"The sweetest thing I've ever known is loving you"

Christmas and other things

2012-01-03T20:08:00.001-08:00

Julia with Daddy

She was so good

Julia's 1st haircut!

Julia

Clara

Julia Sledding in the mud -cuz there is no snow :(

Julia tubbin'

Princess Julia :)

The Girls on Christmas

Clara's Christmas

Julia's Christmas

Jeff with the girls

New family pics

2011-11-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

Julia turns one! A year in the life of Julia Rose

2011-11-21T19:42:00.001-08:00

12 months

9 months

6 months

3 months

2 weeks old

15 weeks gestation

The Witches at Gardner Village

2011-11-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

Clara, Danielle, Julia & Liz

Liz, Jeff, Clara, Julia, & Danielle

The potty witch :)

Danielle, Liz, Julia, Clara, & Jeff

Clara (she dressed herself) :)

Clara, Jeff, Danielle, & Julia

Jeff, Julia, Clara & Danielle

Julia's fountain hair

My Beautiful Princess

The Great Salt Lake

2011-11-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Monarch butterfly in our yard

Julia's bed head

Clara & Julia playing kitchen

Clara just wanted to play & did not want her picture taken, so all I got were action shots

Liz & Julia

Jeff, Scott, Kazu, & Jenn

The sand there is so soft, Julia loved playing in it

Jeff & Clara playing in the Lake

Julia's forehead bruise from falling down the stairs :(

Clara on her big girl bike

Clara 4 years & Julia 9 months

2011-08-28T21:17:00.001-07:00

Clara & Julia

Julia

Julia -my Beautiful baby girl!

Julia

Clara - My Beautiful grown-up girl!

Clara

Fun at Silver Lake

2011-08-28T21:12:00.001-07:00

Danielle & Clara

Danielle, Clara, Liz, Julia, & Jeff

Kazu, Scott, & Jenn

Liz, Julia, & Danielle

Jeff & Julia

Danielle & Clara

Clara turns 4

2011-08-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

Serra, Kellsey, Jeff, Julia & Clara swimming at Grandma Julie's

Aunt Shell & Clara

Clara's birthday balloons

Clara & Mom

Kazu loves the remote control car the best

Julia & Grandma Janet

Savannah, Clara & Kellsey

(Clara so loves the princess barbies & Tangled doll)

Julia 9mo. & Savannah 19 yrs

Clara's Ariel princess cake

Clara -a flower girl & Fun at the Cabin

2011-08-02T21:11:00.001-07:00

Beautiful rainbow
Julia getting into drawers

Clara painting rocks

Julia 8 mo.

Clara, Liz & Julia

Jeff & Clara at the cabin

Liz & Clara at the cabin

Our Cabin

Clara & Dante

Clara as Lauren's flower girl

New Deck and fun at the Zoo

2011-07-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

Julia sleeping
Clara being silly

Julia playing 8 mo.
Julia sleeping

Kazu, Jenn, Scott, Mom, Clara, Jeff, Liz, & Julia

Kazu

T-Rex

Mom & Julia

Jeff and Clara at the Zoo

Clara trying on her flower girl dress for Lauren's wedding

Poor Clara's bruise from bumping on the table

pretty flowers in our yard

Our little Girls

Julia 7 mo.

Jeff's new Memorial to Grandpa Garn tattoo

Savannah's new tattoo

Ugly old deck

New beautiful deck!

Julia after bath

Julia 6 months already!

2011-05-29T20:38:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe my baby girl is already 6 months old.

At her check up she was 18.5 lbs 26.1 in.

She has one baby tooth on the bottom.

Easter and other stuff

2011-05-29T20:30:00.001-07:00

Clara at 6 mo.

Danielle easter morning (not wanting to get up)

Julia Easter morning

Clara Easter morning

Kazu, Jenn, & Julia

Liz Julia & Clara with blue easter egg malt ball lips

Liz & Julia enjoying a moment outside

Clara & Jeff feeding the birds

2011-04-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

Dearest Grandpa,

We love and miss you. I found this quote which is engraved on a stone in the hills of Jerusalem that I found comforting:

God Saw You...

God saw you getting tired,

When a cure was not to be.

So He wrapped his arms around you,

And whispered "Come to me"

You didn't deserve what you went through,

So He gave you a rest.

God's garden must be beautiful,

He only takes the best.

And when I saw you sleeping,

So peaceful and free from pain

I could not wish you back

To suffer that again.

Julia is 5 mo. old & Danielle & Dante's B-Day

2011-04-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

Julia & Danielle

Clara with her hair straight

Julia 5 mo. old

Julia snuggling with Aunt Kathy

Dante's 4th B-Day party at Jungle Jims

Clara & Danielle snuggling while watching Tangled- their new favorite movie

Clara falling asleep in her dinner-exhausted after playing with Danielle, Serra, & Kellsey all weekend!

Kellsey & Clara

Serra & Danielle on Danielle's 14th B-Day

Julia chillin' with dad

Clara loving her new car

Julia loving her jumper

Julia feeling better from RSV

4 months old and RSV

2011-03-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

My poor baby Julia has RSV/bronchiolitis and an ear infection. She has been very sick, and had to go to the emergency room at Primary Children's hospital Wednesday night. She was kept overnight because she was working so hard to breath and needed oxygen. She is home now, but is still on oxygen and needing frequent deep nasal suction. My poor baby. :(

More fun pictures of the girls

2011-03-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

Julia

Clara

Julia

Julia & Clara

Liz & Jenn with Julia & Kazu dressed up as eachother :)

Clara at Jungle Jims

Julia 3 mo. old

2011-03-02T20:50:00.001-08:00

2 months old!

