Friday, July 25, 2008

Digital Scrapbooking - Here I Come!!

Who has the patience to scrapbook?

Buying all the paper, embellishments, etc.

Printing out the photos.

Plus using all that brainpower for creativity?

Not for me.

Digital Scrapbooking, on the other hand...

Now that's my idea of FUN!

Like the new header? (Thanks Erin for the help with Photoshop)

This is my new adventure in life.

I can create scrapbook pages digitally. Print them out. Wallaa!

I'd LOVE to create a header for you, too...if you want...if you trust me...let me know. :)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

What's a girl to do?

Yesterday, my sister in law Erin took some 1 year old pictures of Sariah.

We went to a beautiful park and just followed her around.

She is getting so big.

She is so beautiful.

She is so loved.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

What would life be like...

If we all did the dishes NAKED?


Monday, July 21, 2008

Birthday Cake...Sort Of

Sariah's birthday was SO MUCH FUN!!!

We had family over for cake and ice cream.

With 10 children, 10 adults, and 1 dog...we were a little cramped.

The kids wandered their way outside...




I decided to get a little adventurous and try to bake a cute cake.

CREATIVE and ME do NOT belong in the same SENTENCE.

I had NO idea what I was doing.

I bought this cute lady bug pan and filled it with cake batter.

I then let it cool for a couple hours and tried my hand at decorating.

I had all the tools: icing, bags, tips, colors, etc.

Using the star tip, I did the black and red and it looked SO cute!

An hour later, it looked like it had melted...I have no idea why. Everything ran together and it looked like a lady bug blob.

My sister in law Erin, the cake decorating expert, gave me some advice: refrigerate the icing and the cake next time so the shape holds.

I don't know that I'll be brave enough to do it again! :)



Regardless, the cake was great and Sariah LOVED it! Here's a play-by-play of her cake-eating experience:




What Kind of Princess Are You?


You Are Jasmine!

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Independent and adventurous. You don't want much; just to break out of the guilded cage society has put you in and experience life to the fullest. Following orders isn't really one of your strong points, and you would rather live a life of poverty than being forced into something that you hate.


Which Disney Princess Are You?

Say "Funky Chicken!"

Every year, my side of the family does a "Grandkids" picture. All things considered, the picture turned out great! Trying to corral 10 kids, all 11 years old and younger, is no easy thing. It was quite chaotic at times, but we ended up with one pretty cute picture. My sister in law, Erin, took the pictures. She did a GREAT job!!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

1! 1! 1! 1!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARIAH!

Our baby is 1 year old today.

It was only yesterday...

5:45 am...

8 pounds, 2 ounces...


Today...

1 year later...

Walking...

Playful...


Happy Birthday, my sweet baby girl.

You will always be our wee one.

We love you more than you'll ever know.

Thank you for being part of our family.

Thank you for making us happy, for making us smile.

Thank you for being YOU.




Thursday, July 10, 2008

Your food is WHERE?

Sariah is a messy eater.

That is an understatement. At the end of every meal, her food is EVERYWHERE. Thankfully, we have our own vacuum cleaner (our dog), so the floor is always taken care of.

More times than not, we have to take her right to the bath from her high chair because it would be impossible to clean her properly with a rag.

I should be grateful because she's actually a wonderful eater - she eats almost everything that's given to her, fruits, veggies, even some scallops the other night.

The best part? Her hair is always caked with food. She'll get food on her hands, and then rubs her head. Her hair is a DISASTER by the end of dinner and is in all kinds of crazy contortions. We've actually started rating how good dinner was based on how crazy her hair was.

RATING: 8/10

Pimp My Ride

Sariah's new yard-sale find. She LOVES opening the door, closing the door, repeating about 100 times, climbing in, beeping the horn, and thinks she's such a big girl!


Service with a SMILE!

Jared and I try to take advantage of service opportunities that come our way. Lately, this has been limited because of Sariah. If there's a service project, Jared will usually go.

My mother-in-law, Linda, is here for the summer. YAY! Grandma Franklin is spending every waking moment with Sariah and we LOVE having her here.

On Sunday, the bishopric announced that there was a last-minute canning need. The community food bank has asked for help with packing food, and the stakes in Tucson have gladly volunteered. Our ward's night wasn't for a couple weeks, but they switched it at the last minute. Jared and I said we would be there because we thought it sounded like fun! We left Sariah with Grandma Franklin, and off we went to the cannery to bag pinto beans....2500 pounds of pinto beans. It took us about 1 1/2 hours, but we had a lot of fun doing it!

Here's the entrance to the cannery:




Jared and I got there a few minutes early and decided to do a little exploring. Here is the inside of the main warehouse. It was HUGE!!!




Notice the lack of makeup? Notice the lack of contacts? Notice the lack of a hairdo? Know what this means? I'm not working!!! =)




This was the sweetest thing we saw all night. A brand new couple in the ward with a brand new baby, who was knocked out in her front pack. I love the hair net on the baby!




A couple of the greatest babysitters in the ward...Atalie and Cammile. Wonderful young women! It was really funny to listen to these teenage girls gab. I learned a lot about the 16 year old girl mind, and enjoyed their silliness.




