now is, mmm delicious, how she says her name, I can't wait!, I am so excited, and whata we gonna do next?. She loves people especially family and cousins!She is definitely a fiesty soul but brings us so much joy and is so patient with us as mommy and daddy learn how to handle each new stage and situation that she throws our way!

Anderson is such a happy baby. No matter how much he has slept or eaten he will always smile at you before he cries. He is sleeping mostly through the night from about 8-5 and most days that feels like mommy's greatest accomplishment! He has rolled over once, teething like crazy, and is wearing 9 month clothing! He is so giggly and thinks everything I do to make him laugh is hilarious! I don't know how I got so lucky to have 2 such happy babies but I won't complain! We sure love this little guy and love all that he has brought to our lives!

These two are getting along well. She thumps him a little to hard on the head sometimes as she says good boy, but overall is sweet to him and tries to help. He loves when she gives him attention and will look for her if he hears her in the room(and sometimes flinch:)

Anderson's Blessing at 10 weeks old!

2011-05-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

It was a wonderful day and everything went smoothly. Anderson was perfect for his blessing and Rich did a beautiful job. Thanks to all of the family for coming and making it such a great and memorable day. I have to say I feel so blessed with such beautiful, happy little children and such a wonderful husband and family and that I am so grateful for. Life just gets better and better!!!

5 weeks old

2011-03-28T16:36:00.001-07:00

Mr. handsome here is 5 weeks old today and I can hardly believe it! Time is going so fast and I hate it! He is so sweet and cuddly and loves to be held! As at this moment I am typing with one hand, so please excuse punctuation errors! We love him so much and it has been a fairly smooth transition as i am figuring out life with two busy bodies! showers and food on a normal schedule have been thrown out the window, and learning to not think about how much sleep I got that night seems to help my mood! but I am more than happy to make all of these small sacrifices for these wonderful children!
Anderson is still big believe it or not and growing by the minute. He has the cutest cry and I hope he wont remember me giggling when he does cry, because he is just so cute. He gets all worked up quickly and starts with a snorting sound, that a friend of mine thought it was the dog that we don't have! He is sleeping and eating like a new born every 3-4 hours, which I really can't complain! Isabella is loving him and is very sweet with him. She will hold him and say, i lub you, boo boo boo baby! or she will run up and kiss him on his head and then shake his hand and say, "how are you?" Sooo funny and cute! she doesn't like him to cry so she will push me to him and say , get it, or feed it! Such a good helper!

this one is anderson and the second one is Isabella. I think they look alike, she was just a lot smaller
love his baby blues!!!!
This hat is from my brother in laws, mom! she made it and we love it!
cross eyes! I love it!

snuggling with his teddy bear
after his first hair cut! so handsome!
before his first haircut
hey guys! he was about 2 weeks old here
We gave him a bath in the sink last night like we used to do with Isabella, except he doesn't fit quite as well! He was a little cold!
this is isabella at 5 weeks

Family Pictures

2011-03-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

Anderson Daniel Newell

2011-02-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

We are happy to announce that......HE"S HERE!!!!!
He is here!!! Finally! So here is a quick summary of his journey. My pregnancy was not the easiest out there but definitely could have been harder. But as we all know, it can always be worse so I hate to even complain. I was not sick the whole time but probably 80% of it I was nauseous but mostly it was all of the contractions. For me they start at about 16 weeks as braxton hicks and continue the whole time. So the bigger he got the more painful they were. So of course we thought he would come a little early with all of the contractions and his size. But NO! My brother said he is a mama's boy and didn't want to leave me! So I went in to be induced at 39 weeks. We were supposed to go in at midnight but they called me at about 7 and said that we could go in early. Of course I was not ready. I had saved a list of things to do so that I would be busy those last few hours and not just sitting around watching the clock. So I hopped in the shower and quickly did a few last things and we were on our way. They started the gels at 10:00 and I got my epidural at 2. I was going to try and wait but the nurse said no need, so I figured after 20 weeks of contractions, I was done and please put me out of my misery! And can I say that I am soooooo grateful for epidurals. What a blessed thing they are! I was praising the man that invented them all through my labor!
After the epidural I went from a 3 to a 9 in 4 1/2 hours and then the doctor came in and broke my water and and hour and a half later we started to push to see if it would help him rotate and move the rest of the way down. Well 3 contractions and pushing later I could feel his head coming out and they told me to stop pushing so that the doctor could get there. He walked in took one look and told me not to move, breathe, or push! He quickly got his gown on and my contractions pushed him the rest of the way out. I have to say I didn't even break a sweat! Oh blessed epidurals! The doctor was shocked when they weighed him in at 9 lbs 4oz and said, oooh sorry! Anderson came out crying and and scored a 9-10 on his apgar! He was just perfect and I was so happy that everything went well and there was no trauma on either of us! My recovery has been fantastic in comparison to Isabella and he is a super good baby!
The hospital and nurses were not a fan of letting me sleep so I got the heck out of there as soon as we could, which was the next day. We got home and I finally got a nap that lasted longer than 45 minutes and that made pretty happy!
Isabella has taken to him as we expected. She is always super excited to see him and after holding him for about 3 seconds she is all done with him. There have been some outburst and temper tantrums but nothing too bad so I'll take it. Family and friends have been so awesome at taking her out of the house for most of the week so that I could recover and we could get to know our little guy! Meals have been coming daily and are so yummy! We are so very blessed with so much love and support of everyone around us!
Here are the pictures in no particular order!

Ryan and Kylee kissing their new nephew in the hospital.
Amber and Aaron were nice enough to come and stay with Isabella while we had Anderson! Thanks guys!!!!
RIGHT after we had him.
Just before we started to push. I am holding my Ipad and can I say how much I loved it during labor and now when I nurse. It is quite the luxury and my favorite christmas gift!!!
He rarely opens his eyes, but he gave us a quick peek
Cousin Alex holding Anderson.
Isabella pretending to be a baby. She does find his bouncer a great recliner for watching tv!
After his first bath at home. He hated it and looked at me after like, "how could you?!"
Isabella seeing anderson for the first time. Of course I didn't capture her holding him on film! But she was pretty excited!
Our nurse Andrea

The big weigh in
Just before they started the induction

30 weeks

2010-12-16T20:16:00.001-08:00

So I have had a few requests to see the big belly, so here it is! I know it looks like I'm 9 months but I'm not. I'm getting pretty used to the ,"Wow your huge! When are you due?" I tell people in June, and then walk away:)

Halloween, family, and outings!

2010-11-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

We got to go to the lake lots this summer but Isabella only went once and she actually really liked it! It was fun to watch her little face! She liked to help Grandpa drive the boat!
Hangin out at the zoo! Cousin Kellene came to visit for a couple of weeks and it was so fun because the girls were both at good ages where they played really well together. We spent most days with her while she was there, and Isabella loved having a friend to play with everywhere we went! It was the best!!! Kellene was so good to her! As are all of her cousins. She is a lucky girl!
Best Buddies
Kellene wanted to go on the log ride at the Zoo and of course once Isabella saw that she had to go to. I was shocked and Grammy took one for the team and took her for me. She liked it until the very end when the wind blew those sprays right on them and soaked both of them. She didn't like the getting wet part. But I was pretty proud of her braveness!
They would hold hands whenever we were walking in parking lots so that we could stay together and I finally got a picture of it!
Kellene was giving Isabella a ride on the tricycle. It was so cute and their faces say it all! They were having so much fun at the children's museum. Isabella was so sad when she went home. I think it took a couple of weeks before she stopped looking for her when we went over to Grammy's house! I love cousins!
MY MAN cooking homemade empanadas from scratch. The recipe was straight from Argentina from his mission, and they were good. I didn't help once!

she wouldn't smile for the camera. So this is what we got. You know she was in deep thought over some serious stuff just then:)
The belly. I swear it has doubled in the last couple of weeks! This was at week 22.
Playing in one of the three little pigs houses at the pumpkin patch.
Raggedy Ann for the play group Halloween party. She was supposed to be a Lady Bug, which she was for 2 of the 4 dressing up occasions. But Arizona was so hot this year that when it came time for parties that were during the day, I had to come up with something a little cooler. 94 degrees on Halloween was a little ridiculous!!!
Here she was as a fairy princess. I think she liked this costume the best! And it was the least hot. She wore this one to the Midwestern Halloween party, which was lots of fun with lots of candy. I think she learned to like Halloween there!
She has this new thing where she needs all of her "friends" around her and at least 2 or 3 of them come with us in the car or to bed etc. But the baby is definitely her favorite right now!
We just got back from Mexico and all the boys did fire works, which Isabella did not enjoy. She has always been pretty sensitive to loud noises. But one thing that she did like was their head lamps! She left it on for quite a while!

My Sister

2010-10-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Nicole Marie Robinson- August 28 1979- July 11, 2010
We love you soooo much and cherish the memory of you till we see you again!

So I have avoided blogging about the 900 lb gorilla in the room, for a list of about 100 reasons. But I finally have a minute and a clear head, and since this is my public journal it is time.
My sister passed away on July 11, 2010. She left behind her 3 1/2 year old daughter Kellene and her husband Nate and of course us her family, extended family, and friends.
Rich and I were in Oregon at the time and I was sitting in church when I got a couple of phone calls, so I decided to run out and check and make sure everything was ok. My parents had the smarts about them to make me go back in and get Rich so he could be there when they told me the bad news, which was torture, because I knew it had to be bad. I was newly pregnant and sick and I think that they were afraid I would pass out or something. This is the type of news that you never want to hear at this age in your life, but I think a certain angel was holding me up as I processed the news and I was able to have a clear mind and a complete sense of peace. I was indeed grateful to have my husband at my side to for comfort and support. As Rich went back inside to get the keys to drive me home, I sat down on the curb and put my head in my hands and said a little prayer, and at that moment I felt in my heart and knew without a doubt, that she was okay and in a better place for her at this time in her life.
I can not be more grateful for my Father in Heaven and for righteous parents that raised me with such a true knowledge of where we came from, why we are here, and where we go after we die. That we truly can be an eternal family and this trial is but a moment and we will be able to see her again.
Miracles surrounded all of us during the following weeks(and still continue) and as we attended to the needs of the funerals and handled grief and mourning. We were able to go in and dress her body as an entire family and kneel around her for one last entire family prayer in this life. How sweet and sacred that experience was! We survived 2 funerals and were still standing afterwards.We were able to comfort each other and hold each other up through our sadness. We were able to say see you later and not good bye to her, knowing she will be with us again. I know for a fact that the strength we received was Heaven sent and not of our own accord! Friends and family were there to lift us up and carry us on in the hard moments and the lessons I learned and truths that were sealed more fervently in my heart will always be treasured! Thank you to everyone for those blessings! Thank you for the sweet stories you told us about her, the cards, food, money, flowers, and support and love!
My sister and I were 22 months apart and couldn't have been more different if we tried!:) She was country, I was R&B. She was t-shirt and jeans and I am sparkles and frills! She was an adrenal junky and I am a little more cautious. Her favorite color was blue and mine is pink. She is fair skinned and I am olive, she loves sugar and I love salt:)The list goes on and on.... But for some reason we chose each other and were put into the same family as sisters for a reason. We played well when we were little, fought like cats and dogs in the middle years, and came to a tolerance, love and respect in our recent years. I have always loved her and admired her spunk, and she has always owned a tender part in my heart.
Nikki's life was not exactly hard but she struggled more than the average bear. Her school years were tough and she suffered socially and longed for a place to fit in. She liked to make her own mistakes to learn from instead of learning from others mistakes, which I think is 1/2 of the world;) She was the most loyal and caring friend you could ever have. She would never judge and would love you unconditionally no matter what. She was forever kind to anyone she met and loved to strike up conversation with strangers and learn about people. She loved the outdoors, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, camping, canoeing, sky diving, quad riding, and so on. And she did all of those things very well. Ever since she was little we always said that she had the most amazing ability to know where she was at while in the air!! Random, but she always smelled so good. I remember walking in to her bedroom growing up and it had the sweetest smell as did she. She loved animals, dogs, riding horses, and was always kind and tender to them. She had a special place in her heart for the mountains, country music, Montana, Garth Brooks, Dodge trucks, and dirt bikes/motorcycles. She loved children and they always loved her. She was one of those that had a special touch with them and they always responded well to her. She was so handy and could fix almost anything!She was very intelligent and would shock me with her knowledge of things constantly. She loved her family and we love her! She loved her sweet daughter so much and the last four years of her life she was her greatest joy. She waited a while to become a mom and when she was blessed with Kellene, she cherished her beyond belief. She loved her sweet husband and I'll never forget when she met him and how her countenance and whole being would light up when she talked about him or was around him! She was such a soft hearted and kind soul who loved with all she had and she will be sooo missed!
I used to think that death would be the hardest thing that you could ever go through and I was terrified of it. I was blessed with an experience about six weeks before this happened that pierced my soul! The lesson I learned was that death is not the scariest thing in this life. Losing my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel is! With out it everything is hard, and with it anything in manageable! It hit me while sitting in church one Sunday, and after, I kept having the impression to write down that experience, which thankfully I listened to. I can not express how grateful I was to have been prepared and know that no matter what life throws at us we can get through it with the Saviors help. Death is hard and what is left behind is sad, but the strength we gain and the perspectives learned are so precious to us as a family. And we know that all can be healed and all can be restored through obedience to the Lord's commandments. What a sweet and precious knowledge that is, and I am eternally grateful for it!