2011-01-10T14:10:00.001-08:00

Julia 2 months old

12lbs and 23 inched long

She is getting big so fast!

Julia sitting up in the bumbo

the doll house

Clara & her snow family

Clara & Dad building a snow family

the girls on Christmas

Clara loving her new dollhouse from Santa

Clara enjoying her hot chocolate & popcorn

reindeer bummy

Santa & his reindeer

Clara with her hair straightened

Kazu & Julia

and slept some more

and slept...

So far Julia has slept...

Julia's newborn & family pictures

2010-11-26T15:56:00.000-08:00

Julia

Danielle & Julia

Savannah & Julia

Clara & Julia

Julia & Dad

Julia & Mom

Julia

Julia's cute feet

Julia Rose is here ! =)

2010-11-16T09:42:00.001-08:00

Julia's bath time

Clara & Julia- Clara loves her new baby sister

Julia, Grandpa Garn, Grandma Garn & Clara

Julia & Kazu- although only 5 weeks apart, Kazu is already a lot bigger than Julia =)

Julia

Savannah & Julia

Danielle & Julia

Julia

Liz & Julia

Jeff & Julia

Liz, Jeff, and Julia

Julia Rose was born Tuesday November 9th, 2010 at 3:56pm. She was 7lbs 11oz & 20.5 in. long. We are both very happy and doing well.

Halloween & other pics

2010-11-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

We have had so much fun loving baby Kazu, and can hardly wait until Julia us born. Halloween was fun, Clara really loved carving the pumpkins this year.

Scott, Kazu, & Jenn

Kellsey, Corrine, Clara, & Serra

Clara as Sleeping Beauty

Trick or Treating with cousins- Clara, Sammy & Vincent

Snow already?

Clara Our pumpkins

Clara, Jeff, & Danielle

Liz 36 weeks

Jeff & Kazu

Clara loves baby Kazu

Updates...

2010-10-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Jenn & Scott with baby Kazu (Scott Masakazu Shiba) born Tues. night 8lbs 7oz

Liz holding baby Kazu-so cute-makes me even more excited for Julia to be here =)

Clata riding a pony at the petting Zoo

Clara & Dante seeing the witches at Gardner Village

32 weeks pregnant

28 weeks pregnant

Julia's belly cast

Danielle painting Julia's belly cast

My belly cast from Clara

27 weeks pregnant & Clara 3 years- August 14th, 2010

2010-09-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some wonderful pictures my friend Lynndi took of us. =)

Clara's 3rd Birthday and other fun things

2010-08-18T13:59:00.001-07:00

Clara dancing

Clara at her 1st dance class

Ducks

Clara feeding ducks

Clara & Grandma Janet feeding ducks at Wheeler Farm

Clara painting rocks

Clara enjoying her cake

Clara holding Dora & baby brother &sister

Clara & her cake

Cousin Dante

Clara opening Big Sister Dora

Clara & Liz opening birthday presents

Clara's Lady Bug Birthday cake

Mom & all us kids

Liz 23 weeks & Jenn 29 weeks

Clara

Uncle Paul & Aunt Jenn comparing bellies

Summer Fun, Bear Lake, 99 days to go and counting...

2010-08-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

Jeff & Clara recovering from Bear Lake

Kellsey & Kathy at Bear Lake

Jenn at Bear Lake 31 weeks pregnant

Clara at Bear Lake

Serra, Danielle, & Savannah at Bear Lake

Clara at Bear Lake

Liz 24 weeks pregnant

Clara playing dress-up and dancing

Jenn at her baby shower

Liz 20 weeks pregnant

Clara giving all her babies a bath

Savannah's Graduation from Cottonwood High

2010-06-09T12:54:00.001-07:00

money from money bank

Sammy, Savannah with money bank from Grandma Julie, & Danielle

Sammy, Savannah, Clara, Danielle, & Vincent

Liz, Savannah, Jeff, Clara, & Danielle

Sammy, Uncle Ryan, Savannah, Aunt Shelby, & Vincent

Bob, Grandma Julie, Savannah, & Grandma Garn

Sammy, Clara, Savannah, Danielle and Vincent

Clara

Cactus flowers from our yard

Clara enjoying Savannah's Birthday cake

Liz 16 weeks pregnant

It's a Girl!!!

2010-05-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

It's a Girl...baby Julia Rose at 15 weeks

Liz 12 weeks pregnant

Clara & Grandma Janet

Jeff & Clara petting a snake with Megan & Austin

Dante, Clara & Jeff

Dante & Clara (cousins)

Dante & Clara at the Zoo for Dante's 3rd Birthday

Easter & Danielle's Birthday

2010-04-07T05:53:00.001-07:00

Danielle, Savannah, Clara, & Dad
Liz, Savannah, Clara, & Danielle
Clara & Danielle
Clara & Grandma Julie
Danielle 13 years
Clara & Mom
Savannah, Clara & Danielle dying Easter eggs
Clara "Don't blame me I was born awesome" T-shirt from Grandma Janet
Clara & Dad
Clara "curly locks"
Liz & Jenn snowshoeing at the cabin
Scott, Jeff & Clara snowshowing at the cabin
Clara coloring

Life has been very busy with me back in school and with the kids. We are all very excited to add to our family!

announcement...

2010-04-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to announce that we are going to have another baby, who is due in November! =)

Christmas etc...

2010-02-03T11:54:00.001-08:00

I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast!

Clara 2 1/2 years

Clara just chillin'

Clara

Clara having fun in the snow

Savannah & Clara playing around

Clara & Christmas toys

Adorable chair/stool that Uncle Scott made Clara for Christmas

Clara

Savannah 17 yrs (Senior )

Beautiful!!!!

