The Greenwell Family

Guess Who

2011-11-30T13:42:00.001-07:00

Everyone tells me how much my girls look alike, and I honestly didn't see it. I guess it is because I am around them every day so I get to see all the little differences. BUT...looking a pictures recently I am blown away.

Hailey is about 5 weeks and Alli is 6 weeks in these pictures:

Hailey

Alli

Alli Hailey

Halloween

2011-11-03T23:05:00.000-06:00

Our Halloween weekend was a little different this year. Allen's brother got married in San Diego on the 28th so Allen was not home for a lot of the festivities...and we have a newborn.:)

We carved pumpkins before Allen left town.

Hailey wanted to be strawberry shortcake and she was set on that for months. I was able to make her costume before Alli came and I am so excited with how it turned out. Hailey loved it too!

Alli in her Halloween attire, complete with scared eyes due to me startling her with the flash. Nice mom...

For trick-or-treating Hailey wanted her hair pink. She loved it, I hated it. The spray stinks and rubs off on everything. She asked if she could have pink hair everyday, I said it was just for Halloween. She quickly decided that next year she is going to be a Rock Star because they also have "cool hair". Man I love my girls!

INTRODUCING...

2011-11-03T22:52:00.001-06:00

Allison

October 18th

4:51PM

8 lb 2 oz

20" long

We are all in love, but Hailey is probably the most in love! Alli doesn't get much peace with her big sister around. I was worried that we would deal with jealousy or getting tired of the baby, but Hailey has been so good!

Alli is so awake and alert most of the day, I am so amazed. She is such a good baby. I love this picture of her. She has four "Angel Kisses" aka birthmarks, that I adore! You can see three of them in the picture below, the other one is more noticeable and on the back of her neck.

Labor and delivery went as well as possible. Alli gave us a little scare when she got sick on day 2 of life. She spent a couple days in the nursery on antibiotics and monitors. It was so hard to have her in there. The hospital let me do "extended stay" so at least I was able to be close to her. She is a trooper and is doing so well now! She even made it back to birth weight by her two week appointment. She also grew two inches or...the hospital measurements were a little off! Yea, for long girls!

We love having Alli in our family!

Countdown

2011-10-04T15:27:00.000-06:00

Baby Allison is hopefully joining us soon! I can't believe it is finally October!

Here I am with my friend and we are both 31-32 weeks pregnant.

She had her baby 6 weeks early (everything is great and they are both okay!) so we didn't get anymore pictures together. So here I am...the lone pregnant woman at 38 weeks. Look at how out there I am! I am carrying Alli so different from how I carried Hailey. I had my appointment today and everything is great, he declared that the baby has a boney bottom. He actually thought it was her head at first and had a mini panic attack that she had somehow flipped herself around. Everything is great though, I'm just getting anxious to meet her.

Hopefully our next post will be introducing our new little one!

Survivors at the Summit

2011-08-18T13:52:00.000-06:00

This year on Hailey's birthday we went with Allen's Family to "Survivors at the Summit" to celebrate Allen's mom being cancer free.

We didn't hike up because I am too ~~out of shape~~ pregnant, but took the tram instead. Maybe next year we will brave the hike!

We're glad Karen is doing well and what a fun way to celebrate it!

Fourth Birthday

2011-08-18T13:41:00.000-06:00

Hailey turned four on August 6th!

I can't believe how fast she is growing up. I absolutely LOVE this age.

She had her first friend party this year and she picked a Minnie Mouse theme. She had so many ideas it was awesome. All I had to do was make it happen!

She wanted a Minnie Dress but she was okay with just a polka-dot skirt. Doesn't she look so grown up!

Here was our party table. We had a Minnie pinata, Mousketools, and party favors!

The kids tried to accessories Minnie:

Here is the pinata I made. It was so much easier than I thought and I saved $20 bucks! Hailey loved it. I was really pleased with how it turned out but really sad when the kids were smashing it!

Here is the tutorial I followed.

Our gift to Hailey was a bike! That is all she wanted, and she loved it!

Days of '47 Float Preview

2011-07-20T21:58:00.000-06:00

Every year we try to go to the float preview. It is the best way to see the floats. You don't have to wait on the parade route, you get to see them up close and it isn't hot which for me this year is a HUGE plus!

The Primaries in our Stake made all this little bees on this float. Hailey loved the idea that the bee she made could be somewhere on that float. When we were asked to have the Primary kids make the bees I honestly thought it was going to be an interesting float. It really is cute though!