So we have a little secret!!???

2010-09-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

So we went to the doctor today and found out in fact that I am not just getting fat, But that we have a baby BOY!!! growing in there! We are 17 weeks along and very, very excited to be able to experience a girl and now a boy! Rich pretends not to be too excited that it is a boy and just says that all he wants is a healthy baby. Which of course I agree, but it is way fun that we are having a boy too! and I know that he is ecstatic!! I am due the end of February and so far so good. This pregnancy has been a lot easier than Isabella's and I said today that if this is what boys are like, then I want all the rest to be boys! I am still sick but I don't throw up, so I'll take it! This little boy is also the reason for my blogging absence! Every time I get pregnant, I lose all motivation for things that are not an absolute necessary to live! We are soooo grateful to be pregnant again and so excited and waiting very impatiently for February! But just wanted everyone to know what has been new in our lives!!

Our Summer

2010-09-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hi from the Newells! We are alive and well with just a long blogging absence! We kind of took the summer off! A quick Isabella update... she is talking more and more everyday and we love it! She mimics anything that she can and is so cute! She still loves to go bye-bye, loves her baby dolls, her t.v. shows, playing with the big legos, loves to be outside and in the water, loves to climb and play chase and hide and seek, loves tents!, loves her books, and loves playing in her crib when it is not bedtime, loves her grammy especially,likes making messes for mommy and daddy to clean up, she has expanded her meal choices which mommy is especially happy about, and at her last check up she was 36 inches tall and 26.5 lbs. She is growing more and more everyday and really turning into a little girl! She is such a joy and light in our lives!!!

So in early June we were able to go to New York and Connecticut! It was so fun and my very first time there! We experienced as much as we could see and had so much fun! We took a run in central park and then had breakfast at the boat house. We got stuck in traffic because of a parade, we semi-mastered the subways and the day we left someone even asked me for directions on it and I was able to tell them! We ate lots of good food, slept late, walked for hours, and just enjoyed the culture!
On our last day in New York we went to the Natural Museum of History. I am not a fan of museums and this one did not sway me. But this whale was cool!

This is Little Italy where we had the most amazing pizza of our Lives in this tiny restaurant called, Lasso!So good! This was probably one of my favorite areas and someday when we go back I would like to spend more time there. Mostly in the restaurants!!We took a special extra walk to see Yankee stadium. We didn't go to a game. We had such little time there that we just wanted to see things and experience the culture. I didn't make him go to a play so he didn't make me go to a baseball game! Win-Win!

Rich's sister Jill took a bus from D.C. to come and hang with us for the day! So awesome! She served her mission in NYC so she was a great tour guide for us. We walked our legs off that day and got to see so much. Here we are at Grand Central station with her before she caught her train back! Thanks Jill, we Love you!
Central park was one of my favorites! Our hotel was right at the entrance so the day that we got there we took a bike tour around it, because I was way to lazy to walk and was lost instantly! It was so beautiful and the weather was amazing! It was a good way to see alot fast!
The statue of Liberty! Awwww!

Here we are in Connecticut for Ryan and Kylee's other wedding reception. They had it in this beautiful mansion and the area that Kylee grew up in was so amazing! So green. And after all of the festivities is when we drove up to NYC.

We got to go to Oregon this summer in July, and we actually flew in on our 5th anniversary and Rich surprised me and took me to the same place we stayed on our wedding night and in the same room! It was so wonderful and so much fun. His wonderful parents took care of Isabella for us! Hows that for company, the day we show up we leave our kid with them and go stay at a hotel. I guess kids will always be kids! Thanks Mom and Dad for everything that you did for us while we were there!
We went up to Ashlee and Jeffs on day and they took us to the wildlife safari, where the animals roam out free and you drive through it! It was lots of fun and she loved it!
She played with all of her cousins and had a blast!

A quick family picture at Matt and Beths!This is in Matt and Beth's front yard. We were able to be in Oregon for the blessing of new baby Gannon!
We played with lots of friends. She is so happy when she has a play buddy!
Teaghen and Isabella! They play so good together!
We went through four containers of finger paint! Lets just say that it will be a little while before I buy more! She's like" How did that paint get all over me? Hmmm, a mystery!
Princess Isabella, with her legs crossed, eating grapes, watching t.v. and had just had a luxurious bath! I was fanning her with palm leaves on the side
We also went to Lake Powell, Sacramento, Utah, and Mexico, all of which I left my camera at home. So you'll just have to imagine. We did lots of swimming(mostly Isabella and Daddy), lots of playing and chillin', and had a good summer in between all of our trips! Life is good and everybody is happy here!

She's 2!!

2010-06-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

So two years ago the most amazing thing happened! We became parents to a beautiful baby girl. She has been the joy in our lives for the last two years and it just gets better everyday! She is still so happy (most of the time;) big huge smile 98% of the time, gets excited over everything, lives to play" I'm gonna get you", loves to swim and jump and watch t.v., to swing and slide and be tickled by her daddy. She gives us hugs while patting our backs, blows kisses to everyone when she says bye(even the grocery store lady), hates her vegetables, is talking more and more everyday, and loves to be around people and never wants to miss a party!

Here she is the day she was born

One years old
and now TWO!!! I can't believe it!
When everyone showed up to her Minnie Mouse party she was so excited that she just ran around hugging every ones legs!

She loved opening her presents and it was so fun this year because she could actually understand what was going on. Her is one of her gifts,every girl needs a pink ball! This was one of her favorite gifts from Amber and Aaron!
Here she is getting her kitchen. We waited until the end and brought it in and she was so excited! Little does she know in about 16 years that is the last thing she will ever want!
Three lovely ladies!!
So we sang to her and then told her to blow, and she did but very delicately! It took her about 10 tries and us helping before she got it out. We were clapping and cheering as she finally did. She is just such a little Lady!
Before she blew them out, she decided to stick her hand in the frosting to give it a little try! She liked it! And is my child the only one that eats ONLY the frosting on the cake?!

The cake! I'll let you decide if you think I made it or not?!??
Yummy!
Us with our party hats! I didn't think she would wear hers longer than to get a picture, but I was wrong. She didn't want to take them off until it was bedtime. So cute! Then a few days later I was making her breakfast and served it to her on one of her leftover party plates, and all of the sudden she runs upstairs and comes down with her ears on. If she was going to eat on a Minnie Mouse plate then she needed her ears!
Her buddy spot! After a quick wardrobe change for the princess we headed off to Chuckie Cheese. She loves it and it was so fun to watch her!
She was just shoving in the pizza!
On the swing ride. This is the ride that I remember loving as a little girl. I didn't think she would do it but after about 10 seconds she loved it and rode it 3 more times! Grandpa would walk around to each side as it swooped up and give her a kiss and then go to the other side!
We had her birthday party the day before her actual birthday so on her real birthday we gave her our gift. Her own house. I hope she doesn't look back on her 2nd birthday and think that mom and dad were trying to move her out already- with a kitchen-house-vacuum-food......? She loves to play pretend, and i love to watch her do it.
And after it was all done we asked her how her 2nd birthday was and she said,"WOW,WOW!"
We love you Isabella and are grateful for the blessing you are in our lives!!!

Easter

2010-04-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Easter was so fun this year! Last year we got to be in Oregon and this year we were in Mexico. I think we are starting a traveling tradition for Easter. But we went down with family and friends and the weather was incredible and the company was great and we had a lot of fun! Isabella was old enough this year to kind of get into the Easter thing, so that was super fun! We didn't get much sleep because the adults would stay up until 1 or 2 in the morning and then our kids were up at 6 or 7. You think we would learn but we just couldn't help ourselves! What with games where we make animal sounds, yell, laugh, act, and eat junk! who would want to sleep!

So we/I love the game sedareks. Which is just like sharaides(sp) but instead of one person acting out to the whole group the whole group acts out to one person, but they can not discuss the word before they start. It is HILARIOUS to see every ones different take on things in a stressful/timed situation. I love it!! I can't remember what the boys were acting out but it was funny enough for me to get up and get my camera! I will leave it to your imagination
Scott, Kiana, and baby Donavin came with us. It was his first Easter and his first visit to the beach. He was so cute! Oh and they were fun too!! ;) They were waiting on passports(which have only been taking about 2 weeks) and weren't sure if they were going to make it, but they came that day at 10 in the morning and they were on the road by 2! What a miracle and we were so glad they could make it!
This is miss Lucy and she is so sweet and cute! she says the funniest things and is so pretty! She is 3 and Isabella had fun playing with her!
Isabellas' favorite part of Easter was the hunt. I was surprised because I thought she was still too young to get it. I wanted to hide them all again just so I could watch her little face!
Her happy face!
WOW! WOW! is what she was saying
Here is Amber and Amy helping the girls dye Easter eggs. I was running back and forth from the kitchen getting paper towels and spoons and more bowls. It was a quick activity but it was worth it. Isabella kept eating the dye even after she tasted the vinegar. Really, I can't get the kid to eat anything but give her a bowl of vinegar and away she goes! We had no spills and the eggs actually turned out decent!
Amy, Nate, Ivy, and Lucy! Thanks guys for coming! We had so much fun! All of this group were great company!
Isabella playing in the sand on a windy day!
I hope everyone had a great Easter! Ours was one to remember!

Day 21....

2010-04-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

....of my miscarriage. So I have wrestled and wrestled with whether or not to post about this but I have just been blog stocking for an hour and all of you out there have really inspired me with your bare facts blog posts(Emily,Natalie,Tammy). I feel like had I known even a tenth of some of this it would have made this trial a million times easier. And please know before I start that I am not whining or feeling "poor me" in any way, and that 99% of this would be written in sarcasm font if I had that! If you can't cry we might as well laugh!!!