Halloween & 1st Hair cut

2009-11-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

Clara's 1st hair cut at Cookie Cutters

Clara with her loot

Clara & Danielle as Snow White

Clara as Snow White

Our Pumpkins

Danielle, Clara, & Liz

Clara , Danielle & Jeff with our pumpkins

Bridger, Kellsey, Jaxton

Dante, Dan, Morgan, & Megan

Corrine as Friday from the Adams family

Serra as princess, Char as Charlotte's web, Erin as Raggedy Ann

Austin as a Hot Chick

Clara & Kellsey

Shell

Jenn & Scott Best Friends

Drew & Mom

Kathy as a Cereal killer

Paul as the cigar fairy

Clara & Serra

Annette & family

Dallas as Beer Man

Updates

2009-10-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Clara in her sand box

Jeff & Clara at the Zoo

Liz & Clara at the Zoo

baby giraffe at the Zoo

baby tigers at the Zoo

baby snow lepard at the Zoo

Clara in her princess shoes

Clara in bed with her "baby dolls"

Clara & Liz at the Fair

Clara loves petting the farm animals

Jeff, Grandma Garn & Julie

Jenn, baby Brielle, Danielle, Marquerite & Sarah (my cousin & her daughter)

Beautiful!

Danielle 12yrs, 7th grade

Since I last posted an update, I got a promotion at work, which I am both nervous & excited for. The downside is that I have to go back to school & get my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. I am not excited about that. Also, I had surgery on Tues. to get a hole in my heart (an ASD or atrial septal defect) closed. It was done via heart cath so the recovery isn't too bad. I am the 4th of my siblings to have this fixed. I'm glad it's over with. Savannah had her 3rd eye muscle surgery for the year yesterday & is recovering from that. We visited the Zoo, the State Fair, and the cabin a couple times.

Clara's 2nd birthday August 11th, 2009

2009-09-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

My Angel Girl is two years old!

2 years

Thank you Melissa for taking such beautiful pictures of my little girl!

18 mo. old

1 year old

9 mo. old

6 mo. old

3 mo. old

2 weeks old

Clara in utero

Clara turned 2 on August 11th. She is growing up so fast, it feels like I just gave birth to her yesterday. We had a little party with homemade cake & ice cream.

Happy 4th Anniversary

2009-08-17T11:32:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary my Love

August 9th

Our trip to Washington State

2009-08-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Clara, Jeff, Danielle, & Serra

Danielle, Serra, Jon, Clara, Nikki, Liz, & Jess

more blown glass art

blown glass art

Clara

Jeff (my honey)

Danielle & Serra

Minke whale

Liz, Serra, & Danielle freezing on the whale tour

Space Needle

Clara, Liz, Jeff, Serra, & Danielle

Serra, Clara, & Danielle

Jon, Kim & Clara at Pike Place Market

The girls foot prints

Liz & Jon at La Push beach

The treaty line between Forks & La Push

Beautiful La Push beach

Serra, Liz, Danielle & Clara with Bella's truck

Clara, Liz & Jeff

Serra & Danielle

Serra & Danielle in front of Mt. Rainier

Two weeks ago Jeff, myself, Danielle, Clara & my niece Serra went to Washington to visit my brother Jon & his family. It was one the the best vacations ever!!! We had so much fun! We spent a day in Forks & La Push (from the Twilight book series). We all had fun, but for Danielle & Serra it was the highlight of the trip. La Push beach is absolutely beautiful! We also spent a day in Seattle & visited the Pike Place Market & went to the Space Needle. The next day we went on a whale watching trip out of Anacortes. Clara stayed with Jon & Kim. I'm so glad she did, she would have been miserable. We had an excellent time, but it was freezing cold & 6 hours long. The next day we went to Tacoma & walked along the pier & looked at the beautiful blown glass art work on the bridge (I forgot the artist's name). We were very sad to leave. It's too bad vacations have to end. Thank you Jon & Kim for an amazing time!!! We love & miss you all!

Summer Fun!

2009-07-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Clara & Danielle with cousin's Samantha & Vincent & friends Mckell & Shelby at the cabin

Clara & mom at the cabin throwing rocks in the river

Clara making "mud soup"

Clara riding her tricycle with Dad

Clara's favorite "chocolate Popsicle"

Clara & Dad with the wading pool

Clara playing in & drinking water before we got the wading pool

This summer has been so fun, and is going by way too fast! I'm so glad the weather finally got warm, for some it may be too hot, but I love it!!! Clara is growing up so fast, & will be 2 years old next month. I can't believe it! She is so funny, some times when I ask her to do something she says"not right now mommy, maybe yater". Clara is so enjoying her summer & especially getting to stay home with Dad & Danielle while mommy is working. Danielle has been busy this summer taking all kinds of vacations with her Mom & Grandparents. Savannah is staying busy with work & Drill Team

Yeah Summer!

2009-06-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

more cute toenails from Jamie

Beautiful butterfly in our yard

Clara playing in the water

Clara looking for rocks to collect

Jeff is out of school for the summer yeah!! He is looking forward to staying home with Clara & having some summer adventures! Mother's Day was wonderful! I got to spend time with all my Mom's & grandma, my wonderful husband & all 3 girls! Savannah turned 17 last week, & will be a Senior in high school next year. Danielle just finished 6th grade & will be in Middle School next year. I can't believe how much they've grown since I met them when they were 5 & 10 years old. We are enjoying the warm weather, even though not so much today, since it's cooler & rainy. Clara's favorite thing to do is play outside, she loves it! We saw the most beautiful butterfly in our yard this morning, I'll include a picture. Savannah & her Mom's family are moving, so they gave us all her old furniture for Clara. It's so cute, I'll post pic's when it's all set up.