This one was Allen's favorite:

Hailey and I liked this one the best, that is until we walked by the float on the way out with the singing hippo on it. Really penguins don't stand a chance to a sparkly hippo in a purple dress in the eyes of a 3 year old.

The best part of Hailey's night:

How cool is that balloon. The clown seriously made this ballerina balloon in minutes, I was so impressed.

UP!

2011-07-20T21:45:00.000-06:00

We went to see the UP! house in Herriman after FHE. Coolest house ever!

Hogle Zoo

2011-07-08T23:03:00.000-06:00

We went to the zoo today with friends, it was perfect weather. Hailey didn't remember ever going there before so it was fun to have her see everything for the "first time".

Thanks again Rebecca for inviting us!

Our Pets

2011-07-08T22:46:00.000-06:00

We have pets! These are seriously the best pets EVER!

They are very preschooler friendly. She just sits and watches them forever, it is awesome!

Spring Revue

2011-05-21T16:47:00.001-06:00

Hailey had her Spring Dance Revue last night. She was awesome and she had so much fun! She is a dancing maniac. The first costume is for her "I'm a Little Dancer" dance, the second is her "Dancing Duck" costume. She wasn't to sure at first but after the first dance she was having a blast!

I forgot to take a picture of her costume for the finale number...sad day. Here she is with Allen after the finale with all the gifts and props she got to take home.

Celebration dinner at Panda!

I am so proud of her. She danced more than she did at the Christmas recital and she really enjoyed it so it was definitely worth it.

Sewing for baby girl

2011-05-19T11:40:00.000-06:00

The girls in my family got together while the men were at a Fathers and Sons campout. We went to dinner and then had a sewing night. It was so much fun to know I was having a girl so I could make something for her.

I am loving this car seat canopy I made. With Hailey we just draped a blanket over it so this seems so much easier. Thanks Abby for helping me pick the fabric and Erin for letting me model it on your car seat!

So girly and so fun! Once I get our spare room cleaned out I am hoping to make a few more things for her.

We're having a baby!

2011-05-02T16:53:00.000-06:00

We are so happy that we can finally share our good news! We are having another girl!

The baby is due October 16th and I am so glad the first trimester is over. Hailey is thrilled and already wants to pull out her old clothes for the baby. We took her to the ultrasound with us and I loved watching her face as she was seeing the baby and when we found out it was a girl. We still haven't decided on a name, but Hailey likes Jack or Alice so any name suggestions are welcome!

Dancing Duck

2011-04-27T22:14:00.001-06:00

I was asked to be the costume mom for Hailey's dance class for their spring recital. They asked me to make 11 dancing duck costumes. I had no idea what I was doing and to make it worse I procrastinated making them. My only requirements were they had to be yellow with marabou and feathers and each one had to be under $20. I was so lost. I never took dance so it was definitely all trial and error.

This is what our office/craft room looked like for a week:

I am still finding yellow feathers everywhere! Who knew they shed like CRAZY and will not vacuum up!

At this point I think I had hot glue blisters on the majority of my fingers and I was ready to be done and I still had 11 skirts to make.

Here is Hailey in the first mock up costume, so ignore the pink waist band and her look of "are you done yet" :):

Here is the head piece I came up with, I think it is my favorite part...well maybe other than the skirt!

I'm pretty happy with how they turned out and just extremely happy that they are done! I will try to get Hailey in the actual finished costume and not use my phone to take the pictures, then I will post how it all came together!

How do you spell...

2011-04-22T15:23:00.000-06:00

We have been working on letters with Hailey and now her new favorite questions is "how do you spell..." When we spell it out she is getting pretty good and being able to write the letters as we say them. I am so proud of her and I love that she likes to learn and is catching on. I just don't love spelling my entire day to her. Right now she is fascinated by names. She doesn't care to write mom and dad she wants our names! Not too bad for a three year old!

Just like Dad

2011-04-22T15:18:00.000-06:00

Allen's homework this semester has been a little more on the artsy side and Hailey is all over that. She had to have the exact set up that Dad had.

Be Normal...

2011-02-07T07:29:00.002-07:00

I made Hailey a Valentines skirt (tutorial) and I wanted to take a picture with her in it to show.
This is what I got:

Then I asked for a smile:

Then I told her to be herself:

Then I told her to be normal:

Seriously child... why is getting a normal picture of a skirt so hard?

Chores...

