The Smith Family

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-25T01:35:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

So it's 1:48AM and I am just too excited to sleep...so I decided to update my blog. Yay! So here is what I am so thankful for and why I can't sleep:

1. It's Christmas morning and it's so stinkin' fun when you have your own kids who are going to be so surprised that Santa came and especially because they are still young enough that they will LOVE all the Dollar Store presents they'll be getting.

2. I got to see my wonderful family I nanny for (and give them my lame presents) but my kids got the most fun ones, as usual, and I received the most generous one! They are just such a blessing to my family and we are so grateful for all they do for us, for almost 6 years!

3. I love that I have a present for everyone (I'm pretty sure...) in all my family and ALL my in-laws : ) and it's all decent stuff that I got for FREE or nearly free from my obsessive crazy couponing. I have more gifts than ever for people and I've spent WAY less than ever. They are items that are quite similar to what I donated to my ward's humanitarian aid service project (hygiene kits)...so they're not too exciting, but people like to get stuff they need and don't want to buy, right? If not, too bad : )

4. I get to talk to my little brother, Nick, today! He's serving in the Leon, Mexico mission and has been gone for 8 months already! I'm very much looking forward to hearing his "accent" he says he has. He also says to not make fun of it...we'll see : )

5. I got to spend Christmas Eve with lots of family and I get to spend Christmas day with TONS more! I am sad though that I don't get to see some of my favorite families : ( Merry Christmas to: Tony, Jill, Anthony, Audrey, Debra, Amy, Matt, Jarom, Bella, Orion, Glory, Paul, Grant, Eliza, Zachary, Ruby, Rustin, Suzi, Maya, Skye, Winter, Brian, Jimmy, Mark, Marcy, Ty, Porter, Laurissa, Jarom, Brianna, Tory, Grandpa, and Nick...and whoever else I missed.

6. Lastly, at the moment, my wonderful brother-in-law, Carl, who everyone knows is by FAR the most wonderful uncle and artist (and much more) just received his mission call to serve in the New York, New York - Spanish speaking mission!! I just can't get over it! He totally scored. There'll be so many people to teach and preach the gospel to, he gets to learn a language (one that will come in handy), he won't be too far away, he'll actually get his mail (unlike Nick...), and he'll be somewhere so interesting and amazing and exciting! I am so proud of him, but we will miss him tons.

Have a wonderful Christmas!!!

Confessions of a coupon crazy lady...

2010-08-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

6 boxes of cereal

1 Tide detergent

1 Tide stain release

6 boxes fruit snacks

3 boxes fiber one bars

3 boxes granola bars

2 dozen eggs

1 Pillsbury dessert

2 bags nut clusters

Safeway Grand Total: $.15

yes, 15 cents!!!!!

Just a couple of babies!

2010-05-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

5 YEARS!!!

Nick's Fiesta

2010-04-12T11:43:00.004-07:00

Ivy loved the hot salsa, she wouldn't stop eating it even though tears were streaming down her cheeks

February favorites

2010-02-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

pretty Merry

my precious boy

tricky boy

picnic with the Brimhalls

happy day!!!

Best Buddies!

2010-01-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

Stagecoach Ride!

2010-01-18T20:59:00.000-08:00

Every third Saturday you get to ride this, pulled by horses, for FREE down Main Street.

DISNEYLAND!!!

2010-01-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

Ivy was a little concerned about the Jungle Cruise

Always in awe

It is a small world, after all

surprisingly do-able with babies, and still super fun

waiting in lines got a little crazy

pony girl

babies on rides!

I only put this one up because I thought my hair looked amazing

most of us having fun

having fun with Uncle Nick

such a fun show

We loved going with our little family and are saving to go back next year!

Decemberrs

2010-01-18T19:57:00.000-08:00

SNOW!!!

Nick's band at the Boardwalk!

The lead singer is pretty silly

I can't get enough of this. Just a normal day at the Smith home.

Cute little kids opening cute little presents

New Year's Eve dance party!

Some sweet moves going on

twinsies

Check out who's sitting back there!

HAPPY DAY!!!