Easter etc...

2009-05-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

Clara is enjoying her new daycare, & she even got her toe nails painted!

Dress-up!!

Clara loves all the pretty spring flowers!

Danielle's butterfly

Drawing with side walk chalk from the Easter bunny

Danielle & Clara Easter morning

cheesy grin!

The last month has flown by! Easter was great! Clara had fun helping us dye the Easter eggs, & she loved helping Danielle look all over the house for the eggs & basket's left by the Easter Bunny! Savannah was out of town with friends, so she had a late Easter. The kids loved the sidewalk chalk that the Easter Bunny left, they made beautiful pictures all over the driveway! Too bad the rain washed them away so quickly. I am so ready for it to be warm & sunny. I know we need the water, but I am soooo sick of this rain!!! We are enjoying every warm sunny day that we have had. Clara loves, loves to play out side! I take her to the park every chance I get. She loves the spring flowers! Trouble is, she wants to pick all the ones that smell good & carry them around all day. Clara's new favorite thing to do is pull all her clothes out of her drawer & try them on over her clothes. She loves running to to Daddy so he can tell her how pretty she looks. Clara started a new daycare a few weeks ago, she goes 2 days a week & we love it! She is at my friends sister's, who runs a daycare out of her house. It soooo much better than the large public daycare she was at. She has a great time there & even got her cute little toe nails painted! Saturday night we went to a fun party for my brother Mike whos just graduated with his BS degree in Business Management. Congrat's Mike!!!

Cute pics!

2009-03-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Clara & her new kitchen

Beautiful Savannah ready for Sweethearts dance

Clara & Liz

Grandma & Grandpa Garn

The Girls

Clara in her cute dress

My happy little girl!!!

2009-02-25T11:11:00.001-08:00

18 months!!

2009-02-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe my baby is 18 mo. old! The saying "time flies" is even more true when you have kids. I feel like my life has been in fast forward since Clara was born. Clara passed her 18 mo. check up with flying colors! She is talking soooo much, and doing so many new things everyday. Her pediatrician says that developmentally she is at the level of a 26 mo. old! I'm so proud of my smart little girl! She says at least 40 single words & every day she says one or two new words. She even says several two-three word combinations. She even tries to say part of the ABC's. She also can point to & name 6 body parts, use a spoon & fork, feed her baby, identify objects in pictures & count to 5, almost to 10. It is so amazing to watch her grow, change, & learn so much! Savannah had a second eye muscle surgery last week, & she is recovering well. It was only on one eye this time & it was just one muscle. Hopefully this will be the last of it!

Heart Trouble

2009-02-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

Clara & Dad
tub time!

I love fry sauce just like my dad!!!

So, since my last entry, Clara has been sick 3 times. She's had croup twice & an ear infection. Hooray for daycare germs! lol! =( As many of you know my sister Rachelle has been sick recently, and was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. Dilated Cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart becomes enlarged & overstretched, like a worn out rubber band, and cannot pump efficiently. Since the doctors can find no other cause, & since our father passed away 10 years ago from the same condition, it is highly possible that the cause is genetic. We are looking into being involved in a research project for Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy. Rachelle's doctors have suggested, as well as the people conducting the study that all of my siblings & Rachelle's children get an echocardiogram & an electrocardiogram to look for early signs of the condition and to at least get a baseline of our current heart function. If the condition is found to be genetic then me & each of my 7 sibling have a 50% chance of having inherited the mutated gene from our father. I had an echo & an EKG done last Monday, & I am happy to report at this time that my heart is perfectly normal! Yeah!

Snow, Snow, Snow...

2009-01-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

Cheese!!!

Look mom I'm in the drawer!!

Fun with magnet letters!

Congrats Julie & Bob
(picture from our wedding)

We have had a ton of snow this last week in West Jordan! We got 21 inches Christmas Day, and more last night. Thursday I dressed Clara up in her snow suit & took her out in the snow to play. She had fun, but got frustrated with her mittens. She didn't want them off though because the snow was so cold. We had a wonderful Christmas! Clara had fun with her new toys. She couldn't decide what to play with. In the end, her favorite toys are her magnet alphabet letters, her baby doll & toy bottles, and her grocery cart with play food. She is starting to walk more, with out having to be encouraged every time. Savannah & Danielle mostly got cute clothes which was all they wanted. Last week was very busy for us, Jeff's Mom got married last Sunday, and Jeff's sister & her family stayed with us for 4 days. The wedding was beautiful, & the reception was fun! It was a blast having Shelby, Ryan, Samantha & Vincent stay with us! Too bad Vincent was sick the last 2 days vomiting & stuff. I have to say though, I'm so grateful Clara did not get it again! Happy New Year!!!

2008-12-25T11:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!! Wishing you all Peace & joy for the holidays!!

My poor baby!!!

2008-12-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

My poor baby has been sick since last Friday night when she woke up in the middle of the night & had vomited all over herself & her crib. She has gastroentero virus. She has been vomiting & having diarrhea for a week now. She also has 2 blisters in her throat & her Pediatrician though she might also be getting hand foot mouth disease. But since she is much better today, the blisters must be from the virus she already has, & thankfully not a new virus coming to rear it's ugly head for another week. She was so dehydrated she had to get IV fluids 3 days in a row. I was able to remove her IV this morning & give her a much needed bath. She only vomited once today & I'm pretty sure it was because I was trying to make her eat. She still does not have much of an appetite. She has also lost some weight. I hope she get's her appetite back soon, my poor baby will waste away. Today she is at least interested in playing & has started to smile again. There is nothing in the world that can warm my heart like seeing my angel girl smile at me. An update on her walking...she can & does walk. But, only when she wants to, and only for short distances. She still prefers to scoot & crawl for the time being.