2011-02-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

We are kind of ~~lazy~~ creatively scheduled around our place. I want to teach Hailey to work and help out but I'm not good at it. I have made a couple different chore charts but they were honestly too much work for me to keep up. My sister-in-law made her girls really cool charts with hooks and said I could steal her idea. I can't seem to leave well enough alone so I put my own spin on it. Not to mention I have a goal of using up stuff I already have so I had to make mine a little different. It ended up only costing me $2.12. I was so excited!

So here it is:

Hailey is so excited and every morning she wants to finish her chores so she can get the purple star. The cute girl chore printables were on a cute site I found, and now I can't find them again. I will keep looking for it.

Hailey is so motivated right now to do chores it is awesome! Hopefully the excitement of the purple stars will continue for awhile before we have to start bribing her!

Make Life...

2011-02-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

I found some fabric that I really love called Make Life by Sweetwater. So I ordered a charm pack and found a couple yards are a fabric store. I then discovered that they the Make Life line is no longer in production :( Sad, sad day... Sweetwaters newer lines are super cute just not the right colors for my home. Hopefully I will find a new love soon.

I did manage to use what I had and it made me wish I could find lots more. My sister-in-law and I had a sewing day and we and made table runners. LOVE IT!

I then used what was left of my charm pack to make a new pillow cover. I am sad that I only have a little bit of the fabric left in my stash but at least I have cute things for my house out of it!

Busy girl...

2011-02-01T16:52:00.001-07:00

Hailey danced twice in December. She did pretty well for her first recitals. Her class performed one dance and it was so cute. I was so proud of her! They are working on two numbers now for the summer recitals, one ballet and one tap. I can't wait to see her dance them!

In January Hailey did Granger High's Mini Cheer Camp. She has declared that she will be a cheerleader when she is older. She had a blast! I hope she continues to enjoy these things, they have been so good for her.

2011

2011-01-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

I am excited for 2011. So many good things could happen. 2010 was good but it definitely had some really rough times. I am finally back to ~~normal~~ myself after a couple long months of healing and trying to figure things out. I don't think I will ever forget some things I have learned and there are still moments when I miss my baby, a lot... I am however feeling better and ready to move forward.

I don't know what is coming this year, and I don't know what the Lord has in store for us. I do know that I am excited. This year I am going to work on trusting the Lord and enjoying whatever he has in store for me and my little family!

It is amazing when the Lord gives you a trial, he is also willing to give you peace and understanding. He will send people to you to help, if you just open your hearts to them. He loves us and knows us. He knows what we need, we just need to be humbled enough to ask for and accept that help. Life is hard, but there is also great happiness. Thank you to all those who were little miracles in my life, I am forever grateful for you.

So here is to 2011 and being happy!

August 6

2010-08-09T21:30:00.004-06:00

On August 6, 2007 I delivered a healthy 7 lb 12 oz beautiful little girl. On August 6, 2010 I delivered our little 8-9 week old baby who had passed away.

June 21 I took a pregnancy test already knowing what it was going to show. We had planned this pregnancy, wanted it. I was so sick, and every pregnancy symptom was there. My first appointment was on July 19. Everything looked good the baby's heart beat was a healthy 160 bpm. On August 5 I woke up early and knew everything was wrong. Later that morning I went in for an ultrasound and the baby's heart had stopped. I was 10 weeks and 5 days pregnant, but the baby measured a little over 8 weeks. I was devastated. I went home and waited. Late Friday night, after Hailey's 3rd Birthday celebration, I passed our little baby, I was able to see and to hold our baby.

Life can be hard sometimes, really hard. I don't understand it, I probably never will. I am being watched and there are a few things that are not going perfectly, but I will heal. August 6 will always be a celebration of life for us, the one Heavenly Father let us keep and the one we had to say goodbye to. I love my Hailey and my little baby more than I thought possible, both have changed my life forever.

Happy Birthday Love...

2010-08-06T14:20:00.003-06:00

Three years ago we met you, and we couldn't believe how much we loved you.

Now you are 3 years old and we can't imagine life without you, and love you more and more each day.

Happy Birthday Beautiful!

Just dance...

2010-08-03T21:49:00.003-06:00

Hailey had her first day of dance class today and she LOVED it! I was nervous that she would not enjoy it but I was wrong. I have never seen her so brave around people she doesn't know. She was also so obedient and she tried so hard. Maybe dance is her forte? I was so proud of her. Now I am on the hunt for black ballet slippers and tap shoes!