2010-01-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

For some reason I believed the doctor when she told me all that craziness last week. I'm sorry to worry you all because today we went to an allergist who told me that since William has hayfever, reactions through blood tests will show that Ivy has allergies. I know, it doesn't make much sense. He said that if we were to do blood tests on William, he would show that he has some other allergies even though he doesn't have any other ones. Well, I still didn't quite get it, but I did get from him that Ivy is OK. We do have to watch her with eggs still since her test was very high for that, and nuts because they're a real common problem for some, and berries since she had the worst reaction ever from strawberries. He said she can have everything else, but she'll still have some reactions, just nothing crazy. If they're more than normal, we're just supposed to give her Benadryl. He wasn't the best at giving my straight answers, but he definitely wasn't concerned with what was going on and we go back in a month to make sure everything is doing well. He also said she'll probably have eczema and asthma in the future. Talk about a false alarm! So we are happier than ever and we've already spoiled Ivy with crackers, cookies, pizza, and milk. Sorry to worry everyone, but it keeps life exciting, right?

Ivy update

2010-01-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest on my firstborn: 2 weeks ago Ivy began throwing up every day and it lasted for 6 days. Yes, luckily she has plenty of meat on her bones to handle it, but still, 6 days? After about 3 days I noticed some swelling in her hands and feet, then hives on her hands, feet, and cheeks. I took her to the doctor who said, after finding me an exact match in her big book of rashes, that it was either a food allergy or a parasite. She wanted me to take out (one at a time) the most common allergy foods like milk, eggs, fish, wheat...and try to see if any one of these made a difference. I voted for it to be a parasite, though, since I don't (didn't) 100% believe in allergies. I know, allergies are obviously real. I'm just talking about doctors and parents who are quick to diagnose any and everything and then have excuses the rest of their lives or medication to make them "normal," okay? So I requested that we get some real answers, and get them much faster than changing her diet every week and seeing what happens. It turns out, there is no parasite (darn!) and yes, my child is severely allergic to: egg whites, soybeans, peanuts, and wheat. I felt like, how severe are these allergies if I have been giving her all these foods for so long and she's been fine, and then I gave her strawberries. Wow, her poor cheeks bubbled with hives not even 5 minutes after giving her strawberries yesterday. It was by far the worst reaction I'd seen yet, and I knew this was more serious that I thought. So we go back to the doctor today to get loads of more tests, info, and our new friend, the EPI(?) pen (and I'll learn how to spell it too) . Luckily Ivy has a very broad palate, but I live on wheat products, so now I have to be especially sneaky or change my diet too...Oh well, other than worrying all day every day about her, things can always be worse and I'm fully aware of that. I'm ALWAYS greatful for my many, many blessings and that I have such wonderful, healthy babies.

Halloween day of FUN

2009-11-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

I had one of the best Halloweens ever. It's so fun to spend the whole day with my wonderful little family. Ivy did as she was told and looked especially cute to get her parents some goodies.

Pretty girl

Silly girl

We started the day by going to Awful Annie's for breakfast. It (was) one of my favorite places to go for breakfast and I had a bogo coupon that expired Nov 1st. It was my favorite but they don't serve their cinnamon roll french toast anymore. Oh well, it's probably for the best.

They love each other soooo much.

It's the best thing in the world.

Ivy is such a good mix of silly and sweet.

Then we took our unicorn and frog (who was sleeping during all the fun times) and headed over to Folsom for their first ever Fall Fest in old Folsom on Sutter Street. I thought it was a hit. We loved all the kiddie gym vendors. This one had a fun parachute.

This one had Wonder Woman help kids do tricks.

I'm not sure why, but Ivy enjoys her face being bounced in bounce houses.

Next year this picture will be better with William dressed as grapes.

We'll definitely be back next year to the fall fest, it wasn't too crazy, crowded or dirty. It's just the right size for little kids too.

My little froggy was finally awake for some fun. This is at our ward's trunk or treat. Carl made it too.

Nick's Eagle Court of Honor

2009-09-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

For all you family and friends who didn't get to be there when Nick became an Eagle

Lots of FUN

2009-09-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

I love the storytimes here in Placerville because there's always a cute and really easy craft at the end. Here's Ivy not looking at the camera as usual. She had some pretty spunky pigtails that match her personality quite well.

Friday was Gloria's 2nd birthday, so we had a fun party up at the Watt house.

I think Ivy enjoyed the cake.

Henry was quick to help blow out the candles when Gloria wasn't too sure what to do.

So, I decided to experiment with the cake and did a brownie middle layer. Next time I'll just make an entire brownie cake, it was delish. Cinderella's head came off, try to find where we put it on the cake.

Our first time to a Teddy Bear Picnic. It was really fun, but a bit warm. Here's Ivy sporting her sweet new sunglasses she won at the "fishing pond." We'll definitely be going again next year.