Day 1: went in for my 11 1/2 week check up and my wonderful doctor always does an ultrasound first. I have seen a many ultrasounds in my day, so pretty soon into it I could tell that there was something wrong. The ultrasound tech was so kind and when I finally said, "there is no heartbeat, huh?" he nodded and said that he was sorry and he would go and get a room for me. I said, "Bummer!" He handed me the tissue box and left me in the dark, warm room with my thoughts, which were,"this sucks!and Heavenly Father, please give me some peace to my heart and mind, please oh please!' If only I hadn't had to see the little baby lying still on the screen.
So they move me to the room to wait for the doctor and he comes in and is sweet as can be and we decide to do the D&C option. I had heard so many horror stories of trying to do it on your own that I didn't even want to talk about that option. So he walks me to the surgery scheduling room, where the girl proceeds to ignore me as I am standing 2 feet from her and talk to the other girls about how she is getting her hair cut that day. I stand there trying not to lay on the ground and cry, but put on a tough face, when all I want to do is get the heck out of there. I try to break the ice by asking her about her baby that she has tons of pictures of on her board. I got one sentence(one of my pet peves with the ob/gyn world is that I know they deal with this all day everyday, but a little compassion would go a long way! This is probably my 100th experience with this type of situation)
I finally get out of there and have a good cry in my car. My wonderful in-laws were watching Isabella for me and Rich was out of town. I had called them before I got home and they were so loving and caring. My father-in-law immediately gave me a blessing and my mom-in-law gave me that hug that only a mother can give! My mom came over shortly after and got Isabella and Dad came to to give me a hug and blessing.They had just drove in from vacation, WELCOME home! I am SO grateful for all of my parents.
I am home about 15 minutes when the hospital calls and wants to make sure that I will be able to pay the$500 that the surgery will cost, Well gosh, that is just fantastic and made me feel so much better! The first thought was that I would rather take that $500 dollars and go shopping and that would probably fix a lot more than surgery;)
Rich flew home immediately and went with me to the surgery. Which was at 6:30. I was not allowed to eat, but because my body still thought that I was pregnant, I was still sick. And you know how much fun it is to be sick and pregnant with no food! But my man took care of me and had all of my favorite comfort foods ready and waiting for me when we got home, along with flowers!I love you, Rich!
Day 2: cramping and bleeding but doing pretty good emotionally. Pretty excited about my pregnant gut that I get to get rid of now. I know I am vain but that is not fun!
Day 3: Drove to Mexico for Easter weekend. My bleeding was lessening by this time. Things were looking pretty normal.
Day 4: Bleeding had pretty much stopped until that night when I started the clotting and bad cramping. I was pretty nervous because I had never had anything like that happen and I thought that a D&C was supposed to eliminate all of that.And can I say," ew, yuck, gross, gross, gross!!" Oh and did I mention that my milk had started to come in on this day?! That was marvelous!
Day 5: Really bloated and it hurts to eat and to touch my whole stomach, but not bleeding again. Until that night. This time it was much worse and the cramping was so severe that I had to take pain killers. I am thinking what the heck is going on. And I am in Mexico which is a place that you do not want to have any medical issues!
Day 6:My whole stomach was still bloated and it hurt to eat but no bleeding.
Day 7: Went into the doctor and he put me on an antibiotic for the bloating thing because he thought it might be an infection, and told me that the clotting and bleeding thing was normal. I thought that news would have been pretty useful about a week ago!!!But at this time I had not bled for 2 days so he thought I was done. Got home and had the most severe clotting and pain, yet to date! 2 vicadin and a demoral finally kept me from going to the ER(I hate going to the ER). But I am still and again,thinking, what the heck!!!!
Day 8: Stomach bloating was a little better and no bleeding. I sewed my living room curtains that day. Might as well get on with life while I can. One bonus, the no eating thing helped with the gut!
Day 9: All dressed up and ready to go to Baptisms for the Dead with the youth and, YIPEE, started clotting and cramping AGAIN! Had to stay home and my mom came over and got Isabella because poor Rich actually needed to work and had been so great with taking care of me and Isabella through all of this. By this point I am really frustrated so I called and left a message with the nurse just because I really wanted to know how long to expect this kind of thing to happen. She told me to come in to the office the next morning.
Day 10: Went to the Dr. and they did and ultrasound(inside and out-that is always fun) and saw a pretty big blood clot way up high in my uterus. He gave me a prescription for a pill that they would give you if you choose to miscarry on your own( I was really excited about experiencing it both ways-what a deal- a 2for1). It makes you uterus contract and push everything out and is supposed to be pretty painful-they write that prescription with a vicadin prescription- and the told me to block out my life for the next 2 days. This is getting better and better! But I was grateful that at least in two days it would finally be done! So I go drop off the script and take Isabella to play group because I figured the rest of the day was going to be barney and curious george. At play group I got to listen to all of the pregnant women complain about how miserable they were being pregnant- I have no hard feelings and know that I would probably do the same thing, it just sucked to listen to that day!
Went back to the pharmacy and they told me that I could not take that pill because of the other prescription that I was on would be FATAL if I took them together. FANTASTIC! I asked how long I had to be off of it and she said 2 weeks. another FANTASTIC! And then the nurse from the Dr. office called and said sorry there was nothing that they could do, we would just have to wait and see if I passed it on my own.
I hadn't cried since the first day, but at this point I said a little prayer and said I am doing my best here to have a good perspective and be strong, but every time I have to keep dealing with issues it is just an ugly reminder of what I have lost. So teach me what I need to be learning because I want to be done and get on with life. I think my answer was PATIENCE. So I cried that day and as I am crying I am thinking why am I crying, this is not making me feel better. I talked to my mom and cried some more, Rich gave me a hug and I cried some more still thinking this crying thing is not helping. And then Isabella woke up and my tears dried up! She makes everything all better. And my mom came over to help and took us to get some comfort food. She makes everything all better also!
Day 11: I am doing fine and just waiting for the bomb to drop. I just kept praying that when it happened I would be home so that I didn't have to make a scene.
Day 12: bleeding
Day 13,14,15,16,17,18,19: bleeding and spotting with light cramping.
Day 20:call the Dr.s office because I am wondering what is going on with my body. I had not passed the clot and a client in the medical field said there is nowhere for it to go but out. They tell me to come in again. All I wanted was again another answer of HOW LONG to wait.
Day 21: Meet with the doctor and he said that the clot breaks up and I will just keep bleeding! Fabulous! Oh and the front desk wanted to make sure that I payed my $220 balance from the D&C that didn't work! Awesome!

So if you ever have to go through this I am told that most of it is NORMAL. But all of that info would have really really helped to know all of the possible side effects and what was to be expected. It really was not as bad as I made it sound just very frustrating when you are trying to move on. I am still doing great emotionally and know that it could always be worse and I would much rather have this happen than something else!!! I grateful for the trial and being able to gain more patience! I know the Lord will bless us with another pregnancy when it is time. and Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who called, texted, sent flowers and their love. I really appreciated it! And I am sorry I didn't respond. But know that I got each and every one and felt very loved!

Disneyland

2010-04-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

So we went to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago to meet Rich's Parents and his brother Matt and Beth and their kids. It was lots of fun and Isabella did better than I expected. But I had to put this picture first because I think that her cousin Paige was her favorite part of it all!! They were so cute and Paige was so good with her. Since Isabella is an only child right now her playing skills are not to polished. But Paige being the youngest of 5 is a pro and took her right under her wing! Thanks Paige we love you!
Here is the crew minus us!
This is backwards but, this is her at the end of the day, just pooped!!!
Sportin some Minnie Mouse glasses, which stayed on for about 20 seconds.
Waiting for Daddy to get off the rapids.
She loved the parades. She would sit on Rich's shoulders and clap and wave! So cute!
The first day in the park! Her favorite rides were Dumbo and the carasouel. She would say,"Wheeeeeeee!" the whole time!
She loved the characters but I think that Pluto was her favorite. She would try and cut in line, stand and wave at him with a smile so big she was drooling and just get so excited! It was so fun and I hope I never forget her little face that day!!

Seriously?!!!!!

2010-03-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to quickly post and save us all awkward moments. I found out today that I miscarried again. I was 11 1/2 weeks, and my 3rd miscarriage, and darn it if it doesn't seem that every time I post that I am pregnant I miscarry! So next time I'll let everyone know when I deliver!! (jk) But we are doing fine and just greatful for fathers blessings, the Gospel, the Comforter, trials, our sweet Isabella, family, the miracle of pregnancy, prayer, and our Savior!

Growing up and Catching up!

2010-03-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well after a couple month absence in the blogging world it is time to catch up on a lot! We have been so busy and done so much in the past couple of months! Isabellas is growing up quickly and is now 21 months old! We can hardly believe it! And to catch you up on another detail that will make her and the new baby!, 29 months apart! So that is why I have been MIA in the computer world. Too lazy and tired to do it! But we are very excited and all is going well. The baby is due in October which makes me a little over 10 weeks right now!
So to get up to date on everything else we have been up to I will start from now back to January.This month Lindsay and the girls have been in town and we have been spending most of our free time over there. Rich is traveling all of the time, so their company has made things less lonely! We will be so excited when they move back to Arizona next year! Rich and I took a little get away in early February to Flagstaff and had so much fun. But those pictures are on another camera and I will post that later!

Here is Isabella one Sunday after Nursery. She loves it and always comes home a little hyper!
In February, I got to watch Keith and Lindsays girls for 5 days and we had lots of fun. But 3 girls under the age of 3 was no small task. But we survived and have lots of fun memories! We ate ice cream naked(well with diapers) every night with Hannah and Isabella. Here is Hannah cleanly eating her ice cream

and Isabella with her feet up on the table and an ice cream go-tee going on!We had a picnic one day which mostly resulted in a lot of playing and not a lot of eating
The two girly girls, eating there hot dogs. As soon as they walked away I think the dogs ate half of their plates!
In January, my brother Ryan got engaged to Kylie Bell! We are so excited for them and can't wait for them to move to Arizona in April after they get married! She is the best and they are such a cute couple. I took a few pictures of them while they were waiting for the real photographer to show up for their engagement pictures. And this is my favorite one and I just can't put my finger on why?!

ahhhh! Don't they look so cute together!

Here is their awesome photographer, THE Natalie Montez, laying in the middle of the road in order to get the right shot! What a dedicated photographer!Rich and Isabella playing in the Hammock
So we/I made our first attempt at Sugar cookies for Valentines Day. She was so funny that as soon as the batter was done she started to eat it. How do they automatically know that it will taste good. We must all come born with that intuition.
The final result

The next day when she ate one for the first time. I don't know if any actually made it into her mouth!

Taking a ride on the Carousel at the ZOO. Isabella threw a large fit getting off!
Sweet Gerber baby Brynlee. She is so cute!
Grandpa and Grammy took the older girls ahead of us To the zoo and did a little shopping! The got animal print sunglasses and were feeling HOT!!!
Isabella playing it cool!
We all went to the zoo on New Years Day! Isabella loves the petting zoo, but mommy is allergic so she is happy when Daddy is there to take her in. She giggles the whole time!
Keith and Lindsay came for Christmas and we got to spend a few days with them after we got back from Oregon. Including New years Eve, when we stayed up till 3 in the morning, acting like teenagers who didn't have children that wake up a 7! Ouch
So I feel a little caught up now and hope it won't be another 3 months before I blog again.

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

So I feel like this picture explains it all. Lots of fun, lots of chaos, lots of laughing, and LOTS of people! We were lucky enough to have another Newell Christmas this year in Eugene, OR. And Santa granted my wish and brought NO rain all week. For Oregon that truly is a Christmas miracle! We went for a week and the time flew by! We had lots of activities and not a lot of sleep, but that is what makes the memories! Isabella was a champ with moving from place to place, being woken up in the middle of the night, airplanes, no schedule, and lots of cousins(whom she loves, but is not quite used to yet!) Our newest member of the family, Zac, was baptised on Dec. 18th and we all got to be there on the Sunday after Christmas as he received the priesthood. It was pretty neat, and he is a pretty great guy. We are all so happy for him!!!
So our activities included lots of caroling, roller skating, games, lots of food, the nativity, family pictures, shopping, wrapping and lots of opening!! We had a great time and are so grateful for our family and how loyal and supportive they all are. Not to many people can say that they like everyone in their family, and that they all get along and that they all(29 people) fit into One house and three trailers and all come out smiling with memories!!! We just want to give a shout out to MOM who works unselfishly and endlessly on our behalf, so that we are all happy! You are amazing Mom and we love you!! You threw an awesome week long party!!

all the grandchildren with grandma and grandpa. Did we mention it was about 30 degrees when we took this and the children were such good sports but very cold!

The last and final attempt at a family Christmas picture.
When we went roller skating, Aaron dedicated a song to amber and she had to go to the middle of the rink all by herself to accept the rose! Just like in high school. It was so funny!
Christmas madness! all 29 of us AND our gifts
These cute girly girls and their Christmas matching outfits from Grandma!So cute. There is a one year difference between Isabella and them!
Opening gifts with Isabella was a little challenging! But she did enjoy her gifts!
Sharing a family skate!
SO cute! Tyler who is 4 months older than Isabella was so sweet to her all week even though she bit him a few times!( sorry Tyler) He would just walk up and hug and hug her and kiss her. She didn't know quite what to think but it was so cute. And I think that she finally warmed up to him at the end!

Aren't we GORGEOUS!
Before we left we got spoiled by having another Christmas with my parents! So fun! Mom even got out the Martinellis and Snacks so it would really feel like Christmas!

