Spa Day

This entry has nothing to do with anything, but I just thought it was funny that I got Jon in a avacado face mask (he wanted something he could scrape off with chips), and got a picture of it! So that's all. Jon's a nerd in a green mask . . . Girly Boy!

Love him!

In Mommy's Shoes

Now that I'm going back to work, I always wonder what Jon does with Sevy while I'm away. Luckily for me, Jon like to take pictures so I can see what he does all the time. Sevy's new thing is shoes. She loves carrying them around and trying to put them on. Jon decided he would help her out with my shoes and strapped them on. Apparently she was a riot to watch trying to walk around. Oh! How I love her!

The Beloved Binky

We are proud to announce that Sevy hasn't used her beloved binky for 5 days now!!! FIVE DAYS!!! That's amazing! Her sleep schedule is bezerk, we have to lay her down completely exhausted, and she takes like an hour to go to bed now, but it's been 5 whole days! That's our girl!

(p.s. this picture is seriously from back in January or February I believe. she has just a little more hair now!)

Sleeping Sevy

My daughter sleeps like a weirdo! She either wraps herself around her beloved blanky, or is so stretched out with limbs hanging out everywhere! These two pictures are just from last night and tonight, and they just cracked me up so I thought I would share!

Comparison

So . . . Jon believes our daughter looks like this guy (Abe Sapien-for anyone who has actually seen or remembered) from Hellboy. We think the similarities are stunning, but her coloring is much better! Any thoughts?

New Cousins!

So here are the highly anticipated photos of the new babies in our family! This first one is Sarah Luella Rail who came to us back in April. I'm a little slow getting pictures put on of her, but she is a cutie and look at that smile! LOVE HER!

The next baby is little Avery McKay Dance who is the newest enstallment just born two weeks ago. She has already changed so much and is such a pleasant baby! She just sleeps and is so content! Also just too darling to handle! I just thought we would finally post the newbies!

Housesitting and Life

This isn't the most exciting blog, but I loved the pictures! We spent a week housesitting for a family in our ward, and it's always a treat! They have an awesome pool that Sevy just loves to play in! Uncle Kris came down and we had a "bar-b-que" complete with hot dogs, hamburgers, and of course, WATERMELLON! Sevy loved the watermellon and went to town on it. I think she single-handedly ate half of it!

We are currently splitting time in Amarillo and Lubbock. Jon started his internship with his family dentist and is loving it! This is always a good sign when applying for dental school! He works Monday through Wednesday and then we come back to Lubbock for my Thursday/Friday shift at Vision One. Sevy and I probably won't last long travelling back and forth, but it's been nice not to sleep alone. Jon's sis Torrie just had a new baby Avery! She is darling and so tiny! We totally left our camera in Amarillo so I'll post pictures next week. We just love her though!

Busted!

So, Sevy keeps life entertaining. Like today. The house got quiet for a bit and then I heard some giggling and clanking. I walk into the kitchen to find what? Oh yes! Sevy figured out how to open our dishwasher and climbed right in! She was having a blast with the silverwear! If our little apartment lives to see us move out, there is no way we are getting our deposit back! Life with a toddler is just one adventure after another!

Our Garden Updated and What was I thinking?!?

We really don't have much to report this week so I thought I would give ya'll an update on our little garden. Well, it's growing--kind of. My peas grew fast and then due to our Texas heat, they are swiftly dying. Jon's tomatoes took longer to grow, and so they are still small, but remarkably still alive! That's always good. Maybe in a year one or the other will yield something yummy. But, there are always Farmer's Markets if all else fails.

In other news . . . In my "What was I thinking?" segment of this blog I just wanted to let ya'll know that I started working at the eye doctor's office again. I know. What am I thinking?!? This is the same place that about killed me mentally while I was pregnant and I went back??? The truth of the matter is that I'm a sucker. The doctor called me personally and asked for help and I cannot NOT help if someone asks. It's just not in me. So, I'm working there again, but the good news is it's on my terms. I only work if Jon is home to watch Sevy, and that leads to only working like 10-15 hours a week, which I can handle. The nice thing is we get our discount again which is badly needed when we both wear contacts! It's just as insane there as when I worked before, but we'll see if I can last!

Daddy's Day!