15 months!

2008-11-17T10:52:00.001-08:00

Clara & Aunt Jenn

I love this picture of my Mom with Clara! They're reading Goodnight Moon which is our favorite bedtime story

Fun outside!

Danielle & Clara

Liz, Clara, & Danielle

Danielle the Toothfairy

It sucks to be sick!!!

I can hardly believe thanksgiving is only a little over a week away! Halloween was fun, Clara & Danielle went trick or treating at Grandpa Bill's house & got some great loot. I'm still not happy about daycare being my only child care option right now. Ever since Clara started there she has been sick. After the 1st week, she not only got a cold, she also got pinkeye. I was so not happy! Since then she has consistently had some type of upper respiratory infection. Clara had her 15 mo. well check today. She is doing great! She is now 23lbs 14oz & is in the 70-75% for weight, height & head circumference. The only concern is that she is not walking on her own yet. My Pediatrician is giving her 2 more weeks & the I have to call him back for further evaluation. He's not too worried though, we think she's just a scaredy cat. My main concern right now with her safety is her choking. I have heard way too many horror stories from work and from friends. Yesterday was such a beautiful Fall day! Jeff was outside cleaning up the yard & raking leaves, so I took Clara outside & let her play in the grass & dirt. It was very hard for me to stand back & let her get so dirty, but she had a blast. I loved watching her play & explore outside! It's easy to clean up a toddler with a bath, plus she loves her baths! Clara had started saying "Thank you"! It's so cute! I really want to find her a toy shopping cart & play food for Christmas! I want a good sturdy one like I played with when I was little. So far all the ones I've found at the stores are cheap junk. I'm on the look out if anyone has seen one. My next stop it Toys'R'us.

Carving pumpkins

2008-10-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

Bath time!
Danielle

Clara

Danielle's pumpkin

Clara my little ladybug

Me (as Clara for Halloween) & Clara

Alexis (niece), Anthony (nephew), & Carter (nephew)

Anthony

Dallas (nephew) & friend as french maids & Erin (niece) as Marie Antoinette

Jenn (sister) & Scott as bunny & carrot

Mike (brother) & wife Monica, Addison (nephew) &

his dad Pete (brother in-law)

MacCoy (nephew) & Serra (niece)

Kathy (sister) as a Dr. Pepper & kids MacCoy & Kellsey

Shannon (niece), Mom, Lauren (cousin), & Stephan (nephew)

So, a few updates... Savannah's surgery went very well. All my friends/coworkers took very good care of her. Thank you! She has recovered well. My best friend Brandy got married to Dave on October 15th. Brandy looked beautiful & the wedding was wonderful! I can hardly wait to see the pictures. Rachelle had her surgery last Tues. and is recovering well. Clara started at Kindercare last Thurs. She did well, she played with the toys & the other kids. But, when she saw her daddy when he came to pick her up, she had a melt down...it was time to go home. I am irritated though, because she came down with a cold Sat. night. She spends 2 days there & already she gets sick! She hasn't slept well & is so stuffy she can hardly breathe through her nose. She is better today that the last 2 days though. On Sat. we carved pumpkins. It was so fun! Clara & Danielle had a Blast! Clara kept taking the guts from one pumpkin & putting it in the other pumpkin. She is so Cute! I had the fun job of picking out the seeds to roast. It's worth it though, I love roasted pumpkin seeds. Saturday night before Clara started feeling sick, we went to my sister Charlotte's house for a Halloween party. We like to all get together so we can see each other & the kids in costume. We all had a good time.

Piggy tails!

2008-10-13T20:55:00.001-07:00

Clara's hair is finally long enough for me to put it in little piggy tails & it is soooo CUTE!!! Today was Clara's first dentist appt. She did great, she only cried i little when her Dentist looked at her teeth. She has 13 teeth already. This is a crazy busy week, on Wednesday Savannah is having eye muscle surgery & it is my best friend Brandy's wedding. I'm a bridesmaid, so depending on the time of her surgery, I may or may not be able to be there. I hope it's early enough for me to be able to be there for her. The surgery is on my unit at the hospital, so I know if I'm not there, my friends will take excellent care of her.

Catching up...

2008-10-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

playing with cousin Dante
Clara being silly

Clara & Mom at the State Fair
I need 2 binkies!!! Clara & Danielle
Danielle, Clara & Liz at Gardner Village to see the Witches
Clara & Dad riding a pony

My sister Rachelle has been sick & was in the the hospital about a week ago. She is finally home & is feeling a bit better & is just trying to adjust to the changes she is having to make in her life. Thank you everyone for your concern & well wishes. I am so relieved that she is home & on the road to recovery. I hope that I can be helpful to her & her family. Rachelle we love you very much and can't imagine life without you! We are all here for you, & want to help in any way we can! Sadly, Shell will no longer be able to care for Clara 2 days a week as she has been. So, after much thought, deliberation, and research Jeff & I have decided to have Clara go to Kinder Care those 2 days a week. I have mixed feelings about this. I know it will be good for her to be around other kids her age, and she will learn a ton. They seem to have a great learning program. I am just sad that she won't be with family. I'm sure I'll have a harder time with it that she will. Jeff's Mom Julie will still watch Clara the other day that I work. I am also sad to be returning to work full time, after being able to cut back my hours. Daycare is VERY expensive. I am looking forward to Halloween this year, especially since Clara will hopefully have more fun than she did last year. She is going to be a Ladybug. I can hardly wait! I think she will be walking by then ,she is very close. She has the skill, and just needs to gain the confidence. I am including some fun random pictures.