Isabella is definitely a Grammy's girl. She will take her over ANYONE!

Attempt #496. Way too many chins in this picture, but it was fun!
Hope everyone had a great holiday! We are excited to start a new year and can't wait to see what life will bring us this year!!

The Holiday Season

2009-12-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

So we were lucky enough to be able to go to Utah for Thanksgiving.My sister Nikki lives there, my brother Ryan, and my aunt Kelly and cousins. It was a great trip! The weather was not too cold, the company was great and the food was good! We had an early flight on Wednesday morning and by the time that we got to the Hotel and got Isabella's crib set up she literally begged to get in it so she could take a nap! It was hilarious!
Hangin out in her crib in her swimsuit. We were on our way to the spa which was closed because someone put shampoo in it! We were way bummed and so was she!
Why, do you ask, does she look traumatized? Because she was recovering from a meeting with....
SANTA! Santa tried to say hi to her. We went to breakfast with Santa, Charming right?! She did not think so. She saw him coming before I did and immediately grabbed on to me and started screaming. It was pretty funny. So this is our picture with Santa for this year.
How many people does it take to change a light bulb? Apparently 2 men and a dog!
A magical sleigh ride!
The host of Thanksgiving! Our Aunt Kelly. She has just moved to Utah and so we went to spend Thanksgiving with her
Nate and Kellene with the Jazz's mascot. Our hotel had great activities including Teddy Bear town and he was going to cut the ribbon f
Nikki and Dad on Thanksgiving, cooking in the kitchen
Mom and the two girls being silly with the spoons. I wonder where they got their blue eyes?!!
This is Dad and Ryan's buddy Dick. He has become an extension to our family and we love him!
So her new thing is to lay down anywhere she feels like it to see what that particular floor feels like. And i mean anywhere, in stores, at church, in the middle of the airport.....
We got to see Aunt Jill for an evening when we were there. Isabella Loves her!
Mom being goofy as we make another attempt at christmas pictures, we probably took 150 different shots and not ONE has all of us looking at the camera!

This is Rich and Ryan striking some very serious poses for the camera!
Isabella and I
She said," He comes out of where?!?"
Christmas pictures this year have been disastorous! This is one of the only decent ones
At the Zoo with our new Wagon!Thank you Grammy and Grandpa!
We are excited for Christmas and will talk as little of Santa to Isabella as possible! We get to go to Oregon to be with Rich's family and have a cold Christmas! I hope everyone has a great Holiday!!!

Isabella's first day at nursery

2009-12-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

She is now 18 months old, which is hard to believe and went to nursery! We were looking forward to this day for a while. So a nervous mommy took her in and with all of my courage and faith in the nursery leaders, I left her. And she did great! No tears and drew a picture and everything! Look how well she color in the lines, my child is a genius! ;) We were so happy!! I think someone was jealous of her bow and tried to rip it out because that is not how it looked when I left her!(actually most likely it was her that tried to pull it out!)

Where did she go?

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

Where did she go???
I saw this picture of her and thought, " Where did my baby go?" :(

A little flower

2009-11-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

So she was a flower for Halloween. The selfish in me wanted her to be as baby as possible for one more year! But I should have known better! My instincts told me she would hate the hat and she did! But she did wear it long enough to take some pictures and for trick-or treating at two houses!! I just couldn't resist the waddle and the big fluffy feet! SO fun!
Oh this lady bug smells funny! I tried to tell her that the lady bug is supposed to smell her not the other way around!

Seriously guys!? I hate this thing!
I am going to tear it apart with my teeth. That'll teach them!!

Talk about Fashion sense!!??

2009-10-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

So I am finally posting pictures from our Mexico trip in September. It was mostly just girls, but the boys did make an appearance for the weekend. My mom, Nikki, her daughter Kellene, me and Isabella, and our friend Heather. The weather was a little warm but was still nice enough to be outside. Isabella loved the beach again and especially the Quads. We would get down to the beach and she would walk around for a bit, eat some sand, and then walk over to the quads while pointing and saying,"vroom, vroom!" So we would take a ride and repeat!
We had a great time and did learn that the jelly fish down their don't sting, as we were throwing them like baseballs by the end of the week!

This is a little outfit that Kellene just threw together one night. When we asked her if it was new she said," what, this old thing?!""

BUBBLES! she can say it now and loves for us to blow them in the bath tub
This is sadly the only picture I got the whole week of both of the girls together. Lets just say that they weren't at good ages for playing together!
Here is some more amazing fashion sense. She said she did NOT want tan lines so this was the best thing she could think of to fix that!
But I might say that this outfit wins the Prize!!! Kaden was a serious beach adventure man!!
Mom and Isabella

These are the jelly fish or as Kellene would say "belly bish" there were hundreds of them everywhere! This one however was a casualty of the tide:(
I love the gut!! She is so much fun! She loved the sand and eating it, but the sand in the diapers did get a little old by the end of the week. What can we say she likes crunchy and salty food!!She is at such a fun age and is understanding so much of what we say. It is so fun to watch her explore and try new things. She is so happy but definitely know what she wants and will let you know! I love it! and Her!!!!

Bad Hair Day?!

2009-09-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't make you feel better about your hairstyle, I don't know what will!! Classic Bedhead!!

Elmo, and the Bride...

2009-09-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Elmo phase has begun. She wakes up saying it and wants to watch it all the time. She is so funny. She will just lay back and chill and watch her Elmo.

Hey mom, could you turn it up?
This is how she was sleeping one day when I went in to wake her up. We got some new bumpers after this day. Our other ones were pretty but took up a lot of space, so she felt the need to move them very often.
Just posing
And of course the Beautiful Bride! I was lucky enough to take some pictures for JJ and Zac. Here are just a few. She looked beautiful and her dress was amazing!!!!!!
The new happy family!

Happy Birthday Nikki!!

2009-08-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

It is my sisters 30th birthday today and as usual I didn't call until 10:00 at night and they were already asleep:( I am the WORST at birthdays as most of you already know)(i'll try harder!) So Happy Birthday Nickle>She is a great person with lots of talents! You should see her on a ski slope, a river, a ranch, a motorcycle, on a boat/kayak, on a mountain with a bike, with a crochet hook/sewing machine, with animals and children, behind a camera, and a computer! She is a great mom, wife, daughter, and sister1 She can eat sugar better than anyone I know! She loves adventure and adrenalin rushes and she is very smart, kind, and crafty;she could probably fix something in my house better than Rich! and she is so much more!I hope that you had a great day because you are a great person!!!! I love you and miss you! And I love that no matter how old I get you will always be OLDER!!;)

The miracle of the Blue Blanket!!

2009-08-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

So, because we are brillant(not), we finally hung a big thick blue blanket over Isabellas's window to block out the light. And lo and behold she now sleeps till 7, instead of 5:30!!! Life is good and it is truly a miracl. Now we wake up to the sun shinning instead of it being dark, and we are all happy.It only took us a year to figure that one out!

Isabella is walking

2009-08-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

She is a little wobbly! But so cute! This was on Sunday so she is walking more and more everyday!

Hawaii!!!

2009-08-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

Oh Hawaii!How we love thee so!!!

This is the exact spot that we got engaged! Four years ago! We also celebrated Rich's 34 Birthday while we were there!!! I love you, even if you are old!LOL
There is nothing better than this blue ocean!!

So we went to Hawaii for 8 days and had a blast to see further pictures click HERE!

Toomer Family Reunion-Fourth of July!(and Lake Powell)

2009-07-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

So we went to Rich's Mom's side,family reunion. Every three to five years one of the siblings takes a turn and plans a reunion. This year our numbers totaled at 98 people and it was Rich's Moms turn. She did the most AMAZING job on everything!! The food was elaborate and amazing, the activites were great, the place was great, and so was the company! Awesome job MOM we love you and thank you so much for all that you did!! It was 3 nights and four days at a camp/reunion site 3 hours north of Boise, Idaho. A very cool place if anyone is looking for a spot. It is called May's family ranch. Any ways here are a few pictures out lining our stay!!

This is a view from a hill behind the ranch that we climed the first morning. We stayed in the tall A-frame house on the left.and notice the cool water slide
Rich's 2nd oldest sister Tricia and one of our cousins, Shalayna.

The Woman who can do ANYTHING!!!!!!she probably worked 14 hours a day while we were there to feed everyone and making sure everyone was happy! And endless hours before the trip
Hannah, Isabella, and Madeline. These are our neices
Our nephews Ben and Tyler. SOOO cute
Hannah, Madaline, Ben, and Taylor. More newell cousins
The whole Family!!!
The crazy newells
The soon to be newest additions to the family. This is Zack and Alex, whom JJ is marrying in September. He proposed while we were up there! Congratulations we love you!!
Bailey on the fun water slide
Us on the morning Hike and also the fourth of July
Me and Beth cooking the first day
This is the famous Tee-pee that the boys slept in the first night of our adventure. It is a long story but one that will probably always be remembered!
Here is dad, ryan, me and Mom at Lake powell. We ran up there for a few days and were lucky to have some friends take care of Isabella for us!
Most of the crew on our boat taking the legendary last jump of the top of the house boat and shower, on our way back to the marina. This another trip where our dear parents work their tails of so that we can have fun! And we sooooo appreciate it and have the best memories because of them. Thanks MOM and DAD!!! We love you!!

Catching Up

2009-07-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

We have been up to so much lately, that with just trying to get caught up with everything, I haven't had the energy to blog(ya know, cause it requires so much energy). And those of you that know me probably know my love/hate relationship with my blog anyways. But we went to Sacramento one week, Lake Powell the next, Idaho for a reunion the next week, and then had our anniversary and my birthday the next week. So packing and unpacking and of course playing, have been a full time job. Anyhu, before all of that Natalie Montez took some pictures of us for Isabella's 1 year. So I wanted to get those posted before everything else. I know that the suspense is killing you as you wait for everything else. And sorry I'm not big into slide shows anymore because I want to print this out someday!

We have been up to so much lately, that with just trying to get caught up with everything, I haven't had the energy to blog(ya know, cause it requires so much energy). And those of you that know me probably know my love/hate relationship with my blog anyways. But we went to Sacramento one week, Lake Powell the next, Idaho for a reunion the next week, and then had our anniversary and my birthday the next week. So packing and unpacking and of course playing, have been a full time job. Anyhu, before all of that Natalie Montez took some pictures of us for Isabella's 1 year. So I wanted to get those posted before everything else. I know that the suspense is killing you as you wait for everything else. And sorry I'm not big into slide shows anymore because I want to print this out someday!

I have finally accepted it. She turned 1!

2009-06-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

So I finally admitted it, that she turned 1! I can't believe it! It is so fun and so sad at the same time! Her birthday was so much fun and so much work but it was totally worth it. We decorated so much but of course I forgot to take pictures of it. Oh well it is in my mind. We had a Luau and swimming party with just family and Isabella soaked up all of the attention like any princess would! Here are some pictures and I know that they are a month late, but as usual it has been CRAZY!

Here she is the day she was born
In her new leather recliner from Grammy and Grandpa! She loves it!

On her new Horsey from Keith and Lindsay. Keith also got our princess a tractor, she did not have a clue what to do with it....j.k she loves it as much as her babies.Thanks aunt keith! And her new dress form Aunt Amber and Uncle Aaron! So cute!

This is the cake for the guests
And this is the cake for Isabella to tear up. Rich and I both decorated it and I put my wedding crown on the top. It was fun for our first cake
Showing her how to eat the cake
I love the pink mittens. She got so into tearing it to pieces that she even sat in it and used her feet
Mmmmmm, so good!
ahh, ahh, CHOOOO! Yummy ! nothing like boogers in the cake

Yea! So much fun!!Taking a bath in her play pool outside

Eating the rest of her cake while waiting for her bath. Cake and grass is even better than cake and boogers!

Elmo is on the other side of that and she is chewing on his plastic eyes and nose! Best gift everBefore we started opening gifts I was trying to get her attention but she was noticing all of the people gathered around giving her attention(especially her best buddy Hannah1! and she was loving every minute of it. She would clap and smile and not pay attention to a thing I was saying!
Saying Hi on her new picnic table-sand box!
Some of our guests came scandally dressed
Grammy and Grandpa brought this chair for her and she could not get enough of it. She loves it!
Talking to her baby. She is so cute with babies already. She gives them loves and talks to them in a high pitched voice! And if course the grass skirt for her Luau! We loved it. This was followed by a long three hour nap! Being a princess for a day is so tiring!

