Mistakes

1. I forgot to mention with all the birthday celebration & Thanksgiving and stuff: My Dad & his girlfriend, Jackie, were here to celebrate Sariah's birthday. It was awesome that they came and had lunch & cake with us. We really enjoyed seeing them. I didn't get any pictures, but I do have video, if only I could get it off my camera (grr.)

2. Note for next Thanksgiving: start thawing the turkey in the fridge before Tuesday afternoon. It was still frozen on Thursday! It worked out for the best though, I had food poisoning on Wed. and didn't feel like turkey Thurs. so we cooked it Saturday, and it was yummy!

3. Never, EVER leave straight pins on the floor, especially in an open box, in the path to where you lay your cell phone. Ouch, ouch ooweeeeeee! My poor, poor foot...

4. I'm sewing a dress (for my anniversary!), its the first time ever. I think it looks pretty good:

I just need to sew the zipper on and I'm done. The problem? It doesn't fit. Its too small in the waist. sigh.....

...I'd buy you a Green Dress...

...but not a real green dress, that's cruel!

Here's a belated birthday present from Lisa! Its "not a real" green dress! Its perfect! It makes Sariah look like "a million dollars!"

Thankful...

Susan asked for this, and I was planning on doing it sooner, but its been so busy with Sariah turning one, and then today I got food poisoning (I think, either way it was really bad today...) But in the spirit of the season, here are a few things I'm thankful for.

1a & 1b: Doug & Sariah

I was going to make this two seperate numbers, but I can't distinguish the love I have for both of these people. The difference is that I got to choose Doug (and he in turn chose me) where Sariah was a beautiful gift from Heavenly Father. Doug is really the best husband ever. Here is a man who loves me, cares for me and would do almost anything for me. Take today for example: I feel like I'm about to die, and he comes home from work, finds me medicine to make me better, gives me a blessing and then whisks Sariah away so I can sleep. He's responsible too. He's a great father. He's a priesthood holder. He tries to do his callings at church the best he knows how. I could go on and on... I love him so much.

Sariah is really a great daughter. She's so many things already that I never suspected she could be. My favorite quality about her? She's a people person. She warms up to new people quick. I'm so thankful to be her mommy! She grows up and gets smarter everyday.

2 The Gosple

Where would I be without the gospel of Jesus Christ? I don't even want to know. I'm so thankful for my testimony. I know we have a loving Heavenly Father that wants us to return to him and He shows us the way through Jesus Christ. My testimony is a part of me and can't be seperated out. Its why I served a mission, and I know because of the things I've done in the Church, I've received more blessings. Especially the biggest blessing, my Celestial Marriage to Doug!

3a & 3b My Family & Friends

Here's another grouping that can't be seperated out. I love my family. We've had our ups & downs, but the older we get, the less petty we become and the closer we are. That's a huge blessing for me. I'm also blessed with incredible in-laws. Doug's family is awesome. Seriously, I can't tell you how lucky I am. And my brothers have picked really great spouses.

My Friends have always been there for me. I've got great friends in Texas, and I miss them all the time. We've had some really fun times. We've all gotten married and had kids, but its a great blessing to know we're all still here for eachother, even when some of us have moved away.

4 Doug's Job

Where would we be without Epic? I can wager a guess. Probably still in Provo, Doug would still be in school, we'd still be living in an apartment. We wouldn't have Sariah because I'd be working everyday. Doug's job allows me to be a stay at home mom. Doug's job pays him well so we can have our beautiful house. Doug's job gives us great benefits so we could have a baby and not worry about how to pay for labor & delivery. There are so many other great benefits to Doug's job, like the free trips out of the country every 5 years. Plus, Doug loves his job. It challenges him, and he's already got some seniority in his group. People depend on Doug at work. Sure we live in Wisconsin, but we like it (its still not Texas). Doug plans on working for Epic for a long, long time & I'm fine with that!