My parents and brother came up while on a motorcycle ride. Ivy's got her new teddy bear.

Our old ward had a luau at Camp Nauvoo so we tired to have Ivy wear this perfect hula outfit, but she wasn't too into the coconut bra. At least we got a picture before she went crazy.

At the luau. It turns out we weren't the only Placerville ward people at the activity. Ivy took her sweet time on the one baby swing. It was lots of fun, especially running into friends we hadn't seen in a while.

Santa Cruz!

2009-09-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

1 month old!

Princess Party!

2009-08-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

Someone gave my mom all this princess themed party stuff a year ago, so we finally put it to good use.

He's finally here!

2009-08-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a little re-cap from having Ivy: I went in just to get a check-up way out to Kaiser South Sac and they accidently broke my water. I was starving when I got there, so all I got to eat after that was jello. I was induced a couple hours later since nothing was happening and I died from the pain. They gave me something horrible while I waited for my epidural that made me throw up every 30 min. the entire rest of the labor. After all was said and done, I had 24 hours of labor, 3 1/2 hours pushing, an epidural all the way until the last 2 hours, second degree tear, too much pain and agony. Obviously worth it because I got an 8lb. 9oz. perfect baby girl.

Needless to say, I was nervous to have another, especially since he was late and probably going to be even bigger than Ivy. However, here is what happened:

Wednesday evening I felt a little leakage (sorry, kinda gross). I didn't tell William until a couple hours later because I didn't think much of it. He finally convinced me to just go in since our hospital is about 3 minutes away. I decided to be smart this time and eat a nice last supper before I left, just in case.

Well, it was my water that had leaked and I had contractions close enough that they kept me there, even though they were the completely painless contractions. This is at 11:30pm and I decided to wait until the morning to get an epidural. I didn't sleep that night, but the contractions were bearable. The next morning, I called William to come because I wanted him there when I got the epidural. Some very nice, but a little too silly of a lady did the epidural, so I was a bit nervous. Luckily it worked well, a little too well. It was hard to breath with my ribs pressing into my contracting belly so I laid my bed flat, which turned out to be a bad idea. Luckily the nurse noticed and made me sit upright because she warned that the epidural could drip up. A few minutes later my ears began to go freakishly numb and I started losing my hearing. I swear my brain was frying also. My nurse friend came rushing back and cranked up the IV water and saved my life. Well, I'm sure it wasn't really so serious but it was the scariest feeling ever.

So, when it was finally time to push, no one expected this jumbo baby to start coming on the first one. Everyone scrambled to get all their gear ready because my big boy came out in just the 2nd push at 1:28pm on Thursday the 6th. SO much better than having Ivy. I did tear in the same spot as last time, but pushing only twice has made my recovery unbelievably better. Thank goodness that it's not too exciting of a labor story. I liked this labor so much better that there is a possibility of having more kids (not any time in the next 3 years). However, the after labor pains were insane...but I won't even start.

So, most of these are on my facebook, and there isn't much order to them. Good job if you've read all of this.

Samuel Richard Smith

4th of July celebration

2009-07-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

At church, my calling is the Activity Day leader. I pretty much just plan fun activities for the 8-11 year-old girls in my ward. On the 3rd of July, I took them down to see big, awesome fireworks at a golf course. The girls started going extra crazy as we waited for the show to start.

On the 4th, we swam at my family's house with Carl and Joe.

I'm sure one of her uncles had something to do with this big smile...

Happy Birthday to my DAD!

2009-06-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

He is so lucky...I got him probably the only Harley Davidson thing he didn't already have, a pleather pillow. Happy birthday Dad, I love you!

Nick's Graduation and a Photo Shoot

2009-06-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Nick's graduation, back on June 4th

Hooray! He did it.

Whenever Ivy gets daddy-daughter time, there is usually a photo shoot

Another photo shoot day

Crazy faces

Here's a video of Nick playing at graduation. My little camera didn't really do them justice, they did really well.

She's gettin' there

2009-05-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

Yeah Carl!

2009-05-23T22:43:00.001-07:00

Ivy's uncle, Carl, graduated tonight from Union Mine. Ivy was just too excited to be there.

Sadly, the only decent picture we got. He's the one facing us, next to the girl on her phone.

sorry neighbors

2009-05-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

This is what our lucky neighbors got to enjoy as they drove past our house today. I guess it could be worse...I could be in there too. Actually, I'm sure I couldn't be in there.