She turned one on Saturday May 30th and I can't believe how fast the time went! She has gained 13 lbs and grown 12 inches which basically equates to a giant! She giggles and jabbers, smiles, cries and screams, throws fits, claps her hands, waves, throws up while traveling, has a very strong gag reflex, crawls, sits up, rolls over, gives kisses and loves which always melts our hearts. She loves to watch her baby videos sitting in her new chairs, loves to climb the stairs while we chase her, of course loves to play with the dvd player because she knows that she is not supposed to, loves to play under the kitchen table like it is a fort, says dada and mama and uh-oh, loves the pool and baths and the ocean, loves animals especially grammy and grampas dogs! She is a good sleeper and happy 95% of the time, she loves music and dances when she hears it, she is not to into food right now unless it is salty and crunchy, she crys at the door if daddy is working outside and she can't be out there with him, she pulls up on my leg and holds on and cries until I pick her up, which is also so cute 95% of the time. She loves to be around people and needs an outing most days so that she can socialize and get someone to smile at her. She loves to make the Indian sounds with her mouth and she spits with her tongue out to make that vibrating sound, which is so cute right in the middle of church!(jk)She is brown already from the sun in spite of all of the sunscreen we put on her. She has a fake cry every night before bed right before she gets her bottle that makes me laugh every time, she loves to have her clothes off and hates to have her diaper changed, she talks in a high pitched voice to her babies when she holds them and gives them kisses right before she bites their face because her teeth hurt, she loves other kids so much that when we are in a store and walk away from one she cries. She cries if another baby is crying, she hates loud noises, she is always busy and never wants to miss a party, she loves to play boo, her favorite songs right now are the wheels on the bus and Bingo. She is not a huge fan of her car seat but loves to listen to the cd of kid songs that says her name. She loves to go for walks as long as the stroller is moving, she is a good sleeper, but not a good cuddler! She is such a sweet spirit in our home and we thank our Heavenly Father everyday for her. Life has all new meanings and is so much more tender with her in our lives that it is hard to imagine a time when she wasn't here. We feel so blessed to have been privileged with the opportunity to have gotten pregnant and delivered such a healthy and good natured child. We feel so loved by our Father in Heaven that He entrusted her to us to raise and to love!
So one year down and many happy years to go!!!

Murder, Mystery, and the 50's

2009-06-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

So before Memorial Day, Rich's parents came to visit because our brother-in-law, Aaron, graduated from ASU. GO Aaron!!! Anyways, we took the opportunity to have a murder mystery dinner. It was a 50's diner theme, so we all dressed up and even went and got some decorations to turn our kitchen into a 50's flashback. The worst part was that my refridgerator was broken so we had to get In-N-Out(okay I guess that wasn't the worst thing)but that is a whole other two week long saga of lots of eating out that we will save for another day, or maybe never. Okay back to the story, I keep getting side tracked. So the murder mystery is a game that you buy and it tells you everything that you need to do. There are 8 parts and they suggest outfits, and give you character roles, and the more into it you get the more fun it will be. So the family were all really good sports and got into it. Dad ended up being the killer which was so funny, because all he basically said all night was" Hey do you guys know that I am really smart?" That was the extent of his acting! But here are some of the fun pictures. Mom took the award for best costume! And Rich took the role or the best looking!

Here is Isabella. She had a plaid skirt on that you couldn't see and they tried to part her down the middle but she kinda looks like a boy, and all she really wanted right then was to go to bed. She was a good sport!
Here is some of the gang! I was the cheerleader, Rich was the Rocker, Amber was the popular rich girl, Aaron was the preppy, Zac was the jock, and JJ was the book worm.
This was so funny. We were all yelling at Dad cause he was the last one to get dressed and we thought he didn't have a costume and lo and behold he comes out of the bathroom in perfect uniform because he was the smart nerd. And Mom was the, how do you say it, the one that all the boys liked! She even had on high heels at the bottom of that spandex outfit! She is my hero! (How did the geek get the beauty?)
Amber and Aaron
And here are what I so now lovingly call JAZ (JJ, Zac, & Alex) Get it?

Anyways thanks everyone for a fun night!

Memorial Day

2009-06-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

I know that I am way behind on blogging so I am going to attempt to catch up day by day. Well see. So for Memorial day all of the Arizona Newells and the Toomers from Vegas, all went to San Clemente to visit the Browns. We called it a cousin reunion. The Browns have this great house in San Clemente only a few miles from the beach and graciously invited all of the crazy crew to come down for the weekend. It was sooo much fun! The weather was perfect, the beach was amazing, the company was great and we got to play games! (for those of you that don't know me too well, I love to play games! But it seems that all of those close to me in my life don't. So when I get the opportunity to play games I am sooo happy!)
Isabella loved the beach. She would seriously take handfuls of sand and eat it. There was nothing we could do to stop it. But luckily the second day that we went she slowed down on eating it. I think she was still full from the first day! And she loved the water, especially when the waves would splash her legs. It was so fun! But I did realize that my days of reading on the beach all day are OVER! But it is a good trade and will be back all too soon, I am sure.

Mmmm! Sand is sooo good! (yuck!!)
So she is crawling around one morning and I find her under the island and much to her delight she has found some bacon from breakfast that had fallen on the floor(yuck, again). Ya know you gotta do what ya gotta do to survive!

We went to LA the on our way to San Clemente for two days so Rich could work. So Isabella and I pretty much hung out in the hotel and did some shopping. But she was loving snuggling in the pillows on the bed!
This is Sam, Craig, and William Brown. The are so great. They kept us laughing all weekend!
And the more attractive half of the Browns. Me stuffing my face, Carly, Susan, and Chelsea! So I am eating these things called Woof Ems'. You put crossiant dough around the end of a foil covered dowl and roast that over the fire. When it is done you pull it off and it makes a little cup which you fill with chocolate pudding and whip cream. SOOO good and way better than smores!

This was her first day of Pig Tails! I love it!

11 months old and a trip to Vegas!

2009-05-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

So on Thursday we were eating lunch and Rich says I need to go down to Vegas, so I said, Lets go, but we need to leave within the hour so Isabella can nap. So we did and it was just coincidence that it was Isabellas 11 month birthday. We drove to Vegas and stayed in the Paris Hotel for one night and then we drove down to St. George to see my grandparents because they had never seen Isabella and then we drove home on Saturday. Saturdays trip home ended up being about 9 hours with a 1 1/2 hour detour to return for a forgotten item, a stop for dinner, a stop for mother nature, a stop at a park to stretch out and crawl a little(walking is just hard for me sometimes) and a stop for a wardrobe change for Isabella after she threw up all over her self and her car seat! Poor baby! So needless to say it is good to be home again! It was a quick trip but fun and worth it!

So I asked Rich to take a picture of the cute little "paris" street so it would look like we were in Paris and this is what I got! umm no cute little street...
she is loving to pull up on everything. She was watching a video on a portable DVD player and we had to put it on the couch so she wouldn't touch it. She stood there for probably 20 minutes!
Here is Great Grandma and Grandpa givin' some love
My Grandpa! I love him!
He was so cute with Isabella! She was a little shy at first but after one day she was loving him!
Playing in the grass. Did you know that you can grow thick green grass? I've never seen that in Arizona
Isabella found a friend in our hotel room. She thought this baby was so cute and always there when she needed to play with her. She would even crawl up to the edge and play peek-a-boo with that other baby. It was priceless
Fancy meeting you here!
BUBBLES!! she just can't eat enough of them. Even when she eats so much she gags, she recovers and goes back for more!

One quick picture on the timer! I was so happy to see them!
Ummm, Do I have anything on my face? (when I took it off after about 10 minutes she cried, so maybe she did know and she was saving it for later in a place that she wouldn't forget about?!)
I can't believe that she is 11 months old. It is true that it flys by so fast! Ugh I hate it! But love it at the same time!

It was a Happy Easter!

2009-04-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

So we went home to Oregon for Easter! It was a last minute trip but we are very glad that we went! Isabella had not yet met two of Rich's sisters and their families, so that was also a bonus of going! We dyed Easter eggs, had parties and picnics, went shopping, played games, slept very little and just had fun! Thanks everyone for a great Easter!

Here is Paige who is 2. She loves shoes and she needed me to unzip her pjs so that she could put on these boots. This is the best outfit ever! I think she may have started a trend!

There is going to be WHAT?! in here on Easter? CANDY!!??(no we didn't pierce her ears, Aunt Beth put stick ons on all of the little girls!)
Here we are doing the Newell tradition of Rolling eggs. You find a hill and all roll your eggs at the same time. If yours is cracked at the end your out and so on.. It didn't work out quite that well but it was still fun!
This is Natalie who is also 2. This was so cute, she just came over and sat down by Isabella and started talking to her! All the cousins were soooo good with Isabella, she was in Heaven!
Hey guys can you see my egg?
And here is Katelyn and Isabella!! Cuties!
The camera loves Bailey!
All of the Adults of the weekend!
Mom, Dad, ..Don't!
Happy Easter! We had Easter showers!
Twinkle toes
Hannah and Carter goofin' around!
Grandma and Grandpa with Isabella! You may have noticed that Rich's dad is about 1/2 of the size that he used to be. Smokin Hot!!! Keep up the good work Dad!
Here are 9 of the Grandkids on Easter! Grandma and Grandpa are so good to their grandkids! we couldn't have asked for better!! We love you!!

The three little bears!

2009-04-23T08:10:00.001-07:00

We went to Oregon for Easter(will post later) and for the three youngest grandchildren who's birthdays are about a month apart, Isabellas' Aunt Tricia made the three little bears. These were the cutest cakes I have ever seen. She even made the frosting look like fur!! So we had a bear picnic one day and a little birthday party the next day and Isabella got to do a run-through of her first birthday! Lucky girl! Who wouldn't want to celebrate their birthday a month early and then get to do it again!

I realized after that I only took pictures of her at the birthday party, sorry girls! But you can catch some of Paige under that arm. So here they are all set up and ready to make their wishes. She was a little confused!
Then we put it on her tray and she was wowed! She thought it was pretty amazing!
I get to do what?!!! Are you guys sure about this?!
Well if you say so...... MMMMMmmmmmmm! I love Cake, and especially the frosting!
Did I miss any on my face? Oh I did.. thats okay Ill eat it later.
That was so much fun! This is the coolest game ever!(it was so cute! She was eating large chunks of frosting and cake and making mommy and daddy a little nervous about her having a stomach ache, but I was so happy that she dove right in!)
OOooohhh! Too much frosting and I am a mess. Put me in the bath right now!
And that is the story of the three little bears! Thanks Aunt Tricia and Grandma for my birthday party!

Nap hair

2009-03-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

I love nap hair. Now that she moves around more in her crib she pushes herself into crazy positions and created amazing hair-do's!
Miss blue eyes
and here she is introducing her cousin Addison. She came to visit and I don't think I have seen Isabella more excited! She thought it was so amazing to have a friend at her house.
They are just talkin about stuff over a little music time. Ya know just baby stuff!

Hair: 101

2009-03-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

Bad Hair Day??