1 year pictures

2008-08-31T09:41:00.000-07:00

I love this dress, I wore it when I was one

Thank you Jessica for taking such beautiful pictures of my baby girl, again!!!!

It's Fun to be One!

2008-08-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ladybug cake
Clara Mom, & Dad

Clara & Savannah
Grandpa Garn & Grandma Julie
Clara & Mom

Grandpa Bill, Grandma Jeannie, & Clara
Grandma garn, Aunt Jenn, & Uncle Scott

Cheeeese!
Aunt Shell & Clara

Weeeee!

Clara turned 1 year old on Monday August 11th. I can't believe this year has gone by so quickly! We had a little birthday party for Clara. Jeff's parents & Grandparents came. My Mom was out of town, but 2 of my sisters came. My dear friend Gerry made Clara's cute ladybug birthday cake. We had a fun time, and Clara loved all her presents, especially the wrapping paper! Today she had her 1 year well check. The immunizations were hard on all of us =(
She's doing great though! She is now 22lbs 11oz & 30in. tall

Ouch!!!!!!

2008-08-10T13:59:00.001-07:00

Clara fell down the stairs Friday while I was at work. Jeff was vacuuming, & she tried to pull herself up on the baby gate. She surfed down the stairs head first & bumped her head & scratched her nose. Needless to say, we had to postpone the 1 year pictures. I feel so bad my baby got hurt =(

Bear Lake

2008-08-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Bear Lake & had a Blast!!! My sister's Rachelle, Charlotte, Kathy, & Jenn, and my brother Mike's families were all up there camping. It was like a mini family reunion. I was a little worried Clara might be fussy or not sleep well, but she did great! I just kept her on her schedule as much as I could & she did was happy & had a great time. She loved the sand & the water.

Cousin's!!!

2008-08-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

Vincent, Savannah, Samantha, Danielle, & Clara

2 weeks ago Jeff's sister Shelby was in town with her kids. We had a great time & swam a lot in Julie's (Jeff''s Mom) pool. Shelby has a friend in Stansbury Park who owns the photo studio Little Grins, & she wanted to get all the kids together for a picture. I think it turned out so cute!

Beautiful!!

2008-07-30T16:09:00.001-07:00

Summer Fun!!

2008-07-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Clara & Dad
I Love Swimming!

Playing in the drawer

Danielle & Jeff

uh...hi mom

The bummy hop!!!

2008-07-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Prisoner of the pack & play
Bath time!
Trying to stand up

Well, things are finally looking up at our house. Jeff got a steroid injection in his back, and his pain went from a 10 to a 3 -YEAH!!! He is still having some moderate sciatica, but he see's his spine Dr. next week. He might need another injection. This last week Clara figured out that she can not only scoot around & get to her toys, she can go all over the house! Clara can pull up to standing well when holding on to someone's fingers, but can only get up about half way on furniture...but she keeps trying!!!

Car accident

2008-06-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

We've had a hard and busy couple of weeks at our house. Sadly, Jeff's Dad's mom passed away 2 weeks ago at 95 years old. We've also had some family in town. Jeff's cousin Tiffany with her family, and Jeff's sister Shelby were all here from Colorado. We had a bitter sweet Father's day celebration with Jeff's Dad. Also, last Monday, Jeff & Danielle got into a car accident. Jeff was hit by some idiot in a truck who took off the front of his car, causing $3,500 worth of damage. All the idiot got was a flat tire. Thankfully, they are both mostly okay. Jeff has an old injury of 2 herniated disc's in his L-spine, and has been in excruciating pain since the accident. He is now on some meds to help with the pain. He had an MRI today & will meet with his Dr. at the Spine Institute Wed. He will do anything to avoid surgery, especially since back surgery's are not very successful anyway. We hope he will be able to get a steroid injection in his spinal column, they have worked well for him in the past. On a happier note, here are some pictures of Clara making silly faces & playing with Savannah & her cousin's Jordan & Dawson...

Sad Goodbye...

2008-06-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

1913-2008

Dear Grandma Marion,

We love and miss you!

Summer Fun!!!

2008-06-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

Clara
Standing up!!!
Savannah & the new Car!
Jon (Dad) & Jessica (the Graduate)!

Well quite a bit has happened since I last blogged, so here are my updates. Savannah turned 16! I can hardly believe it, I met her when she was only 10. She was so excited to get her new car & take us all for a ride. Also, my smart and beautiful niece Jessica graduated from High School. My family had a great bash for her. We all had a great time! Clara is now 10 months old, and is trying so hard to pull herself up. She is getting around pretty well by scooting on her little bum (she refuses to crawl). She can stand up for quite awhile when I help her get up. Last night Clara was so fussy & had a really hard time sleeping. I'm not sure if she's getting a cold or if it's just her top front teeth coming in, but she's had a stuffy, runny nose. She finally cut her top right front tooth today (Yeah), & the other one should come in at any time.

9 Months old!

2008-05-22T21:04:00.001-07:00

Here are Clara's 9 month pictures. Thank you, thank you my dear friend Jessica for taking these beautiful, amazing pictures of my baby!

For more JT Photography- check out Jessica T. under "my favorite blogs"

New things...

2008-05-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at Grandma Julie's, Clara held her bottle for the 1st time & fed herself! So far today though, she won't do it for me =( She is so cute & fun, she also says DaDaDa, and scoots on her bum around the floor to reach her toys. Here are some cute pic's of Clara and Danielle. 9 month pictures coming soon...