What an exciting 2nd Daddy's Day for Jon! Okay, it really wasn't . . . but what else's new! We did celebrate by making him a new baby onesie for Sevy to wear displaying that she is "Daddy's Girl!" He also got Simpson's season 9, and sour candy (his favorite). We spent the day teaching Sunbeams and housesitting. We do plan on having spaghetti for dinner though, a special treat for Jon.


What did make this weekend fun was the fact that Sevy's cousin Nyah came to town with her parents. We had fun swimming and the girls love to play together/fight each other. Nyah is so lovey and Sevy freaks out. It's highly entertaining!


Sevy has a new favorite thing to do. Jon will throw her into the air and onto the LoveSac and she freaks out loves it! She's gotten good at climbing up it and down it and just lounge in it! It's good to know that our only furniture when we first got married is now entertainment for our child!

Swimmer Girl

We totally lucked out this summer with me getting a job at our gym! The luck is, our gym has like the best pool this town has to offer for little tykes. It's so great--they have a huge covered pool that's only 1' deep and has slides, and hoses, and things to climb, and all sorts of stuff kids love. We've taken Sevy there a few times now, and after she gets use to the noise, she loves it! She loves to walk around in the water and even enjoyed us taking her down slides. There is also an outdoor pool that Sevy likes to float around in and splash and kick around. Sevy looks dashing in her little swim suits and her awesome florescent ear plugs (thanks to those tubes), and we got her awesome bright pool shoes to match the plugs. She's totally the complete package!

Sevy also has recently turned to such a girly girl. She loves to stick anything around her wrists and swish them around. Whether it's stacking donuts, toy chain links, hair dillies, or actual bracelets, she is sure to stick them on and show them off!

She also has discovered the joys of Mommy's waterbottle and constantly looks like she has gotten stuck in a rainstorm. Oh well! She's growing up so fast and is running like crazy. She has all the bumps and bruises to prove it!

Colorado

So right after Sevy and I got back from Idaho/Utah, we were off to Colorado with Jon's family. It had snowed like 10 inches the week we got up there so it was a huge difference from the summer heat we had been experiencing. Luckily for us, it did heat up in the day so we didn't freeze.

It turned out to be quite a momentous weekend for Sevy. She was able to fish for the first time--and as it turns out, Jon is quite the fisherman. It's a shame neither of us like fish because we really could have been well-fed after he got done. Unfortunetely, after Jon caught his first fish, Sevy ran over to see it and her being such a pro walker, she face planted it right in front of all the boys. They all just stared at her with her face in the mud. (I did add a picture of that in this blog--it's quite awesome!) Poor Sev!

Sevy also got to ride a horse for the first time. That was so fun! Grammy, Bridget and Nyah, Zane, myself and Sevy took off for an hour trip, and it was probably a good thing it wasn't any longer. Sevy freaked out at the beginning, and then knocked out. I couldn't believe that girl could sleep through a rocky trail and trotting, but she did. By the time she woke up, we were basically done with the ride and she actually began to enjoy herself. They stuck us on the biggest horse they had. It's name was "Biggin'" and we were lucky he was nice because it would have been quite the fall off of him!

We went into this tiny town called Creed that is trying to become the next Sundance or Jackson Hole, (but it's not quite making it yet). The town is rad in that it is an old mining town. If you go up into the canyon, you can see a lot of the old mine shafts and the craziest buildings that you would not believe are still standing. They are from the late 1800's and it shows. It's a gorgeous drive and one of those that you ache to have a Jeep for. But Jon and I ache to have a Jeep for anything! The town is your typical "main street only" town, but they did have some cool shops and we did find the coolest sign on a store that I have ever seen. We've also included that on this blog for your enjoyment! I did find an awesome art gallery that is run by a husband and wife. He makes the jewelry and she does the artwork. I bought--what I consider to be--a rad ring from them because I'm utterly obsessed with handmade rings when the maker is right there.

The trip was awesome and badly needed for Jon who had just taken the DAT (he did great by the way!) We got our fill of mountains, waterfall, lakes, rivers, scenery, and basic beauty that will hopefully keep us happy for a few months. Then we'll have to plan another trip somewhere to get some good views again! Lubbock is a great place to live, but it really does lack in any sort of beauty.

Our Latest Adventures

Sevryn and I took our first "Girl's Only" trip and it was quite the adventure. We started off in SLC with my sister Candice and met new cousin Sarah, took walks downtown, and Sevy even climbed the temple steps to the door and thought that was pretty neat! The weather was gorgeous and it was great to be in the sun.