So recently I have been bugged by television interviews and magazine articles, that all claim to have the latest hottest hair info. Cause then my clients come in and think that it is fact and they absolutely have to follow it! PLEASE DON'T! Realize that 99.9% of the time, it is a paid advertisement which means that the company paid to have that person say that their product is the best. Anyways I have decided to share all of my hair knowledge with you to hopefully help clear up any confusion and answer questions!
so in no particular order..here it goes
1.99% of all bad hair days are from using the wrong product(unless you have a really bad haircut)
2.Just because you have tried one product out of a whole line and didn't like it doesn't mean that the whole line is terrible. Products are engineered so carefully for each specific hair type
Volumizing=fine hair
Smoothing=coarser hair
Everyday=fine hair
etc.. So just ask questions and look for key words. And if you don't like it, take it back! You should know after 2-3 washes and if you have only used that much, anyone will take it back. I don't mind it at all because it is really good information for me to get feedback from the client.
3. Salon products really are worth the money. Look for deals and sales and you end up paying the same as grocery store products because the better products are more concentrated, so you use less.
4.Salon products that are for sale in the grocery store should not be trusted. It is illegal to do that and most times the product is expired, watered down, or something is wrong with it. And they are usually more expensive than in a salon.
5. 80% of my clientele is allergic to Biologe. If the same day or the next day you get really itchy down by your neck in your hair line, it is because you are allergic to your product(usually your shampoo and cond.)
6. Everyone should have a bottle of Head and Shoulders in their shower! It is a great clarifyer and keeps your hair and scalp healthy. Use it every other or third shampoo, followed by your normal shampoo that you use. Don't spend money on expensive clarifyers and don't go generic with the Head and Shoulders.
7. Speaking of generics... I wish they were the same, but they just aren't! When it comes to Hair Products go for name brands.
8. The best summer chlorine/green/buildup remover:

extreme green- 1/2 cup of baking soda, then mix with water until it becomes a runny paste.
Shampoo your hair, rinse, and put the paste all over especially where it is green. Then rub
between your hands so you can actually feel the grit scrubbing the hair. Leave on for about
15 minutes and rub every so often. Rinse that out and proceed to shampoo at least for times
If you don't you will not even be able to comb your hair when you get out. After you
shampoo, put conditioner on and leave for at least 5 minutes. Rinse

Not so green but hair feels slimy when wet and tangled when it is dry-
Put a handful of baking soda in your hand and a handful of shampoo in the other. Mix
together and apply to wet hair. Scrub and leave on for about 3-5 minutes and rinse.
Shampoo 2 more times then condition. So this 1-2 times a week in the summer and about
once a month to remove product build up. Especially if you have fine hair.
9. Cutting your hair does not make it grow. It keeps it healthy so that it doesn't break of as it grows. Still get your hair trimmed if you are growing it, just stretch out your visits a lot. It will make you a much happier person as you grow it out and keep some type of shape to it. It also keeps you from getting bored and giving up. Just trim and 1/8 of and inch when you go, just that little amount can make a huge difference, I promise.
10. Grocery store color is about the worst thing for your hair. If you are going to do it at home, at least go to Sally's and buy a color and a developer . It is the same price and so much better for your hair. Buy 1-2 bottles of color and 20 volume, mix equal parts together and leave on for 30 minutes. That works for most colors. DO NOT mess with ASH when going darker, especially if you are lighter/blonde to start with.
11. Round brushing your hair dry can help any ones hair and is worth the time!!!!
12.A good hair dryer will save you about 10minutes off your drying time and give you way better results! I swear by this! My favorite is the Elchim SuperPolo 2000. Search for it on Google. It runs about $60-80. look for deals on line. IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY. Heating elements will go out on hair dryers often. A test to see if yours is too hot and causing unnecessary damage is: put your hand about 6" away from the nozzle and turn your blow dryer on all the highest settings and if you can't leave your hand there for 6-7 seconds without it getting too hot- throw it away. It will burn your hair.
14. If you have curly, thick or coarse hair, a good flat iron is also worth every penny! You usually have to spend $80-100. There is a pretty good one at Sally's for about$50. It is by Jose Jibere and it is a black and red box with a velvet-ish covering on the outside 1".
13. Why do people spend $100 or more on their hair and then spend $3 on the product they use on it???????
14.When trying to decide what product to use I always say to match the consistency of the actual product
Mousse= light and fluffy- therefore it will add body and give you light and fluffy. You can use any strength depending on what you need. For fine hair I would go with light hold and thick curly hair go with a strong hold. Everyone else go with medium
Gel= slick, heavy, shiny, stiff- therefore that is what it will do to your hair. Its great for curly hair and men but I really don't use it on anyone else
Cream= well it is a mix of mouse and gel. Really you can't go wrong with this product for anyone. It is good to put in even if just for protection from your blow dryer!!!!!!
Pomades= sticky- for use on men, short hair, or the ENDS of longer hair as a styling finisher. It can add texture and define your layers. There are also different strengths. Go for strong hold on Men/boys and short hair and light hold for long hair. It is a great product because it is re workable all day. Perfect for little boys because after naps you can smooth the hair back down. Also a little goes a long way
Root boosters-do exactly what it says- Spray it in the crown for added volume and try to keep it in the roots because most of them will make your ends feel dirty.
15. Use flat iron sprays. They add shine and protect your hair from getting damaged by the heat.
16. Oily hair is usually from a dry scalp. When your body senses something is dry it sends out extra oil to lubricate that area. So the problem is when your hair is oily you think, Oh I need to wash it more, which actually makes it dryer and adds to the problem. Start by getting a shampoo for a dry scalp and a really good conditioner that will help moisturize. Then instead of washing your hair every 24 hours try and go 36 hours. Do that for a couple of days and then move to 48 hours. It is hard at first but your scalp will neutralize and learn to not put out so much oil. This is easier to start in the winter when you aren't sweating so much. Doing this is better for your scalp and your hair! This will work for almost anyone although there are a few out there that just have oily hair. But all you can do is try. Also using a mousse will help absorb some of the oil(and again a salon brand product)
17. Your consultation at your hair appointment is the most important part, especially if it is a new person. Your inch and my inch may be two different things, same goes for what I see as golden may be what you see as brassy or redish. The best thing to do is use pictures. Point out colors that you like and and styles so that you are both on the same page. And ask her how much an inch is then you can gage how much you want cut off by what her standards are and not yours. Also sometimes from my experience, after a client has been explaining what she wants for a while, by the end it sometimes does not make sense. So try to have her repeat what you said and summarize. When looking at pictures try and pick people with the same hair texture as you, that way your results will be more realistic and way more manageable. Almost anyone could have any hair cut, it just depends on how much time you want to spend. I have curly hair so if I pick a style that is straight I need to plan on 20-30 minutes to style it.
18. Products out there for especially for kids, is usually what is causing all of those tangles. As soon as you can do with out "No Tears" use better brands on your girls. 70% of my younger clientele have the same head of hair as I do, and I know that if I used suave or Johnson and Johnson with no conditioner, I would be screaming at the tangles as well. It is up to you, but really, it will make comb out time much better for both of you.
19. Don't be afraid to trim your own bangs. In order to keep them at the right length they need to be trimmed every 3 weeks. Just pull them down and "nibble" at them. Take your scissors at a pointed angle instead of straight across and take 1/10 of an inch of one little triangle at a time.
20. Hair will always grow back and life is too short. If there is a hair cut or color that you have always wanted but are scared just do it. It will be fun, and even if you don't love it you will have no regrets later and it will be a good learning experience for you and your hair!!!!

Well that is all for now. I know that I left out a ton but we will start with baby steps. I don't want to overwhelm you. Please send me questions or a topic you are wondering about. I would be more than happy to answer them for you. And share the knowledge, the more people we help the happier we will all be(cause we won't have to stare at bad hair anymore! jk)
p.s. Hair 202 will follow at a later date, so please stay tuned!

9 months old(and 11 days)

2009-03-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

She is 9 months old! So fun and so sad all at the same time. She is still so happy and such an easy baby. She loves people and needs an outing daily so that she can socialize. She isn't crawling yet, which worries mommy, but she just doesn't care if her toy is across the room, she will just play with the carpet or look at her hands! But we think she is close! She has started giving kisses, but only on her terms, and loves to say Da da. Why say mama when she is around ALL the time! We love her so much and are so blessed to have her!!!

Another travel log!

2009-02-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

So another travel log from the Newells! But believe it or not I think that we are home for awhile and I am kinda excited about that! So Ill start most recent down. On February 10th my Mom and I flew out to see this cute family below....Lindsay, Keith, Hannah, and the newest addition Brynlee. I am sure most of you stock their blog, but just in case you don't, Brynlee was born about 3 months early at 2lbs 6oz and 14in. long. And yes she is another miracle baby to their home. She was in the hospital for 11 weeks and did amazing. She took every premie record the hospital had to offer and blew it out of the water! And now she is home and is so cute and doing well. She loves her binki and sounds just like maggie from the simpsons when she sucks on it! Hannah is so sweet to her and everyone and they are just the cutest little family! And might I say that Isabella has a new obessesion...HANNAH! She is her first groupie and biggest fan! The child didn;t want to sleep there because she would wake up early in the morning remember where she was and wanted out to see where Hannah was. If she was drinking a bottle and heard Hannah she would immediately stop, push it away, and want to go see her. It was hilarious! Except the 5:30 wakeup calls!:) So here are a few pictures from that trip
So I was taking family pictures and Hannah and mom had just taken cute pictures where Hannah would kiss Lindsay and then we told keith to do the same and this is a Dads idea of, Give me a kiss!!! Dads are so fun and Hannah has a good one!
ahhh! So sweet!!
We has a pajama party on the night before Valentines, because my Dad sent us all Pajama grams for Valentines day! It was so sweet of him and fun!
Hannah did not want to smile through all of the pictures and then when we were done she noticed the dog on the other side of the fence and of course there were lots of smiles!
Isabella and Brynlee just happened to have the same outfit so we thought we would get pictures of them together, but Isabella just wanted to suck on Brynlee's head and Brynlee was hungry, so this is what we got
All the girls with Grammy watching Baby Einstien!
Isabella was sooo excited to sit next to Hannah in the shopping cart. When she gets excited she pumps her arms so fast up and down. I think Hannah was trying to show her how to play it cool!
Just chillin in their bouncers! Hannah was so sweet to Isabella! She never swatted at her once and would help wash her hair when they took baths and give her toys when she was sad! She is so cute and extremely smart! The 1 3/4 year old know her letters, numbers, colors, all the shapes and characters in all her books and so on. It is crazy!!
Before Indian Rich and I went to Miami all alone for 6 days! Rich's parents and my parents took care of her for us!!THANKYOU MOMS AND DADS! Rich won a sales contest in his company, which wasn't and easy thing to accomplish given the economy, so we got an all expenses paid trip down there! It was so fun and quite a treat. And wouldn't ya know it this is the only picture that we took. We were just too lazy to haul out the camera! So you'll just have to imagine the bright blue water and beautiful beach and hotel! Thanks honey for all of your hard work and amazing dedication and effort for our family!!! I love you!!
And then a few days before that trip we decided seriously hours before we left that we would run down to Mexico for the weekend since Rich's parents were in town. It was so fun and the funniest thing was when we cruised down the beach to the next village for some lunch we were touring through the one street and all of the rest of us were in the Hummer and Amber and Aaron took the Quad! These dogs kept running at them barking viciously and they were swerving and yelling and we just sat in our safe car and laughed and took pictures of them!! Ah, good times!!
Here we all are(minus tina who came with us) after lunch! It was a good quick trip and so fun hang out with the Newells!

Welp, and that is all for now! On a side note, please bear with the long posts and so many pictures! Once I learned that you can print this out into a book, but slide shows don't show up, I figured this would be better for that!!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone has a Happy Day! Poor Isabella and I are away from Rich today and he is stuck in the San Fransisco airport with a delayed flight! So Sad!! But he did send us flowers and we will be happy to see him when we get home from Indiana!!! We are having so much fun with Hannah and new baby Brynlee! There will be a full report when we get home! Make sure to give all those you love and extra wet smooch today!!!We love you all!!

Holy Schmoly! Go Cardinals!!!

2009-01-20T22:49:00.000-08:00

So I think all of us Newells and many other Arizona Cardinals fans aged about 10 years on Sunday! That game was seriously amazing. But they sure made it a game as always and for a while there we thought they might lose ...but they got back in it and won. I think we all almost had heart attacks. The tension in the room was, well, tense! Rich has stood by them through the thick and thin andmMy brother-in-law Aaron has stood by even longer and I think that he serioulsy shed a tear when they won. And Rich lost his voice shouting for joy! (silly boys) But boy was it a stressful game! and so much fun!!so HOLY SCHMOLY!! were going to the Superbowl!
pulling our hair out with stress and fear...
the anguish.....
the concern.....
and the sweet joy of VICTORY!! GO CARDINALS!!!!
Aunt JJ was so happy and Isabella was really trying to enjoy in the fun!

So the kicker to all of this is that we will be in Florida on the Superbowl and I think I am going to have to lock all of our accounts to keep Rich from buying a ticket. Because in case you didn't know they are $2000 a ticket for the nose bleed section. So I am taking any donations and ideas you may have to win tickets. The Lord will understand, right?????