Jazz Festival

2009-05-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

Our new best friends

2009-05-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

So I have this nanny friend, Jackie, who goes to our same music class and has been for years. We always try to get our kids together, but it rarely works out. Finally, everything worked out perfect and we were able to go to her house to find this...

Pretty much the coolest water slide ever, and the kids went crazy for 2 hours straight.

Poor Ivy, she mostly hung out by the climbing wall, trying so hard to go up like all the big kids. I don't know how I resisted this time, but next time I am going down it (just so I can take Ivy, okay...).

Birthday Boy!

2009-05-17T21:59:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday William! He finally got a new TV. I think this is his scared face because he got it without my knowledge. I had to fake like I was mad, but he knows I love it, especially since he scored it for 40% off at Wal-Mart because it was a display. Anyway, he also got to spend a few hours on Saturday night at one of his favorite places, Sunsplash.

Janna's Wedding

2009-05-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Janna & Jerry's wedding. It was a lot of work, but really fun, and I'm glad it finally happened. Everything turned out just right, the bride looked perfect, the food was awesome (catered by a Mexican restaurant), and no one knocked over the cake.

So, this was the first time I'd made a wedding cake since having Ivy and now being 7 1/2 months pregnant...it was quite rough. It probably took me twice as long to make, and it already takes forever to make. I'm glad I did it, but I'm very glad it's over with.

I don't know why, but this is my favorite picture from the event.

Newlyweds

They were married at some botanical gardens, see if you can find the big prego maid of honor. It was quite a warm day, but it all turned out beautiful. I'm sure the ceremony was nice too, all I was doing was praying I wouldn't faint from the heat and the (very cute) 4" heels that were a little too small.

Java & Jazz

2009-05-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

So after 4 long years of marching band, jazz band, and drumline, my brother, Nick, is finally done! My mom made sure everyone came to his last event, Java & Jazz, on Saturday night.

ahh, the chocolate fountain

Ivy partied a bit too hard

okay, I've never done a video on here, and this one's not too great.

one year later

2009-05-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

One year ago...

15lbs. later

I have the happiest baby ever (usually) and she definitely gets that from her daddy. Happy Mother's Day to me! William gave a talk today in Sacrament Meeting and of course he made me laugh, cry, and feel very nervous (you really never know what he'll say). It was so sweet and made today more memorable. He even brought Ivy up as a visual aid, which was nice because she was yelling for him the whole time we were down watching him.

Party time!

2009-04-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, after way too long obsessing over Ivy's first birthday party, we finally made it to her big day. Her birthday is actually on Monday, but our celebration was today. Everything went really well, especially the weather, and we're so glad all of her favorite friends and family could be there to celebrate it with her.

The Dollar Tree has sweet balloons, that's all Ivy needed for her birthday.

Easter egg hunt!

Ivy's first (wedding) cake!

She's never really had a treat like this before, so she pretty much went crazy.

SO many fun presents!

Janna's Bridal Shower

2009-04-07T19:39:00.001-07:00

Proof that I actually do things (rarely) other than hanging out with my baby, and sadly, it was rough on me.

Hey, I warned everyone that I was taking pictures for my blog.

This is Janna, my cousin, who is getting married on May 16th. Her sister-in-law, Heidi, and I threw her a little bridal shower last Saturday.

I'm not sure who put me in charge of games...they look like they're having so much fun, especially my mother.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2009-03-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

Happy Birthday Claudia!

Yesterday was Claudia's birthday. Her best present was having baby John blessed on her birthday.

Jonathan and Merry Watt, the proud parents.

Ivy wasn't too sure about this little baby getting all her mom's attention. Just you wait my love, only 18 more weeks until your baby brother comes!
I'm always nervous to have my cakes get eaten, you can't really taste test it before serving it up...so I can only judge it's goodness by how fast it gets eaten. This one did...ok.
We loved celebrating Grandma's 55th birthday with her and lots of the cousins. Claudia is one of the best examples I know. She deals with many hardships, but you would never know it by how positive and fun she is. I've also never seen someone so talented at "turning the other cheek," but maybe it's because unfortunately she has had lots of experience with having to do just that. She is such a wonderful person and I'm so happy that my kids get to have her as their grandma forever. I'm also especially glad to have her as my mother-in-law. She is a very nonjudgmental and forgiving person, and loves her 23rd grandchild as though she was her first. Who can say all that about their mother-in-law? Now if only I actually wrote all this in her card...