Ready

2009-12-12T00:11:00.007-07:00

We are all moved in and only have a couple boxes of junk, I mean, stuff left to unpack! We are loving our new place. For the most part it has been a great change for us. Thank you everyone that helped us, we appreciate you so much!

I am really excited for Christmas, but I have been a little stressed with moving and things I needed/wanted to get done. I have been working and downsizing my to-do list so that it is more realistic.

I made an advent calendar this year. It has been a lot of fun with Hailey. Each day has a Hershey Kiss and a Christmas activity to do. My advent is a mini muffin tin with magnetic numbers, I saw the idea online and loved it.

Here is Hailey "writing" her letter to Santa. This was one of our advent activities. All she wants is a crown, a dress, and a baby car (little car, she calls everything little "baby"). Santa is getting off easy this year!

I also finished a table runner. Maybe with a few more practice table runners I will be more confident and ready to try something harder. I am still trying to get the hang of binding and need to learn how to quilt. Right now I just stitch in the ditch, because that is all I know how to do. The back is red with small white polka-dots. LOVE IT!

I also made a new reversible tree skirt. More polka-dots!

In the middle of Christmas prep my cousin Ryan got married. Congrats Ryan and Ty! Here I am with my dad at the wedding luncheon. I think I kind of look like my dad... kind of.

Hailey made these snowman for one of her advent activities. We have a few of these snowmen couples in our hallway. I think they go nicely with the snowmen pizzas we made for dinner tonight. Apparently my mind has been on snow lately with the advent ideas. I need some ideas to mix up our advent activities next week, anyone?

Here is what a two year old looks like when you ask them to stop what they are doing and smile for a picture. Notice all the ornaments are in the same area. Funny girl. And yes she is dressed in three different shades of pink, that is just how I roll sometimes!

Now I feel ready to enjoy the holiday. Any project that isn't done will have to wait till next year!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday.

Merry Christmas!

Confession

2009-11-24T18:48:00.003-07:00

*I woke up around 9:30 this morning

*had a diet coke and cold leftover pizza for breakfast

* moved a couple boxes around but unpacked nothing

*got dressed around noon

*went for a walk

*played games and "kitchen" all afternoon

*cheated and made Bertolli for dinner

*now wasting time on the internet

And then I wonder why the boxes aren't unpacked! Man I really like lazy days, until it dawns on me that tomorrow will just be super busy.

Here is what Hailey was wearing when she woke me up today! She was singing "Bippity-boppity-boo"and hitting me with her "wand" aka flower. Good times!

Change

2009-11-16T00:59:00.001-07:00

We are moving...boxes are piled, to do lists are written, and we are excited!

I will be back when boxes are empty.

Where I Have Been

2009-11-06T12:36:00.002-07:00

I have been working on projects for Christmas and also just to declutter my sewing area. Here is what I have gotten done:

Crayon/memo pad holder for Hailey. It fits nicely in my purse and now she can be entertained no matter where we go. I found the tutorial on etsy by JCasa whose etsy store is closed at the moment :(. I am contemplating making some to sell, thoughts? Anyways back to the point of the post. Here a picture of Hailey's closed:
Here is what it looks like open:
SO cute, right!?!? I did however learn that although the yellow polkadot lining is cute not the best idea, because right now it is covered in crayon. Oh well, it is washable!

I have sashed and bordered my quilt squares. Two more little borders to go and the top is finished!
My last little experiment was a car mat for Hailey for Christmas. She really likes cars but I don't know if she likes them enough to buy an expensive car mat, so I made one. Since this picture I have glued down the edges were the roads meet and it is an improvement. I like it enough, especially the fish in the pond! Hailey picked the buttons out awhile ago and I finally found a use for them!

So that is where I have been. Well, that and trying to sell our house. We are under contract so everyone cross your fingers that everything works out!

Cornbellys

2009-10-16T14:46:00.003-06:00

I took Hailey to Cornbellys today, we had a blast and the weather was perfect. This was our first time going and I am sure we will try to go again next year!

Hailey loved the pig races and the "Pumpkin Princess Playland" that is where we spent the majority of our time!

Hailey also went all by herself on the cow train! So cute!

On our way out she found a "pump pin" she fell in love with, look at that smile. Of course I had to buy it for her, best $1 spent all day!

Everything yet nothing...

2009-10-13T23:00:00.008-06:00

I am here, yes truly here. It feels like I have been busy doing everything, yet when I think about it nothing really stands out. I have been doing a lot of sewing, reading, and enjoying my two year. No one told me that two year olds are hilarious! I love toddlers, they are the best (most of the time anyways).