So much fun!!

2009-01-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

Lots going on! My sister Nikki and my niece are in town so we have been busy with parks, and ducks, and trains. It has been fun! Tomorrow we head for the zoo!
Last week, Rich had to go to L.A. for work so I decided to go with him last minute so we packed up and headed out. The reason for me going was that I wanted to go to Disneyland. No, not for Isabella, all for me. It was purely selfish. You see, we went to Disneyland almost every year growing up and now there are certain smells or seasons or anything that seriously make me crave going. And there was a great bonus. My sister-in-law Jill lives in Santa Monica and was such a great nanny to take along. She came with us in the day time and then kindly took Isabella home so that Rich and I could go alone at night. It was a lot busier going with a child, and Isabella could have cared less all she wants in life right now is something to chew on, and she slept through most of her time there. But it was lots of fun! I got my fix and should be okay for a while!

We all went to the park and mom was trying to get Isabella to smile for the camera but she only had eyes for grandma!
Miss blue eyes! Her lip works as a good chew toy!
Who is this super model you ask?! Oh that is Jill my sister-in-law! And yes she is available! But please send me those that are only very wealthy! I need to make sure that she is well taken care of!
Downtown Disney
She thought what I was saying was sooo interesting!
This was our attempt to get a picture with Isabella and the castle!
No not his second wife, his hot sister!!

Happy as can be! I love her in a hat. She looks like a little baby! (I guess as appossed to a big one?!)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and seven months old!!

2009-01-05T13:44:00.000-08:00

So its been again another month since I posted! Oh well! We've been busy! Isabella is now seven months old and has worked really hard on making these two new teeth! And she is sick right now with a cold and an ear infection! There is nothing worse than a sick baby, poor little girl!
Hey grandpa, can I poke your eye out? You know grandpa never says no! This is Christmas eve night! We went to Mexico with mom, dad, ryan, and an aunt and uncle.
Just a side note that this is how our child loves to sleep. Although it causes sleep loss in her parents. It scares me to death! She loves to have blankets around her face, so we give her very small, light ones!
So while we were in Mexico Gramps decided to pull out the Cat and knock down a sand dune that ran between our house and the next one. When there is a storm the next morning there is sand everywhere, so he decided to take matters into his own hands! Such a stud! Yes he is wearing ear muffs and goggles. All the cool people do it!
One of Isabella's new outfits!
On the beach! Burrrr! it was cold this time so we didn't spend too much time down here.
She LOVES to ride on daddy's shoulders. It instantly makes her happy. Even when she is sick in the middle of the night. Instant cry stopper!
So Isabella decided that Christmas TASTED great!!! Who cares about the presents, this wrapping paper stuff is great. But she did do pretty good at opening them! So fun
Yummy!!!!!
New Christmas Pajamas and she loves them!
Opening the Christmas pajamas! Still tastes good.
Oh, this is a different color I wonder if it tastes different?!
Christmas eve! Nothing like the ocean in the backround on Christmas!
Our attempt at a Family Christmas picture. We had it on a tripod and had to do the run back and forth thing. So this is what we got! Ahhh, memories!
Overall, December was great! Christmas was so much fun and relaxing once it came. Mom bought Rock band for everyone so that is what we spent a lot of our time on. Even grammy and gramps jammed it out! Rich spoiled me rotten, and Isabella was so much fun to watch! Children bring a whole new meaning to Chritmas!

Six Months Old!

2008-12-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

First of all! Happy thanksgiving! Ours sure was! We are sure thankful for our Isabella, she is the joy of our days! And we are so thankful for a kind Heavenly Father who allowed us to have her on this earth. We are so thankful for forever families, the gospel, air conditioning, warm running water, toilets that flush, Pure Beech sheets from Bed, Bath, & Beyond, the internet, our health, noodles and boo baby wash that makes our baby smell heavenly, cumfy pajamas, that rich gets to work from home so we get to see him almost daily-all day!, education, doctors and modern medicine, International Truck dealerships that buy trucks from Rich, that peoples hair grows and turns grey so that they need me to fix it, wonderful family and friends, and of course the Mexico house!

Isabella on Thanksgiving, she liked to eat the leaves, and I love her mischievious facial expression! That is definitely from her father!

These are her six month old pictures and they get to double for Christmas pictures!

This is how she really feels about the flash in her eyes non-stop!
Gotta love the nakey baby pictures! Happy Holidays everyone. This time of year is the best!

We are thinking about dual citizenship....

2008-11-29T20:32:00.000-08:00

So we went to Mexico again and people have started asking us if we are just trying to prepare them for when we move there permanently. But honestly I just do not have the will power in me to say no. So when it is available we go! Why not, right?! We really love it and have so much fun. We were able to take some friends with us this time because my mom and dad were out of town so they graciously allowed us to use it!
This is Lily and Stanton. Just playing together quietly like any two year olds would!
And Lola! Her dad put her in this chair and she was so cute just looking around. She was a really good baby!

Here is Noel and Isabella. Before we took this picture Isabella politely asked if she could chew on her robe because her teeth were killing her. So Noel sweetly said yes!

This is Stanton! And I LOVE his hair! It is always wild and awesome! And he is so sweet! We quickly became friends!
Daddy and Isabella!
Aawhh! The sunsets
Here are the friends we paid to come with us! Rob, Kimmie, Stanton, and Noel Curry
JJ and Jill Newell(rich's sisters). 3rd picture- Amanda and Jordan Glenn and their daughters Lily and Lola. Lola is only one month old! So cute! And of course Billy and Kati Cunningham graced us with their presence! Thanks everyone for a great trip!!

Lots of fun

2008-11-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

So we went to the Monday night football game and can I just say Go cardinals! We went with Amber and Aaron and Mom and Dad! It was an amazing game!!!
Of course we had to tailgate before the game with our Diet cokes!of course we had to throw the football. I guess that is how you tailgate the cool way!

Isabella loves this piano. She gets very passionate about it!
Here she is for the first time in her high chair! So fun!
So we went to Mexico again and we love all the dead things that wash up on shore. Dolphins, sea lions, whales, birds, but this was new! A squid! It was just dying when we found it and was still inking and changing colors. Cool!
The beaultiful sunsets
Mom and dads house is the first greenish one, and our new favorite place to visit!
Isabella LOVES her daddy! How come moms do most of the work but daddys get the smiles?

Darn it!

2008-10-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

So we I started to bleed the this weekend and we went to the hospital and found out that we had miscarried. But we are totally doing great and are happy that we even got pregnant with no help! I am blessed to be handling it so well and we are just so happy that we have Isabella! And so we are off to mexico for another week! Life is great isn't it!?

Her first meal!

2008-10-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

So we decided to feed Isabella for the first time tonight! And she did really good! But she told us that as soon as possible she would like something that doesn't taste like saw dust!

The cute little ducky!

2008-10-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was an egg. Then one day it started to crack and out popped a fuzzy little head....
Then we saw a little face and some hands and the fuzzy little chick said I want to get out...
So her daddy helped her climb out of the egg and helped her start to waddle, and she was bright eyed and amazed at the beautiful world outside of the egg! And her mommy and daddy thought she was the most beautiful chick in the whole wide world!

And now can I have my candy for wearing the silly costume? It is really hot in here!
the end!

Oregon in the Fall!

2008-10-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com
So we had the opportunity to go to Oregon last weekend to visit the Newells! We had so much fun! The weather was beautiful and the company was great! We went to a pumpkin patch on this beautiful farm, played lots of games, ate lots of food, and hung out! Rich and his brother went to an Oregon Ducks game(the real reason we went) and had a good time, but lets just say you don't want to be caught sitting in their seats;)! Anyways, we were lucky because the leaves were just starting to change and the colors were amazing! You forget that that is supposed to happen when you have lived in arizona for so long! This was the first time that Isabella got to meet some of her cousins and she was absolutely crazy about them! She loved to watch them and smile at them, and they were all so good with her. What great nieces and nephews we have! I went a little crazy with the camera but I couldn't help myself, I mean just look at all those cute faces! Thanks family for a great time!

Ah those were the days?!

2008-10-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking the other day..... how Isabella is now four months old and it has been only four months since I was big and fat and pregnant! And then I was thinking how fun that was especially the throwing up part!!! So then I was thinking, why not do it again? So wa la, we are six weeks pregnant! THATS WHAT I GET FOR THINKING!!
But we are very excitingly shocked! The babies will be exactly one year apart because their due dates are only 4 days apart(as per the internet). We were not planning it this early but we are grateful to be pregnant and feel blessed that Heavenly Father is entrusting to us another one of his children! What is life for if not for challenges! What doesn't kill us makes us stronger! right?!
So here we go on another adventure of life and we can't wait!!!

SOOO much to say! I hope you have a few minutes!

2008-09-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, where to start?! So much has happened in three weeks! Isabella turned 4 months old today. She is so fun! She found her voice a couple of days ago so now when you ask her to talk she will tell you lots..very loudly! It is the best! I go to sleep hearing it in my head. She also has started to giggle and will do so more when she is tired. Its like she gets slap silly! I love it! She has also become a champion sleeper. About three weeks ago I started the babywise/put yourself to sleep method, and it was so hard! I don't know who cried more, me or her? But she wasn't sleeping, and waking up from naps after only a 1/2 hour and needed me to get her back to sleep. So I thought I would rather create a good habit now instead of fixing a bad one later. It only took about a day for her to figure it out and each week she slept longer and longer. She is now taking two to three good naps a day and sleeping 10-12 hours at night with one feeding! She wakes up so happy and rested and so do I. I know there is lots of different opinions over this but it worked for us! But she continues to grow and be the greatest joy in our lives!
Let the drool flow!

The first pictures are of Mexico. We all went down as a family(except Keith:(, and some friends after Ryan's homecoming talk. It was lots of fun. My little nieces are just about the cutest thing ever and it was so fun to be around them all the time! Kellene is just busy all the time and so sweet! Hannah loves to give kisses and needs to do so everytime she sees Isabella and proceeds to clap for herself afterwards! Both girls didn't really love touching the sand and when they would fall would try to get up without using their hands! So cute and two girls after my own heart! Isabella loves to watch them and they are so sweet with her! We took them all at sunset one night and tried to get their pictures, and lets just say it was close to bed time and took 5 of us to do so! My parents house is absolutely amazing and we feel so lucky to be there everytime we go! We just do lots of beach time, eat, play games, and hang out!
I did also get a new camera and mexico was my first time playing with it so sorry for ALL the pictures but I just couldn't choose!

Isn't that a cute center piece?

Not only do they look alike but they even make the same faces! It kills me! I swear there has got to be some of me in her... somewhere?
Cute mommy and Kellene
A cute pregnant mommy with her toddler on the beach
Hannah's sunscreen in the hair smile!
She loves to smile

A little sunset action!Thanks photographer Lindsay
This was Hilarious! He had his hands full
Mom and Lindsay

Grandpa and Hannah
Hannah loves to kiss to Isabella
Friends of ours. Jim and Heather Olsen
and their son Kaden! Look at those baby blues!

We also have been to the lake a lot recently. My aunt kelly and the triplets came down for Ryan's homecoming talk and we all went! Yes that is my mother wake surfing and me wakeboarding. Shocking I know because I get my athletic talent from my mother and lets just say that we will not be getting any trophy's soon... or ever! But we held our own. And of course Rich wakesurfing, but he's good at everything so thats nothing new! Isabella does good at the lake. She just chills and sleeps when shes tired!

And last but certanly not least are pictures of one of my best friends, Tejun, and her daughter Kayden.Kayden and Isabella were born three weeks apart and she has been a great help to me since she gets to go through everything three weeks sooner. So when her husband took Isabellas pictures we got some of the both of them and us. It was quite a challenge and the one of them on their tummys was taken right before they both rolled over on to their backs. It was so funny! It is crazy to think that we have been friends since the third grade and now we are having babies! So fun! Love you T!

Just an angel!

2008-09-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com
These are Isabellas 3 Month pictures that were actually taken at exactly 3 months.How often does that happen? I didn't plan it that way it just worked out! and pictures of her in her blessing dress. And of course some family pictures! A friend of ours took these and did an amazing job, if I don't say so myself! I just love how he caught all of her different faces!