Timpson-Smith Look-alike Meter

2008-05-21T10:05:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

9 months old/1st Mother's Day

2008-05-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

Clara turned 9 mo. old on my 1st Mother's day. We had a great time. We started celebrating Mother's Day Friday night, because the girls are with their Mom's on Mother's Day. We went out & had a nice dinner at Gepetto's. My niece Serra also spent the weekend with us. When we got home Jeff & the girls gave me Mother's day cards, and a beautiful 3 pearl necklace. I absolutely Love it! Then, on Sunday Jeff made me a nice breakfast. We also had our Mom's & my sister over for dinner. It was a perfect 1st Mother's Day! Monday, Clara had her 9 mo. well check. She is 20lbs 11oz and 27.5 in. tall. She is growing up so fast. She waves "bye bye", mimicks "uh oh" & "ow", and she now has 5 sharp little teeth (all on the bottom).

Happy Birthday Jon! We Love you!

Sunny Days....?

2008-04-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

Clara the Nun
Princess Clara
Soakin' up the sun
Silly girl!

I am so enjoying the few and far between sunny days that we have had. I love taking Clara on walks in her stroller, in fact we went on a walk Monday. It was like the perfect day! She's still getting used to it though. Clara now has 4 teeth. She got 2 more on the bottom last week. I'm including some random cute picures of my sweet baby love!

Like Mother, Like Daughter?...or Like Father, Like Daughter

2008-04-14T13:39:00.001-07:00

Jeff
Liz & sister's Jenn & Char
Clara
Clara
Liz and sister Jenn

Peek-a-boo!

2008-04-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

Napping with Mom

Napping with Dad

28 weeks pregnant (almost a year ago)

On Monday Clara surprised me by playing peek-a-boo with me! I've been playing it with her for a while, but she has never initiated it before. She is so smart & so cute! She is officially 8 mo. old on Friday, time goes by way too quickly. It seems like I was pregnant yesterday. It's supposed to be warm on Saturady, I am excited to take Clara for a walk in the sunshine! I love watching her sleep, Jeff & I both love to snuggle with her.

Peek-a-boo!

Husband Tag

2008-03-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Jessica Taylor

What is your husband's name? Jeffery G. Smith

How long have you been together? Almost 5 1/2 years

How long did you date? About a year & 4 mo. then we moved in together, and got married a year and a half after that.

Who eats more? Jeff

Who said I love you first? Jeff

Who is taller? Jeff

Who has more speeding tickets? Neither, I'm not sure either of us have had one since we've met.

Who is smarter? We are both very smart about different things. We compliment each other well. Jeff is like an encyclopedia, especially when it comes to science and the environment.

Who is more sensitive? I think we're both sensitive in our our way. Jeff can get very emotional when it comes to those he loves, especially his kids.

Who does the laundry? We each do our own, & I do Clara's.

Who sleeps on the right? If you are looking at the bed from the foot, I am on the right.

Who pays the bills? I do most of our bills

Who mows the lawn? Jeff

Who cooks dinner? I do

Who drives when you are together? We take turns. I usually drive when we take my car & he usually drives when we take his car.

Who is more stubborn? We are both very stubborn about different things!

Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? It depends, we are both very stubborn.

Who's parents do you see more often? I think it pretty much evens out, both of our parents live close, Jeff's Mom watches Clara once a week.

Who has more siblings? I do. Jeff has 1 sister Shelby, and also a half sister & a half brother that we don't see too often. I, on the other hand have 5 sisters & 2 brothers.

Who wears the pants in the family? We both do, it depends on the day & the subject, and who is feeling less or more stubborn that day. I really think we each hold our own, neither of us are dominant over the other person.

Who eats more sweets? Jeff eats more candy overall. I can leave the candy & go for straight for the chocolate.

Guilty pleasures? Candy

How did you meet? We met at dance club called Axis.

Who asked who out first? Jeff asked me for my number at the club. I informed him that I didn't give my number to strange men in bars, so he gave me his. I called him about 3 days later. We went out for a drink & have been together ever since.

Who proposed? Neither, we both just decided that's what we wanted to do.

Best Feature? He's very Handsome and tender hearted, especially when it comes to me and the girls. Oh, and he loves to clean! =) He's a wonderful husband and father!

Pet names? Honey

Where do I see us in 15 years? Jeff will be retired from teaching, I will still be a nurse, Savannah & Danielle will have graduated College & probably married with kids, and Clara will be a teenager. Whoa, that's crazy to think about.

What is my favorite thing about him? He is a wonderful father. . He can always make me laugh. He helps me to not take myself so seriously. I'm So lucky to have him.

Tag-Lynndi, Jen T. Mandi, Melissa, Chelsa, Shanlee

Tooth #2

2008-03-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Clara has been keeping her Mommy & Daddy very busy these past few weeks! Clara has not only turned 7 months old, now almost 8 months...she also got her second tooth. It's on the bottom front next to her 1st tooth, she is also currently getting better from an ear infection =( , and she has started being able to eat graham crackers. She loves them! (see proof above) I'm so glad her tooth has finally broken through, & her ear pain is gone. I have my happy baby back! Today is also Clara's 1st Easter. Both of the girls are out of town today. Danielle is in Vegas with her Mom & Savannah is in St. George with her friends. I am looking forward to Easter next year when I can dye eggs with Clara & she can hunt for eggs.

Sitting up!

2008-03-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

Playing with big Sis

Savannah & Clara

Clara can now officially sit up by herself. She still falls over sometimes, but she is doing very well. She loves to sit & play with her toys, especially her stacking cups! Here are some cute pictures... Savannah & Danielle were with us last weekend, and we all had a good time. I'm so glad it is finally starting to warm up, I love to take Clara for walks in her stroller. I'm so jealous, my Mom is in sunny, warm Scottsdale, AZ all week!