For Mother's Day weekend, Brandi, Candi, Elayna and I traveled up to Rexburg to spend the weekend with Mom! Jaclyn already lives up there so it was so fun to have all of us girls up there and Dad even surprised us all with flowers at lunch! So cute! It was our first official Mother's Day that all of us were actually Mom's!

We took advantage of our time in Rexburg taking bike rides and going to gymnastics with Lleida. We were able to see our friends Kyle and Jessica, and Jenni and Payton--Sevy's betrothed. He is just too cute. They had so much fun playing together. Mom, Jac, Lleida and us went up to Jackson Hole for a day and did a nice girl's day shopping trip. The trip proved to be successful with Mom finding way cute capri's, Jaclyn finding a great ring, and me finding my flip flops! We were all stoked! Jackson is one of my favorite places! It's just so beautiful up there and the town is great and just so fun to walk around.

We eventually made our way back to Utah for the primary reason for our trip. Rachel Wiscombe's marriage to Travis Porter. It was so fun to see Rachel and Charla and Jade. The wedding was just fantastic and Rachel looked amazing in the raddest dress! Sevy came along for the wedding and had fun playing with Rachel's sis Katie. She had fun running around the temple grounds (we were at the Bountiful temple) and trying to play in the water. Kristen came to join us for the reception and of course Sevy took a liking to her! Sevy loved Charla and Jade so much too. So fun!

We spent our last few day's hanging out at Brandi's and catching up with friends and family. It was so nice and relaxed and just great to see friends like Skye who we hadn't seen forever! We even managed to go to the coolest art show in Salt Lake of this old house that they are going to tear down so they let all these artists come in and go crazy. It was so stinkin' cool! We really had a great trip, but it was good to come home and see Jon again. He was lonely by himself--and we missed him way too much!

A Bubble Baby and a Garden

So, without a doubt, Jon and I lead the most exciting lives! Insomuch that we get our kicks by dressing our baby girl up in bubbles and setting her loose in the house. Her walking has improved so much this week that it's now basically all she does, and so she loves her new found freedom to roam! She now also loves bubbles, and the two things together were a laugh riot!

For F.H.E. tonight, Jon and I decided we were going to plant our garden. This is tricky business living in an upstair apartment, so we made due with what we could. We are hoping in a few months we will have tomatoes and peas. We figured those our two things we could grow in our limited space, and the two things that we love to munch on (well, Jon likes tomatoes and I like peas!). We split it half and half and will let you know in a couple of months if it worked out or if the birds who live outside our apartment got to them first. At least we know we can save them from the weather if we need too. That's a bonus! We also have no idea what we are doing, so it is a great experiment!

Chuck E. Cheese and the Easter Bunny

Last weekend we went up to Amarillo for Easter. Friday night we took the kiddo's to Chuck E. Cheeses and it was so fun. We didn't have to pay to get in and all the rides and games were a quarter. I think the adults had as much if not more fun than the kids! (This fact was proven when Uncle Brent won like 600 of the 700 tickets we won for the kids!)
Sunday the Easter Bunny came and the kids had fun finding all the "hidden" eggs. We had to do the hunt indoors because it was FREEZING that day, but they had fun anyway! Sevy did pretty good picking up and stickin' eggs in her basket, and Nyah did a good job taking Sevy's basket away! Oh well! Sevy didn't know what was going on anyway, and just liked to shake her cheerio filled eggs!

JON THE ULTIMATE HERO

Jon is the Hero of the year! (at least in our little family). We all know that Sevy LOVES her binky. It's the cutest curse ever, and I'm pretty sure she got it from me, but whatever. So, a while back she was due for some new binky's. We found these super cute Mam Air things which were clear and pink, and so we bought them. Instant success with Sevy. A few weeks later we some some more in a different color and figured we would get them too, as back ups. You can never have too much of a good thing, right? Well, Sevy didn't care for these new ones.

