San Diego Christmas

We spent Christmas with my family in San Diego this year. It was a little chilly (50's) but still pretty. Sadly, we were a few Seattle members short but for very good reason. My brother got a promotion and was not able to take vacation. My grandpa fell on some ice near the docks and broke his ankle. We were just happy it wasn't much worse. He has to have surgery Friday for it. However, because of his injury my aunt and uncle needed to stay with him and help him get around. We missed them all terribly, but life happens. I'm just glad that everyone was ok. 

Jared, Kaitlyn and me flew out to San Diego Christmas Eve. We had a wonderful dinner at my cousin, Shannon's house. It was a lot of fun and great to see everyone. Kaitlyn had a blast with all the attention and playing with their cats and dogs. She got all excited and would try to hug or pet them when she saw them. 

For Christmas we went to my aunt Kitty's house and had another wonderful dinner. Everyone played Wii tennis and bowling. We had great conversations and had fun making Kaitlyn laugh. 

We also got an opportunity to get together with some friends of mine who had not met Kaitlyn yet while we were out there. It was so good to see so many of our friends, I've really missed them, but it was so nice to come home. 

We came back on my birthday and just relaxed. Our flight was late but we were able to get home and get settled for a bit. Jared was so sweet and took me out to PF Changs for dinner. He hates chinese food but knows I love it. He also got me Phantom of the Opera tickets for when it comes to town. The girls gave me the first season for "The Tudors" an HBO series that I love. If you haven't seen it, you should!! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I just wanted to take a few minutes and wish all of you and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

We will be quite busy this year. We are leaving on the 24th to head to San Diego and visit my family, then we get back on my birthday and Lydia flies out the next day. Jared's parents are coming out on the first. We can't wait to see everyone. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday full of love and happiness! And yes, I do realize how cheesy that sounds and I don't care :) 

Snow Angels

As most of you may know, snow angels are pretty big in my family. Well we had our first big snow this week so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring Kaitlyn out and show her how to make her first snow angels. Thought I would share a few pictures. 

  

Kaitlyn is 5 months old.

It seems like I just finished her 4 month update, but here we are again. Kaitlyn is now 27 inches long and 16 pounds. She just keeps getting bigger. She still loves attention.  

More updates:

1. She loves to blow raspberries. This has to be my favorite thing this month... except when she does while I'm trying to feed her. 
2. She is eating rice cereal. It took a little bit to catch on to but now she loves it.
3. She is rolling from her back to her stomach all the time now then gets mad because she can't turn back over. She gets so close but the gives up and cries. We're hoping she'll learn this soon so that when she rolls over in the middle of the night she will be able to roll herself back instead of getting frustrated. 
4. If you hold her hands while she's standing, she will start to walk. She is still very wobbly but she definitely does it. 
5. When doing tummy time there have been times that she has started falling asleep on her tummy. 
6. She is wearing 6 month clothing already and has for the last few weeks. 
7. Her hair is starting to grow more too and it is definitely blond.
8. When she cries now it is big crocodile tears.
9. When she sleeps she likes to cover her face with her blanket, even if that means pulling it completely off of her feet and legs. 
10. She loves to chew on her books. 
11. She has become VERY curious. If she hears a noise she has to find out what it is and won't stop looking until she figures it out. 

She is still sweet as can be. Here are the teddy bear pictures so you can see how she's grown. 

That's it until next month :)

Thanksgiving Weekend

This weekend we had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. Lydia came out and stayed for the weekend. She came out on Thursday. We had a nice Thanksgiving. The girls played.  We had turkey, gravy, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls and of course my special garlic mashed potatoes (requirement). 

On Friday Lydia played with her friend, Jenna and had her stay over. The 2 always have so much fun together. We set up the tree and prepped everything for decorating. Saturday we went and got Santa pictures. Then came home and decorated. Lydia helped me set up our village too.  Sadly, I caught a cold and it hit hard on Saturday. So we took it easy on Sunday. 