2009-03-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been a while, so sorry for all the pictures. This is what we've been up to for the past few weeks:

Gloria at Wendy's first birthday party. Wendy turned one on St. Patrick's day. The pictures go backward, so we just went to this party today.

Our newest addition to the Smith family, Ivy's cousin, John. He was born on February 27th and I got to be there for his birth. It was one of the most thrilling things I've ever experienced, mostly because I wasn't the one having the baby.

All the kids at Wendy's party.

Baby John again, he is so perfect and has the cutest little mohawk.

The birthday girl!

I finally got a shot of Ivy's silly teeth, sorry about the yucky nose.

I just had to throw in a pretty picture after that crazy one

This was at my niece, Heather's, birthday lunch

William's brother, Carl, is working on his Eagle project at Camp Nauvoo, so here it is in progress

A few weeks ago we took a little family trip to Coloma

In case anyone forgot I was pregnant...

William has work! The crew started on this 5000 sq.ft. house in Granite Bay recently and it's on the same street where Bobby Jackson lives.

Our mini daffodil hill on Pleasant Street

The real daffodil hill. We went on the first day it opened. I love this stubby little body standing up so big.

My little Humpty Dumpty

This is when I realized I, along with Ivy, do not have any eyebrows. I've since bought an eyebrow pencil. I'll give her some time though.

Ivy was a little scared, I loved how she threw her hands back

Sutter Creek on the way to Daffodil Hill

My dad met us there on his way to Merced

Ivy on her 11 month birthday

Playing the drums with Uncle Buck

I love the springtime

Ivy has too much fun at the Abrahamson's

Ivy has discovered that she loves to climb stairs

Ivy on her fun new toy from Aidan and Brooke

2009-02-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some random recent pictures

Watch out, Ivy's a vampire, and she definitely knows how to use those fangs.

Ivy with cousin Gloria

Twins!

Just thought I'd add this. William and his dad built this for a family who bought the last house they built. They loved it, and are having 2 more smaller ones built too. It's quite grand.

2009-02-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has been a while. I'm quite lazy with this as you can see, so here are some pictures from Christmas.

Nonna and Papa with Ivy, Audrey, and Anthony

In case you can't tell what's going on, Ivy is clearly baby Jesus in our little Nativity with the Smiths, and her cute cousin, Bella, was Mary

All the cousins got cute little piggy banks from Aunt Suzi and Uncle Rustin. That's Dolly's little cutie, Teddy, with Amy (she made that sweet hairclip she's wearing, I was quite jealous)

Ivy on Christmas morning! She got some fancy clothes and was so excited about them.

It was lots of fun to spend so much time with our Minnesotans, and all the kids had one big thing in common...eating food and wanting more food. Seriously, these kids acted like they were starving, even though they ate all day.

Time for a bigger house...or a minivan.

2008-12-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Guess what?! Ivy is going to be a big sister! It's okay to be shocked, we are, but we're really excited, except I was NOT ready to be sick again this soon. So I think I'm due around August 1st, but I actually haven't been to the doctor yet, so I don't know for sure. Well, this is my second Christmas in a row that I'm pregnant...weird. I guess I fit right in to the Smith family.

A day at the park

2008-11-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know everyone goes to the park all the time, but since she's grown, Ivy actually had fun and enjoyed it this time. Luckily I had my camera to prove it.

Well, I helped her go down the slide. I'm not brave enough to let her go down by herself, but she probably is.

Ivy LOVED riding in the swing, and she just laughed like crazy when Brooke pushed her.

Happy Birthday Nonna!

2008-11-20T21:09:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, the 19th, we celebrated my mom's birthday by going to eat at Fat's Aisian Bistro. It was pretty good, just don't order the chow mein, it was like a top ramen biscuit, but probably not as good as that would be...maybe.

Congratulations Diane & Art!

2008-11-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

We just celebrated the marriage of my aunt, Diane, to her love of 5 years, Arthur Dunn. They treated everyone to dinner at the very fancy, Serrano Country Club.
Uh, who made that leaning tower of cake? Definitely not one to be proud of. At least it tasted okay.

My grandpa with some of my cousins.

The blushing bride with 3 of her kids.

Oma with my parents.

2008-11-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Cute little chubby cheeks

While William was gone to LA for a few days, I decided to be crazy and cut some bangs. It's been 16 years since I had bangs. I'm not totally sure if I love them, but I guess it's too late now. The picture doesn't really show them well. I mostly just wanted to show Ivy wearing her cute little hat and the sunset was beautiful in the background.