1st Tooth!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-27T15:06:00.000-08:00

Clara cut her 1st tooth today! It was her left lower front incisor! I tried to take a picture, but the tooth is not up far enough, but when it is, I will. =)

Adorable!

2008-02-26T20:49:00.000-08:00

Radon sucks!!!!

2008-02-26T20:41:00.001-08:00

We found out we have Radon gas in our house! I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but there has been a lot of information out lately about testing your home for Radon gas. Radon is the result of uranium breaking down in soil, and is very common in Utah. Anyone can have Radon in their house. So, we tested our house, a level 4 is considered "safe". But, even at level 2 people have shown symptoms of lung cancer and other such respiratory symptoms. Our house tested at level 6!!!! I highly recommend to everyone- Get your home tested for Radon!!!! It's worse in the basement, I'm so glad the girls all sleep upstairs! Love ya

Good News!!

2008-02-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

I had to take Clara to see Dr. Hoffman (an opthamalogist) because I thought that sometimes I was seeing her left eye turn in. I especially wanted her checked out because Savannah has had Amblyopia ("lazy eye"), my brother also has had this, and these things can be familial. Dr. Hoffman checked her out and said that everything looks normal, but he does want to see her again at 12 months to make sure that she is still not having any problems with her eyes. I am so sick of the cold & gray weather....I can't wait for Spring!!!!

6 months old!!!

2008-02-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe Clara is already 6 months old! She is growing up sooooo fast. Yesterday we had her 6 mo. picture taken, she did not want to smile. We finally did get her to, but it took 45 min. to get the pictures done. She was way more interested in playing with the props. Today, Clara had her 6 mo. well check with Dr. Good. It was the last time she will go to him though because he is going to Columbia =( She is doing wonderfully & is meeting all her milestones. She is 17lbs 11oz and 27 1/4 in. long. She also got her immunizations. That was the worst part of all.

2008-02-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

Lil' sis, Big sis...Cute!!

ahhhhhh!!!!

So Big!!

2008-02-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

I pledge allegiance...

hellllo

oooohh

lil' blue eyes

I can hardly believe Clara is going to be six months old next Monday! She is growing up sooo fast, I swear she does something new everyday. Last weekend Danielle said she thinks Clara gets bigger everytime she sees her. Clara is now eating sweet potato's, carrots, squash, green beans, sweet peas, applesauce, pears, rice cereal, & baby oatmeal. She's good eater, she loves everything I give her. She gets sooo excited when she see's food, she wants to taste everything! I'm going to be the Big 30 on Saturday! I'll be in the same decade as Jeff for 10 whole months =P I was playing dress up with Clara & got some cute pictures I wanted to share. I've also included some fun pic's with Danielle & Clara.
I love being a Mom!!!

Hospital visit!

2008-01-24T19:34:00.000-08:00

We had a crazy couple of days. Last night Savannah called Jeff at about 9:30 to tell him she was at the hospital with her mom. Savannah was having abdominal pain. At first they thought it was her appendix, but after performing surgery at about 3am Thursday, they found out she had a ruptured ovarian cyst that possibly inflamed her appendix. They removed her appendix anyway & gave her a load of antibiotic's. She is doing well & is at home now. We are very grateful she is okay!

5 Random facts about me

2008-01-23T22:30:00.000-08:00

Jess tagged me!

1. I hated Middle & High school! I sluffed a lot! In eighth grade I sluffed 45 days in during the 1st semester. I even got chicken pox on purpose so I wouldn't have to go to school. It worked, I got to stay home for 2 weeks. Eventually, to get me to go to school, my Mom would excuse me from school 1 day per month & I got to choose the day. She also started paying me for good grades, that motivated me a lot!

2. I met Jeff, the love of my life at a dance club/bar. I went for fun to dance & relax with my friends. I was in nursing school & very stressed. I never thought in a million years I would me someone like Jeff at a bar. I almost didn't go that night because I needed to study for finals, I'm sooo glad I did!

3. I Love being a mom! People told me about how much you love your kids, but until it happens you really don't understand how it just fills you up. I always used to think that I would still want to work full time even after I had kids. I was so wrong, I would love to stay home with Clara! I am pretty lucky though, that I can work full time and it's only 3 days a week instead of 5 days.

4. I am a very picky eater. I'm a lot less picky now than I was when I was little. It's more textures I'm picky about than taste. For example: I hate the texture of oranges, but I love orange juice (pulp free of course), I hate tomatoes, but am okay with tomato sauce (without chunks) and ketchup, I hate onions, I substitute onion powder in all my recipe's. And the list goes on.....

5. I love the desert & the sun. I would love the move to Arizona some day. I love it in the summer when you open the door & it feels like you opened the oven door. I love dry heat!
Lying in the warm sun is one of my most favorite things to do!

2008-01-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Clara (5 mo) teething
Clara (5 mo) after bath with mohawk
Clara (4 mo) in Jumperoo

Jan. 2008

2008-01-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

It's the new year already! We are all having so much fun with Clara. She is now 5 months old, she is growing up so fast. New this week Clara has started eating vegetables. She has been eating rice cereal for a month now. So far she has had sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash...she loves them all! Danielle is enjoying her new charter school, and is sad Christmas is over. Savannah can hardly wait to get her drivers license, and is preparing for her May dance concert. Jeff is finally back at his regular school (with mixed feelings). I am just working at Primary Children's Hospital, keeping up with my Arbonne clients, and enjoying my family. I love my days home with Clara!

Clara 4 months 12/07

2008-01-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

2008-01-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

Savannah & Clara-Halloween

Danielle & Clara (hours old)

Clara (3 mo.) & Mom Nov. 2007
Clara ( 2.5 mo) & Dad Halloween 2007

Clara 2 weeks