Lydia had to leave on Sunday morning. As always, it was so sad to see Lydia go home. We miss her so much when she's gone. Here are a few pictures of the weekend

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. We are having a low key holiday. Lydia comes out tomorrow and she will stay for the weekend. We can't wait to see her. It has been too long! We have her pictures up on the refrigerator and I was walking by it today with Kaitlyn and she was reaching out for the pictures. I think she misses her big sister. 

I also wanted to say what I am thankful for this year. It has been an eventful year to say the least. So here are a few things:

1. My husband. He is truly wonderful and loves me for me, no matter how silly or crazy I might be.
2. My girls. I am so fortunate to have 2 wonderful girls in my life. There is nothing better then seeing Kaitlyn smile or seeing Lydia grow into such an amazing girl.
3. My unexpected opportunity that is forcing me to step out of my comfort zone and look at other industries to use my skills in training. (As long as I can find something sooner rather then later.)
4. Our beautiful home. Little did we know when we bought it that we would need something this size, guess it's not too big after all.
5. My wonderful family who are spread out between IL, CA, WA and AK. I know no matter what happens in life, they will always be there.
6. I was so fortunate to marry into such a sweet family with the English's. Just like everyone else in the world, I had heard of the horror stories of in-laws. Honestly, I never felt more welcome from the very first day. I could not have asked for anyone better.
7. My friends. So many of which I have known since middle or high school. Even those I have only known a year. I am so lucky to have them.

I love you all! 

I think that covers it for now. I'll post pictures of our Thanksgiving holiday next week. Until then have a wonderful holiday!

Bring on the Holy War!!!

The Holy War is this weekend. That's right, BYU vs Utah. I have great confidence that the Utes will be hunting down some cougars this weekend. To get into the spirit of the game, I have decided to post a story my brother sent to me this week.

Bronco Mendenhall, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around when they came to a modest little house with a faded Cougars flag in the window.

"This house is yours for eternity," said God. "This is very special, not everyone gets a house up here."

The coach felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. On his way up the porch, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a 3-story mansion that had a 50 foot tall flagpole with an enormous UTES flag, and in every window was the UTE logo.

The coach looked at God and said, "God, I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I was a good coach. I went to bowl games, sent a bunch of my players on to the pros, and I turned around the entire BYU football program."

God said, "So, what's your question?"

"Well," said the coach, "Why does Kyle Whittingham get a better house than me?"

God responded, "Oh that's not Whittingham's house, that's mine".

GO UTES!!!

Trip to Seattle

Last weekend Kaitlyn and I had the opportunity to go up to Seattle and visit some of my family. My Grandpa had never met her before and my brother, Sean, hasn't seen her since she was born. So it was a lot of fun. She had a very eventful weekend! We stayed with my aunt Terri and Uncle Lee. My Aunt Kitty was also up there for work and decided to stay the weekend. So it was a big slumber party. Kaitlyn and I got in on Thursday afternoon. Terri and I took Kaitlyn on her first trip to Fred Meyer's. Unfortunately, she slept most of the time and it was a very quick trip. When Kitty got off work, her Terri and I took Kaitlyn out to her first dinner at Taco Time. We posed her pretending to eat a burrito, but then she really did try to take a bite. I barely got it away from her in time. I think she's a Taco Time fan. Sean came over after work on that night. As always, it was great to see him, even if he was really there to see Kaitlyn (I can't blame him, she's pretty cute).

The next day Terri and I went to Ivar's for lunch so we could show Kaitlyn where the best Clam chowder ever is. Then we walked up the waterfront and on to Pike's Place Market where we showed Kaitlyn how they throw the fish and the wonderful flowers and my personal favorite, the fruit. It's always so juicy. We even picked up a few pears. When Kitty got off work we picked her up and went straight to the largest Fred Meyers in Seattle for a proper shopping trip of the whole store. We made a stop at Starbucks for a treat while we waited for Grandpa to get off work. Once again we posed Kaitlyn with a Starbucks cup and it is a good thing it was empty because sure enough she tried to eat that too. We had dinner on Grandpa's sailboat (another first, she's never been on a boat before). Grandpa was very taken with her, even when she spit up on him. It was a great day. 