Here is one of FOUR gigantic boxes that we filled with bags of beans. Each bag is a pound.




Jared and I in action!




I hope that we can continue to participate in projects like this, and instill a spirit of service within our family. We had a lot of fun and hope Sariah will join us when she's old enough!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Eternal Families


I recently found out about a friend of a friend who lost her one year old little boy. His parents were out of town, and his aunt was watching him. While he was napping, he somehow got tangled in the cords of the blinds next to his crib and died. When I heard about this, I sobbed. I prayed for this little family. Most of all, I prayed for the sister who was watching the little boy and how her life has changed. The strength this family has shown is exemplary of how they are using the gospel and the power of prayer to get through this trial. No one can know how much they are hurting, but we can all learn from their experience.

As I thought about this and held my daughter near me, my heart burned with the knowledge of eternal families. Words cannot express my gratitude for being sealed to my husband, and having our daughter be part of our family forever. There is no greater knowledge than that of knowing the church is true, families are forever, and the Lord hears and answers our prayers.

I am not an eloquent writer and have a hard time putting down what I want to say. My friend said it best.

"My sweet friend Brittany lost her little baby boy this week. He was our Brooks age. My heart is so full for her. As we talked last night, I wanted to reassure her of our Heavenly Father's plan. But the horror of such a loss overwhelmed me. I wish that I was a stronger person, I wish that I could carry her through this time of such catastrophic loss and sadness. But I can't. No one can, no one expect our Father in Heaven. So I prayed, and I continue to pray, as well as a multitude of loved ones, for her and her little family. Brittany, I love you. Our Father in Heaven loves you. I know that he sent His son to die for us so that we can live again. I know that we will live forever as complete families forever. I know that He knows your loss. He knows your sorrows. He will bless you with comfort and peace. You have so many people who love and care for you. Daxton is yours forever and for always. WE are promised that we will have the blessing of raising our children who have passed before us. Joseph Smith taught that the infant child who has been laid away in death will come up in the resurrection as a child; he said that you will have the joy, the pleasure and satisfaction of nurturing your child, after his resurrection, until he reaches the full stature of his spirit. He waits for you my sweet friend. You will not miss a moment of his spiritual progression. He is safe, and whole. We will miss you sweet Daxton. You are loved and thought of. May our Father in Heaven keep you and your sweet little family in the hollow of His hand."

If you want to see their blog, and their heart-warming tributes to their son, their blog is http://www.dbkunz.blogspot.com/

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Let Freedom Ring!

4th of July!!!

What did we do?

Spend some giftcards at Target to rearrange for our playroom (see next post).

Dinner at my brother's, Chris and Aubry's with friends and family.

We chose not to go see fireworks because our VERY tired little girl desperately needed sleep.

Here are a few highlights.

Sariah finds SAND...and eats it.

My nephews and their friends play "King of the Giant Sand Hill"

The dogs guarded the "kings."

Goofy made an appearance.

Cousin Derek wore Sariah's bib.

Cousin Avery and Sariah were mesmerized by me drinking out of a cup.

Cousin Avery and Sariah on the couch. Sariah is SO tired...she's about to pass out.

We had SO MUCH FUN! To top it all off, we were hit with a HUGE monsoon storm. Lightening so close that you felt the boom deep in your chest. It was MAGNIFICENT!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!



Play "Room"

Jared and I strongly felt that it was time for me to be home with our little girl.

Sariah will be bored with just Mommy around! So I am going to watch Kendall's little girl, and another little girl during the week. Sariah will have playmates, Mommy will make a little money, and my friend and Kendall will have the peace of mind that their little girls are loved and safe.

Our house is little...no real room for a play room just yet. We shuffled everything around in the living room to make some space for a play area.

Here it is!!! What do you think?


And I rearranged the wall with the piano.

Basket Case

I don't know what it is with Sariah and BASKETS!

Every time I turn around, she's crawled in to a basket.

I was rearranging her room.

When I turned around - this is what I found!!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

My Amazing Husband

GRADUATION!!!

It happened on Saturday, June 21. (Yes, that was my birthday. Is there a better birthday present??!!)

Before the ceremony:

Jared's parents: Steve and Linda Franklin


My mom and Jared's mom:


Grandpa Wilkes and Sariah:


Grandma Franklin and Sariah:




DURING THE CEREMONY:

Jared graduated with honors, so this picture is of him receiving his honor cords.


He was also inducted in to the National Technological Honor Society. Apparently, that's a pretty big deal! He got a snazzy sash and anothr tassel.




AFTER THE CEREMONY:

With classmates:


With his parents:


With his baby girl:



And the 3 of us:


I am very proud of my husband for the 8 years he has spent in school. What an example he has set for those around him, especially Sariah. I love you!

A Bunch of Randomness

Sariah's new favorite place to play - the kitchen cupboards.





The way Sariah plays the piano: With her FEET.




Her latest obsession is shoes. She found Grandma Franklin's shoes and started carrying them around the house. The funniest part is she hangs on to them, drapes them over her back like a purse, and carries them everywhere!