Silly Faces!!

2008-09-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

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Here are some of the many silly faces that she loves to make! And all in one night!

Birthdays and Rolling over!!

2008-09-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

So I am not very good at birthdays and Anniversaries so here is a happy birthday to Nikki(august) and Nate(March) and happy Anniversary (may)! We love you! Below is a little birthday treat!

So here she is rolling over. She does it in the first few seconds and the video is so long because usually she will do it over and over again. But of course because the camera was on she decided not to and that she liked tummy time all of a sudden. She is such a good girl and growing so fast. She did this 2 days before her 3month birthday, which happened to be my sister Nikki's birthday August 28th! So happy birthday Auntie Nikki! This ones for you!

This was a big week!

2008-09-01T08:56:00.001-07:00

So we blessed Isabella last week. We waited so long so that my brother Ryan could be there. He just got back off his mission three days before. It was such a great day and the blessing was beautiful. The only problem was that they almost DROOPED HER! How can 9 men almost drop a tiny baby! She is a wiggler and I think they lost her in all that dress. But it was so fun. Then this week she started TEETHING and she ROLLED OVER! She is growing so fast, it is fun and sad all at the same time. So needless to say it was a big week!Rich's Mom came down for the blessing and she crochetted this beautiful aftgan for her! Thanks MOM
Here is everyone that was there minus the guest of honor, Ryan. Nikki and kellene also flew down for the blessing! And lots of friends and family.
Our little family!
This is Teaghen, shes two, and Isabella. Teaghen loved Isabella, and Isabella loved Teaghen. It was a win-win situation! So cute!

Indianna Jones? nope, Evansville

2008-09-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

So mom and I went down to Indiana to visit Hannah, oh and Keith and Lindsay. They have the cutest house and it is a cute little town. Unfortunately I got the shingles while I was there so I didn't feel the greatest but we still had lots of fun! Lindsay and Keith found out that they were having a girl while we were there and we even got to see her on ultrasound. Hannah is so fun. She does so many tricks and learns so quickly! She is the sweetest little girl and will give kisses to anybody! We miss you guys!!So I have learned a thing or two about natural blondes over my years of hairdressing, they should stay blonde! But they always want to try something new which is great, it is just a very long process to go back to blonde. Lindsay had started the process with a hair dresser in Indiana but I just had to go and fix it. The first try was a little orange, and I just couldn't understand why she didn't like it. Doesn't it compliment her features so well??

And here is the finished product! I know she was little scared in between but it turned out okay. Isn't she lovely!

I just love this Face!! Is she not the cutest thing ever! I think this was mac'n'cheese that she was displaying for us
Here is Uncle Keith and Isabella! Poor Keith was on call the whole time that we were there so we didn't get to see him much! But when he was home it was fun and let me tell you he sure loves his Hannah! It was very kind of him to take time away to hold Isabella!!
So here are a few of the townsfolk in Indiana. A strange bunch down there. j.k. This is Natalie and Miles, Lindsays brother and sister. They are a ton of fun and we were lucky enough to see them because our trips overlapped a day!
And here is the beautiful Tatem. She is the prettiest baby. She is four months old and already holds her own bottle and rolls over and giggles sooo cute. Isabella aspires to be just like her. though she can't figure out why mommy keeps putting her hands on her bottle?
So this is a little blurry but it was our attempt to have Hannah hold Isabella so we could get a cute picture. It lasted about 10 seconds. But Hannah was so good with her. She never once tried to hit her or poke her eyes out and was very sweet with her. Her new sister is lucky to have her

Isabella's two month check up!

2008-08-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

So we went to the Doctor today for her two month check-up. And let me tell you it was definitely traumatic for the both of us. First of all I was very worried about the vaccinations because of all of the stuff you hear about autism and stuff. So the doctor checked her over and she now weighs 9lbs 14oz and is 23 inches long! She is getting so big! But he said that she is doing great! Luckily she is sleeping 6-8 hour stretches at night and 2-3 hour naps during the day! I am a lucky mommy. So the doctor spent about a 1/2 hour with me explaining the pros and cons and going over the shots with me and I decided to do them and just pray my guts out that everything will be okay! So they come in with 6 different shots and I am holding her hands and up by her face and her eyes get huge like what the heck did I do to deserve this!! Thankfully the nurse was very quick and she only cried for a few minutes. But as I was hugging Isabella the nurse had to hug me!(j.k.) I think it hurt us both equally! But she is doing good now and had a great night! Glad that is over!

here she is in the morning giving us her smiles
Oh so sad. Her first band-aids. Didn't they know we wanted pink ones?!
I just love this face!
I love the size difference between these two! Rich was trying to make her walk and she was not very happy about it because she was hungry!
Here is her post shots, and on tylenol face. She was so lethargic! It was so sad, but thank goodness for no fever!

Two months old!! and 33 yrs old

2008-07-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

So here are so more pictures of Isabella! So we have her first swim, her first toenail painting, her first bottle in the pool, A daddy daughter picture on Rich's birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY! I LOVE YOU! and just more fun pictures! She is growing so fast! We weighed her and think she is 10 lbs already! Life is good!

2008-07-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

Grandmas are the Best!

2008-07-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

Our little family just wanted to publicly thank our mothers for all of their help and sacrifice for us as we brought our little girl into this world. They were so much help and support and we are so glad that we didn't have to do it without them! They cooked and cleaned, folded our underwear, went grocery shopping and got up early in the mornings so that I could sleep! Until after my d&c at about two weeks I seriously couldn't stand for longer than about 5 minutes and they catered to my every need! And found time to hold Isabella! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love you!!!

Is this one of the most beautiful grandmas you've ever seen?

And isn't this the other most beautiful grandma you've ever seen! i mean seriously they shouldn't be allowed to be "grandmas"

Thank You! We Love You!

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-12T21:37:00.001-07:00

So we flew down to Sacramento to visit Rich's aunt and his mom and dad came down, his sister Jill from santa monica, and his brother matt and his wife Beth and their kids from portland and we all bombarded his aunt and uncle. They live in the most beautiful town called Auburn and we had so much fun. There was a parade, games for the kids, fireworks, swimming, shopping and lots of good food and good company!

Umm, okay you want me to sit here with a bow....? its a little awkward!

Are you done yet? It is hard to be cute for this long and now all I can see is spots from the flashing thing

You have got to be kidding me right?! You want to shove me into a plastic hat? I don't think so. That is not even funny and I am done with this whole thing!

Matt, Beth, Rich, Me, and Madeline

Cousin Madeline held me for like two hours and let me take a nap on her! Thanks it was great!!

Lake Powell or bust!!

2008-07-12T21:08:00.001-07:00

We had the opportunity last minute( like 12 hours notice) to go to lake powell with the Cunninghams, my parents and friends. There is a strict no children under 8 rule but I think we ammended it to unless they are under 8 weeks old and never cry and if 'Auntie Paige" is on board. We just went for like 48 hours but it was still fun and beautiful and we had great baby sitters! i started having withdrawls and I was on the same boat with her! She loved it and it was a good little get away! Thanks Bob and Shelly, paige and Mom and Dad!!!!

Our family picture on top of the boat. Could I have gotten an uglier backround at Lake Powell?

Here is Aunite Paige and Isabella. They became fast friends!

Aunt Paige gives the best naps. Look closely and notice that her hair is wet with sweat! Our little girl loves to be warm and toasty!

Grammy and Isabella just talkin about stuff

"uncle richard" and his gun show, oh I mean Isabella!:)

Life is just so busy sometimes!

2008-07-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy lately traveling and just adjusting to life! As aunt jill put it , I wish I could be a baby when all I have to do is learn how to eat and breath at the same time! And boy is that hard, but I think that I got it down. I only forget to breathe every once in a while! And so sleepy, between eating and sleeping though I found time for a photo shoot before bed and a bath and an airplane flight to sacramento and a boat ride to lake powell! Life is pretty good, except I fall asleep one place and wake up somewhere different! Is it magic??

>
Dads nose taste so good sometimes when I am soooo hungry and mom is taking too long to feed me!

Every time I wear this outfit bright lights flash in my eyes.... so annoying!

Mmmmm! I love my bath in Aunt Anns sink. It is nice and deep so I don't get cold and I don't get water in my ears!

Mom I know that this is my first airplane flight but could you get a picture of something else besides my nostrils? So embarrassing!

After all that work I am sooo sleepy!

Our little Angel!

2008-06-29T21:17:00.001-07:00

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So after, once again, way too many hours creating this slide show, it all came together after help from aunt Lindsay! A client of mine took these pictures and we are so happy with them. I told her that these are the kind of pictures that I had always dreamed of having once I had a baby girl! Ya know, life just doesn't get any better does it! We are all still doing great! And I have to tell you that I wake up every morning with butterflies and excited that I get to be a Mom to her! Well and maybe a little tired! But she is just wonderful and we feel truly blessed! Just a note on the pictures on my behalf, this was honestly one of my worst hair days and the photographer had it a 1000 degrees in there because she wanted it warm for Isabella, and let me tell you it was. So don't mind the sweat and half smiles, i really am excited! Enjoy

The second week of life!

2008-06-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

just kickin back and strectching out! ahhh life is great!
Still love to cross my legs like in the womb! We can hardly get her legs out of this position! lookin at daddy on his Happy Fathers Day!
I love my bath and fall alseep in it. Ohhh it feels so nice!
My hair is a mess! and I might be working on somethin here;0)

So far, Sooo great!

2008-06-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

I love this outfit on her. She is so small that she only fits in preemie and we have little to choose from, but this is one of my favorites!
Daddy's shoe is as big as I am!

Her going home outfit!

her first carseat ride

naked monkey legs! Our family picture

Another cute head band

The first five days of parenthood have been great! She is honestly so good and we are so blessed!She eats and sleeps when she is supposed to and when she is awake she is so calm and cute as can be! We are having so much fun with her and I have to admit that I probably hold her way too much for her own good, but I figure that the first couple of weeks are a freebie, right?! Here are a couple of "firsts". Notice the head bands. We had a friend make us a bunch of amazing headbands and these are the first of them with many to follow!

Isabella Karen is HERE

2008-05-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here is Isabella Karen Newell. She was born May 30th at 4:39p.m. and she was 6lbs and 14ozs and 20 inches long. She has dark curly hair and very long fingers and toes and she is just perfect. Labor went good with a few scary moments. It lasted about 13 hours, but they had lots of problems with her heart rate depending on what position I layed in, so they put me on my right side and had to keep starting and stopping labor because of her heart rate. But luckily we evaded a c-section thanks to our wonderful nurse! I finally got to a ten and they rushed to get everything ready and after three contractions of pushing out she came. Her cord was wrapped around her body and her shoulder and it was really short so that is why we were having trouble with her heart rate.
She has been just dreamy. She is nursing well(ouch!), sleeping well, and the nurse gave us the A+ for the day because she was the only one doing what she was supposed to be doing. What can we say our child is a genious already! We just love her so much and are so blessed and greatful for her! Life just couldn't get any better!

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ISABELLA IS HERE

2008-05-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

She made her appearance and she is beautiful. Enjoy these first pictures of us with family.

The nursery and my big belly on induction day!

2008-05-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well here are pictures of the nursery. I am pretty happy with how it came out, although after all of that sewing I can honestly say that the next one will probably be store bought unless I am miraculously not sick on the next one. Cause yes, still sick, threw up today!! But it is all worth it!
Today is the day we are supposed to be induced. They told us to call at 8:00 p.m. and see if they had room and of course we were told that all inductions are on hold and that they would call us sometime within a few minutes and 7:00 a.m.! How fun is that? This day just got a lot longer! I always have contractions every 5-10 minutes and I knew that I should have gone in earlier today and said that I was having regular contractions and they might as well keep me because I was going to be induced tonight anyways. But I wimped out! Oh well, the time will come soon enough. I am suprisingly not nervous but really depending on that epidural doing its job:)But we are very excited and anxious. I can't believe that the day is finally here. I am so very greatful for this blessing in our lives and welcome all the joys and hardships that she will bring along with it.So yes that is my big belly the day before we had her! So the next post should contain some baby Isabella pictures!! Wish us luck!!