Saturday was another funfilled day. Terri, Lee, Kitty, Kaitlyn and I went to the newly renovated Southcenter Mall. Kaitlyn got her fill of shopping on this trip. We bought Frangos too, we let her smell them, but she'll have to wait to try them until she's older. Then we went and met my grandpa at his hanger to take a ride on his new toy, a 1930's Stinson plane. He loves it and has taken it to many airshows this year. Planes have always been a big part of my family so it was very special for all of us that Grandpa got to take Kaitlyn and me up in it for a short ride. That night grandpa and Sean came over for a spaghetti dinner with fresh spaghetti we bought at Pike's. It was so much fun to have every one together and of course Kaitlyn loved the attention. 

Sunday we relaxed until it was time to head home. It was too bad Jared couldn't be there since it is his favorite city. We missed him. He'll definitely have to come on the next trip. This trip truly makes Kaitlyn a jet setter. At 4 months old she has been on 4 plane ride and been in 5 states. 

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Kaitlyn's 4 months old

Kaitlyn's 4 month birthday was yesterday. She had hit even more milestones this month. She is growing like crazy. She had her 4 month doctor's appointment today. They said she is 14 pounds and 11 ounces. She is 26 inches long now. They have said she is in the 72 percentile. Here are a few more things that she has started to do this month.

1. My personal favorite she has started laughing. Jared makes her laugh the most. It is too cute. 
2. She started rolling over on her own. 
3. She can sit up on the couch for long periods of time as long as she is propped against the back.
4. She still tries to sit up but can't quite do it yet. HOWEVER, what she is doing is while holding Mom or Dad's fingers she pulls herself up to a sitting position and then to a standing position. She is very proud of herself and smiles whenever she does it. She looks around to see who's watching and then smiles and them. She does this at every opportunity.
5. Because she holds her head up so well. She is now able to play in a saucer, which she absolutely LOVES!!!! 
6. She also plays in a johnny jumper at daycare. For those who don't know what this is, it is like a seat attached to a bungy cord and hooks onto the top of a door sill allowing her to jump up and down.
7. She has discovered her feet and loves to hold them. Any time she is on her back she is typically holding her feet or knees.

That's pretty much it. I'm attaching her monthly bear pictures and one with her in her saucer.

1 Month:

2 month:

3 month:

4 months:

Her favorite toy:

Happy Halloween!!

Yesterday was Kaitlyn's first Halloween. She had a lot of fun. It was quite eventful. We had a Halloween kids parade at work. So we brought her in for the tour. Of course she was a huge hit. It was a little warm in the office so she was pretty hot in her little costume. She was so good though. She toured the first 2 floors but fell asleep for the last floor. 

She was happier in the evening when it cooled down. She even had a friend over. Our friend Kaysie had a daughter a few months before me. They were too cute. They pulled on each other's costume and even tried to hold hands. They looked like a couple of Marshmallow Peeps. We get the 2 girls together on occasion. Last night we just sat out on the porch since it was about 60 degrees and handed out candy. We had a ton of kids come by this year. Kaitlyn decided she liked candy too and kept trying to grab it. We had to remind her she was still too young and had to stick to her carrot rattle. 

After Kaysie and Hayden left we went over to a neighbors house where all the neighbor parents got together while the kids finished trick or treating.  We had fun spending time with friends.

Unfortunately, Lydia was not able to be with us for Halloween. She was Arwen from Lord of the Rings. We missed her. 

 Here are a few pictures of everything:

Hope everyone had a wonderful halloween!!!

How to Dress a Baby

For some reason Erin did not like the outfit I picked out for Kaitlyn last weekend.  Here I thought I was being a good husband and Dad by getting the baby dressed for the day.  Kate would be warm and comfortable on a slightly chilly day.

I got Kaitlyn dressed and took her downstairs for her morning bottle (she had been patiently waiting for it) and Erin actually denied her baby food in favor of what she calls the "Cute Factor".  I thought the outfit was cute.  What do you think?