After some time, Sevy wouldn't take anything but these two binky's and sadly one day we lost one. More time passed and we protected this last binky like gold, but it was high time it got chucked, so we tried other binky's. Sevy wouldn't have it. We searched every Walmart, and Target in our town (there's a surprising lot) we couldn't find any Mam Air's anywhere. We then went online to look. There were nowhere to be found, until we noticed a bid for them on ebay. After a bid war, we won the binky's and they were sent a few days later. Our prayers were answered. Except, these binky's weren't exactly the same. Oh, they looked the same, but Sevy wouldn't have it. After closer examination we noticed the nipple size were completely different. More internet research and we learned Sevy's beloved binky's were called Mam Maxi Air. They are for ages 16-36 months and NOT sold in the U.S. I emailed the company and got a response from their U.S. branch insisting that our binky's were not mispackaged like we believe and just swollen because they do not sell those type of binky's in the U.S. I called and ended up talking to the same lady that emailed me and she once again insisted that their was no way our binky was the bigger binky sold in Europe, and there was no way I could get those exact binky's. (Unless I was desperate enough to pay for international shipping and guessing at a mysterious foreign language to purchase the things.)

Well, we became desperate. We have now tried every different binky in every size imaginable and to no avail. I've tried to wean her but she screams bloody murder for HOURS if she doesn't have her binky to go to sleep. Her one lasting binky was disgusting and I had turned the house upside down trying to locate the lost one. This is where Jon the hero comes in. Yesterday after one last search at a couple of Walgreen's and a Walmart, I bought one last package of binky's we had yet to try, and declared myself done. I had given up. That night Jon and Sevy were playing catch (my daughter is a genius) when the ball rolled under the bed. Jon went to grab it and had the thought to look through some of the boxes we have stashed under there, when lo and behold HE FOUND THE MISSING BINKY! We were both ridiculously elated. We just pray we can now slowly wean her before this last binky is shot, otherwise, we are doomed again in a month or two.

Sevy's Official Birthday Party!

So, Sunday we had the official birthday party for Sevryn. Jon's family came down and we had dinner, and presents, and cake, and the works. I tried my skill at cake decorating and it was quite interesting, but for a first birthday, it worked! We made Sevy her own little cake to attack and we really thought she would go crazy, but instead she just stared at it. Her cousin Nyah attacked it for her and then shared with Sevy, even feeding her! It was so cute! The cousins had a fun time playing outside and sharing toys and pushing everything they could!

Sevy and the Rocket

So it's official! Our baby girl is ONE!!! I can't believe it! The year has just flown by! For her birthday we threw her a little birthday party before she gets a real party this weekend. Okay, so it wasn't so much a party as it was Jon and I dressing her up in her new Easter dress (that I made!) and taking pictures of her dolled up outside. Then she opened up the gifts we had here for her. She loved her "big girl seat" that Gran and Pappa got her and one of these days we'll get it in our car for her! She also got a dolly and a movie. But the real treat of the evening was when she got her super cool Radio Flyer Retro Rocket! Man, this was a real winner for Sevy. It has flashing lights and makes noises and Sevy could have cared less about anything in that room except that rocket! She hasn't figured out how to climb onto it properly, but she has managed to climb on surfer-girl style. Yes, my daughter is already a practicing stunt woman! We are just so proud!

Diaper Wrestling

There's nothing Sevy loves more than to play with kids her own size, especially if that kid is a cousin! For Spring break we went up to Amarillo for the weekend, and while

we were there, Sevy got a lot of cousin time. We stuck Nyah and Sevy in a room ontop an awesomely styrophone mattress in their diapers, and they went crazy! They rolled around and attacked each other and all the stuff animals in the room and just had a blast. And in their diapers, they couldn't be any cuter!

The Science Spectrum!

After two years of living here in Lubbock, we have finally found a place that is way too fun for words! You would have thought we would have discovered this earlier, but we are a little slow. It took Sevy's cousin Nyah coming into town for us to finally go to the Science Spectrum! This place is awesome!!! The kids had a good time, but us "grown-ups" had a BLAST! The place is huge and is just full of fun science experiments, and a lot of hands on things, and it even has a descent aquarium section, and then they had a reptile show. That reminded me of the Bean Museum back in Provo. They brought the snakes around for everyone to touch, and we let Sevy pet the first one, and she suddenly did this cat-like death grip on this poor snake and I thought

the thing was going to attack the presentor, and Sevy thought it was hilarious! We were a little more careful with her touching the rest of the reptiles they brought around.

The rest of the weekend was fun too. Sevy loves playing with kids and it helps to have a kiddo her same size around to play with. Nyah loves to give loves and kisses, and poor Sevy has a hard time defending herself! But they had a lot of fun!