5 Technology

This includes our computer, the internet, our cell phones... How blessed are we that we live in a time where we can easily communicate with people in different cities, states & countries? I love sharing our lives with you & enjoy reading about yours. I can read blogs about my Sisters-in law, my friends and my cousin who's on a mission in Mexico! I can email people I knew on my mission. I can instant message my brother in Georgia or when he's deployed to the middle east. I can talk to my mom on the phone almost everyday. I can read up on the news or my favorite tv shows. Or Sariah can watch the Wiggles on our tv while I work out. I can microwave food or use my oven. My fridge keeps things cold! I know there's a bad side to all of this too, but I'm thankful for all the good uses.

6 Creativity

This includes music, art, books, my sewing machine, other projects I like to do, like planting bulbs in my flower beds. I don't want to live in a world where I (or others) can't be creative. I can't live without music, wether it be on my radio in the car, or when I (seldomly) play my piano. I love reading things others have written. I love teaching Sariah about all of these things. I can't wait until we can play pretend together. This world is vivid with diverese cultures, sights & sounds, and I want to soak it all in!

So there's just a few important things I'm thankful for. I love this time of the year (and not just for the food...) Thanks Susan for letting me think about all the things I'm thankful for!

First Year Portraits!

These are the 3 best. Aren't they cute? I'm proud of her because it's been a busy/stressful day with going to the doctor & getting her shots, but she had a lot of fun a the portrait studio! I can't believe my little girl is one!

One Year Stats

Height: 28" (20%)
Weight: 17lbs 8.5oz (5%)

I called it, at one year, she hasn't even doubled her birth weight! She has gained weight, but her percentile dropped from 12 to 5 (which isn't a big deal.) Dr. Lo said that if we were worried we could come in again in 6 weeks, but since she is gaining weight, I'm not too worried. :) She's just a little jelly bean. He did say that she's actually pretty advanced for her age in all other ways.

She got 4 shots today, which she wasn't so happy about, but she did okay. We gave her some tylanol when we got home and she's taking a nap now.

A Party Fit For A Monkey Girl...

Banana Birthday Sign? Check!

Cute Yellow & Pink Monkey/Jungle Decorations?

Check!

Cute Monkey Head Smash Cake, Just for Sariah?

Check!

Banana Cake with Monkey Decoration for Everyone Else?

Check!

Tons of Presents! (Thank You Everybody!)

Check!



"Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday, Dear Sariah! Happy Birthday to You!"mmm.... monkey brains!
Hey! I'm a mess!That's Better! "Thanks for the Great Birthday Everybody!"
(To see all 106(!) pictures of Sariah's birthday: http://community.webshots.com/album/561470482XhzcLs?vhost=community)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARIAH!!!!!

I can't believe my baby is one today! What a wonderful first year! I'll fill you in on our party later, but until then, enjoy this slideshow of monthly Sariah pictures...


Sariah’s Monthly Pictures


HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONKEY GIRL!!

Proof!

She figured it out yesterday and has been walking all over now! She's still a little wobbly, but doing better. Check out her new soft soled shoes, they help too!


(p.s. I have some great video, but since our laptop has bit the dust and Sony STILL doesn't have compatable software for Vista, I'm not sure if I'll be able to post it or not... :( )

You're Invited!

Here is your virtual invite for Sariah's First Birhtday Party next Saturday! I know you won't be able to attend, but we still want to share her special day with you. I can't believe she's almost one!

Using The Creative Part of Her Brain

We have a Family Journal. We started it a couple of months ago. Basically every week at Family Home Evening, Doug and I write a little bit on what has happened the previous week. Work things, events we attended, stuff going on at home, what's new with Sariah, etc. Then Sariah get her opportunity to contribute. Usually that means us giving her a crayon and her sticking it in her mouth, but after weeks and weeks of trial and error, ta da! Yup, she drew this all by herself, isn't she smart? Oh sure, I doubt she had any real clue what she was doing, but she enjoyed it.

In other Sariah news... she's *this close* to walking. She's getting good with short distances, but on longer juts, she gets too excited and trips over her tippy toes. I did manage to catch this picture.
Its pretty hard to get her on video or in a picture walking because she gets really excited to see what's behind that screen. (Yup, she's attune to the digital world, already!) But hopefully I'll get a video soon, maybe when Doug's around to distract her.