I would like to point out the details of this one of a kind combination.  The green, long sleeved shirt (from Wicked).  Pink and brown striped pants.  And last but not least...Broncos socks! (Notice that they are pull up over the pants.)

Guys take note...I have not been allowed to dress Kaitlyn since this point.  If you want to get out of dressing the baby, follow my lead.  It works!

Ahhhhhh.... relaxing time?

After six weekends straight of fun filled excitement with family, we are excited to spend a weekend on our own. Sadly, we have a ton of projects to do before the snow gets here (which could be any day) finishing the stain on the fence, cleaning the garage, pulling the last of the weeds, trimming the rose bushes, completing the last mow of the lawn until spring. We're going to be a little busy

We were really excited to sleep in before starting all of these fabulous projects, but unfortunately, Kaitlyn had other plans like waking up at 5:30am... so much for sleeping in. Maybe tomorrow. 

We're Famous!

Apparently we were on TV during the Utah vs. Air Force football game last month.  My brother Scott DVR'd the game and found these shots of us at the game.

San Diego trip

I'm a bit behind. We've been pretty busy recently. 2 weekends ago we went San Diego. Jared had a trip to San Diego for work and I had a trip to LA so we coordinated it so we could spend the weekend out there. I flew out Friday night with Kaitlyn so she could meet my aunt Kitty and cousin Shannon. It was great to see them.  Kaitlyn captivated everyone as usual. :) I'm still getting pictures together from this trip with the family so those will be posted soon.

We also took the opportunity to go to the Miramar Airshow. It is one thing that Jared has missed since we moved away. Kitty came with us too. It was Kaitlyn's first air show. It was so much fun but I don't know if Kaitlyn had as much fun as we did. The planes were a little loud and scared her. Jared loved every bit though. Enjoy a few pictures from the show.  

Kate's First Bronco's Game

That's right, her first NFL game is a Bronco's game

Kaitlyn's First Winter Coat

So I think that Erin is obsessed with fluffy bunnys. Proof of that is
this photo of Kaitlyn's first winter coat.

Kaitlyn is 3 months old

Kaitlyn is now 3 months old. She is cute as ever and smiles a ton! Her smiles make my whole day better. She is now 25 inches and 14 Lbs. Here are a few of the things she is doing these days.

1. She likes to make you think she's snuggling and wipes her drool and boogers on your shirt so you end up with a soaked shoulder sprinkled with little boogers.
   
2. She is fascinated with her fingers. She has learned that she can put her fingers really far in her mouth and make herself gag and even throw up. We are hoping she learns this is not a good thing. 
3. She also hold very long conversations with her hands
4. She adores her big sister, Lydia. Although this is nothing new. Lydia can get Kaitlyn to smile so easily! 
5. If Lydia is a drama queen then this one is a drama princess. 
6. She has learned how to turn herself completely around in her crib at night
7. She's like her mom and requires a TON of attention. If you are not paying attention to her, she will let you know
8. She likes to sit on the couch by herself and watch everyone. She is trying really hard to sit up so I don't think it will be long before that happens. 
9. She pulls my hair, clothes, necklaces and anything else she can get her hands on
10. She partially giggles, but it's more like squeals.
11. She babbles ALOT. Especially when the president is on. She likes to talk over him. I think she feels that what she has to say is more important...I have a tendency to agree.
12. She loves our daycare lady. She even has several friends there. She's very popular. There is a boy there who is a week older then her and if he hears her crying he will start to cry until she calms down. It's like he's worried that something is wrong with her. She also has a second grade friend, Annessa, who is there before and after school and never leaves her side whenever possible. She has a 3 year old friend named Maddie who yells everytime she sees us coming downstairs to drop her off. "IT'S KAAAAITLYYYYYYYNN" it is so cute and she tries to tickle Kaitlyn too and says "cooochie coooochie" every time. It is adorable. The other boys don't really care yet, they are in their own little world. 
13. If she's hungry and you take her bottle away for a second even if it is to change positions or burp her, she screams and whines.