Hurray for Halloween!

2008-11-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

Storytime at the library

Our friends from church

Smith family and Bonny's friend, Rosanna, after walking down Main Street. William thought Ivy looked better with her cat shirt on instead of the big ladybug. It was for the best since Wendy had a way cuter little ladybug dress.

One of my favorite kids from church, Maya. She's dressed as someone from the Clone Wars, I think. She's awesome. One time I taught her class and out of nowhere she did a great imitation of Darth Vadar, saying, "Sister Smith, I am your father."

2008-10-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Our latest family picture

Oops, somebody got a new car.

Okay, it's mine. Yes, my car had too many problems to deal with and just wasn't dependable enough for the 3 children and me to drive around in. It was just a little too embarrassing when I had to call my boss to say I was going to be late because Ivy and I were walking to her house with my car dead a mile away. Yes, I was pretty frustrated with it when I found this shiny thing calling to me. It is quite luxurious, reminding me of my dad's old BMW, but definitely without that price tag. I actually got it for less than I what I paid for my old Honda. I feel pretty fancy in it. The best part is that my wonderful dad got his friend's son to buy my car in all it's glory. I didn't even have to smog it or anything, and I only feel good about it because I gave him a pretty good deal. Hurray, I won't be stranded again (hopefully!)

Ivy and Wendy

2008-10-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

We all love it when Ivy and Wendy get together. Wendy is Ivy's cousin (Russ & Bonny's baby) and Ivy is very interested in Wendy and all her enthusiasm.

Wendy is usally quite smiley and always looks right at you with those big blue eyes. She also is a wiggly one and goes crazy when you give her any attention at all. She is so fun and entertaining to be around. She's definitely going to be a popular little social butterfly.

Ivy has gotten a lot better at sitting since this was taken (which was about 2 weeks ago).

Ivy and her grandpa. William loves her in that bunny hat.

Dillon's Beach

2008-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Dillon's Beach!

Back on October 9th, we took Ivy on her first trip to good old Dillon's. Our ward goes every year, so thanks to my mom for letting us borrow her car, we were able to go.

This is what Ivy did pretty much the entire time.

William did put her feet in the freezing water, and of course she wasn't too thrilled.

We finally pried Ivy's hand off her hat and out of her mouth for a quick picture with the beautiful ocean in the background. We're obsessed with that fluffy face.

William said if I looked a little more appropriate and if Ivy's face was showing, this could have been our Christmas picture. I guess he looks good, but usually does, and why couldn't I wear my Nacho Libre shirt in our Christmas picture?

2008-10-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

So, my lovely mother likes to make me feel bad because I don't really ever see my little bro perform in the Bella Vista Marching Band. Since this is his last year, I thought it was time to see him in action and see how good the band really is (since they practice morning, noon, and night, literally). They were good, and of course, Nick was the best. He plays the drums and is actually the drum leader. Ivy was loving it, unless my grandma (Oma) held her, sorry Oma.

So, William, the photographer, told us to do silly faces. Obviously the Albanos aren't too great at this, but Ivy's definitely got her dad's talent.

Nick actually put his hand on my shoulder! We have come a long way. Even though I sometimes make fun of him, Nick is quite a cool kid and I'm proud of him and all his accomplishments. He especially has really managed to stay out of trouble, since most don't.

2008-09-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

We just went to Emerald Bay in Tahoe to hang out for the day and visit Rustin, Suzi, Maya, Skye, and Winter. It was a perfect day to go, but we wimped out and didn't stay the night. That was probably a good idea, though, because Ivy hasn't figured out how to be a happy camper yet.

This picture is mostly cool because of Joe's floating stick trick.

William and Ivy in front of Vikingsholm. It was pretty fancy. It gave William some inspiration for our next house.

Cute cousins: Winter (the water dog), Emma, and Gloria (the bonnet head)

Ivy and Grandpa and the always entertaining and talented Carl.

This is just a cute picture of my baby rabbit.

2008-09-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

So on Friday, we finally took Ivy somewhere exciting...to Apple Hill! It was pretty fun, mostly because lots of Ivy's cousins were there too. We always love a visit from the Beatty family (and we miss them already). This time I got a first ever, a caramel & cheesecake apple. I'll be back very soon.

playing king of the pumpkin

2008-09-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry our blog is all pictures, and sorry it's all Ivy, we're a little obsessed.

2008-06-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Hey there, so we finally made a blog. Pretty weird.