Overall, she is a very happy baby and sweet as can be. Below are the monthly bear pictures:

3 Months  

2 Months

1 Month

Fall Colors

Today we went up to Georgetown and Silver Plume. We were going to take the Georgetown loop to see the fall colors. Unfortunately, they were sold out, so we ended up at the Aspen festival...sadly, that wasn't all that fun either. At least we still got to see some of the beautiful leaves.  

Lydia's visit

This weekend Lydia came to visit. As always, it was so much fun to have her here.  Friday Lydia and her dad had a daddy/daughter date. I went to work, Kaitlyn was at daycare and they hopped on the motorcycle and went to Dave and Busters to play....I think they got the better deal. :) I am just glad they had so much fun. 

When they got back and Kaitlyn and I were home, Lydia's friend, Jenna came over to play and spent the night. The girls had a blast. They played games including twister. I even joined in for one game with Lydia. It was quite obvious I was out of practice. I guess 12 years will do that to a person. Lydia beat me hands down. I had the girls go to bed where they talked and giggled for at least an hour in the dark. We found out the next morning that they had tried a new art of coloring in the dark...It was quite interesting. 

Lydia has a special gift of making Kaitlyn smile. Kaitlyn absolutely adores her big sister. The 2 girls are so cute together. 

 

We can't wait for her to visit again. 

Asleep at the Dinner Table

Kaitlyn recently decided that she didn't want to be left out of dinner conversation every night, so we put her in her high chair and let her sit with us.  Apparently the conversation was a little dull last night.

Utah vs. Air Force

This weekend Jared's brother Scott, his brother in-law Dan and his uncle Richard came out to join us for the Utah vs Air Force game. It was great having them out. Kaitlyn went to her first football game. We had fun at the game. Kaitlyn didn't like the crowd cheering so loud at first but warmed up to it in the second half. Well she slept through the 3rd quarter, but 4th quarter she was fine with it :) It's just too bad Jared was sick all weekend.

2 Week Old Pictures

I was cleaning the other day when I stumbled upon some old pictures of Lydia when she was a baby.  So I thought I would post a picture of each of the girls from when they were only two weeks old.  With the exception of the hair, I think they could pass for sisters.

Lydia - 2 weeks old

Kaitlyn - 2 weeks old

Kaitlyn's True Colors

After watching the Broncos walk all over the Raiders last week in their 41-14 victory, Kaitlyn has realized that she shouldn't have ever considered the Raiders as her team.

To make up for this mistake, she has decided to wear the colors of her real team this week.

GO BRONCOS!!!

2 Months old

Kaitlyn turned 2 months old on Tuesday. She had her doctor's appointment today which meant the first round of immunizations including 6 shots. OUCH! She was not a happy camper. I brought the camera to catch her crying at the doctors office, but she was so mad all I wanted to do was hold her and make it better. So Jared got one of her when we got home. Her poor little legs!

2 month old stats:

• 75 percentile
  
• 11.12 Lbs
  
• 23.25 inches in height
• Eating 5-6 oz per feeding
• Very healthy
• Smiling more and more everyday.
• She is cooing. She takes her conversation very seriously. Her facial expressions say it all.
  
• Still getting up once a night.
• Holding her head up more
• Likes to stand while burping (not on her own yet, but she tries)
• Fuzzy blond hair is growing and starting to cover her bald spots.

As a reference, we took pictures of her with the same bear one her one and two month B'days. see how much she's grown:

1 month:                                              2 months:

     

FIrst Day of Daycare

Today was my first day back to work. Which also means that it was Kaitlyn's first day of daycare. I think it was a hard day for both of us. She was fussy for the daycare lady. When I picked her up, she was fussy for a few hours. Then went back to her normal self. I think she was mad at me for leaving her. I know it will get easier for her (and me) when she knows I'm not leaving her there for good just for a few hours a day. Jared came with us to the daycare and bought me coffee on the way into work. He's so good to me.