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the past month and a promise to post some fun things soon...that is the plan anyways.

Chillin with cool cousin Dev. These two LOVE each other, they do the funniest things.

We also got to help my family pick apples this year! This weekend we will be canning all the apples. It will be nice once the work is done!

So till next time happy fall! Isn't the weather great!?!

7 down, 5 more to go

2009-08-18T14:27:00.002-06:00

I am learning to make quilt blocks! I have seven of the twelve done! I am a little worried that I just finished the easy ones, the last five look tricky. They aren't perfect but I am pretty dang proud of them. Hopefully the next time you see these babies they will be sashed and bordered and looking more like a quilt.

I am anxious to get it done and see how it turns out, I have a really neat fabric for the main border that ties all the colors together and hopefully makes it a little more feminine. I just had to share my excitement!

August 6

2009-08-06T00:01:00.003-06:00

It happened...

She is happy about it....

Hailey turned "doo" (two) today! I have the proof:

Hooray!!!!

Happy Birthday Hailey!

New rule = completion

2009-08-05T23:15:00.002-06:00

I told myself that I couldn't start any new projects until all my old ones were complete. I have had this material for a couple months and I finally made my table runner. I think I like it...it is growing on me.This new rule is really great motivation to get things done!

We're having fun, fun, fun...

2009-07-15T21:45:00.010-06:00

We are loving our summer so far! Well...like all summers it has had some not as fun parts but those things are not worth blogging so I am not going to!

Hailey painted for the first time! She LOVED it! This age is so fun because everything is so new and so great in their little lives!

Last weekend we were able to go to St. George on vacation! I love St. George!
We first stopped in Fillmore to see the Territorial Statehouse State Park. It was pretty interesting and I found a headstone and a picture of one of my ancestors in the museum. The name looked familiar to me but I wasn't sure then I came home and looked it up and sure enough he is family!The first night there my sister took us to a water park. What a great thing! I think Salt Lake should make a couple of these. Wishful thinking right!?!? My sister has more pictures of it on her blog, check it out.

We visited the temple grounds.

Went to a creepy Ghost Town named Grafton. Is that cemetery not creepy?

We also went hiking. Hailey wanted so much to be able to climb as high as the boys and be with them. Lucky for her she has a patient dad that is willing to help her.

But Hailey's favorite part of the trip were the silly straws we bought! Simple pleasures!

Then just yesterday we planted Marigolds (please pray that they grow!) and went to the Aviary with friends. Did I mention Hailey is 1 going on 15?

Can't wait for the rest of the summer!

Good Morning!

2009-07-08T13:52:00.003-06:00

Now that Hailey's hair is getting thicker and we are trying to let it grow out she has some pretty wild morning hair moments. Here is one of my favorite crazy hair pictures! I wish I looked this cute and was this pleasant in the morning!

Ten Quirky Things...

2009-06-26T23:04:00.005-06:00

I was tagged (long ago..sorry) to post some quirks/truths about me. It has taken me a long time to get to it but after reading quirk #1 you will understand why I am doing it.

Quirk #1: when I fail to do something it eats at me until it is done. Even if it is a silly little thing I can't just not do it. It is annoying really, and I lose a lot of sleep due to this fact.

Quirk #2: I am a list maker. If a task or goal or something I need doesn't make it to one of my lists it won't get done. I find great satisfaction in being able to physically cross something off and actually seeing on paper what I have accomplished. Plus I am a tad forgetful so lists help me stress less about trying to remember things. I don't have to remember it, all I have to do is remember where my list is and I know it will be on there. It really does make life easier, try it.

Quirk #3: I love the post office. I love going there, I love mailing things, and I love getting mail. I hate federal holidays and Sundays for the fact the mail carriers don't come, and I feel gypped if someone else gets the mail before I do. I just think the idea is fascinating that you can take anything to the post office, slap a "sticker" on it and a couple days later it can be half way across the world. One day I will work there.

Quirk #4: I have an incredible sense of smell. Allen teases me that I could smell a rotting grape two houses down. It really is bad because I am always asking "do you smell that" or "whats that smell" or "do I stink". When I was pregnant with Hailey, holy cow, I wanted to wear a gas mask around.

Quirk #5: I secretly wish I was a funky, out going creative chick...but I'm not. We can't win them all!

Quirk #6: I can't fall asleep if anyone is touching me. I also can't fall asleep in public or around people (besides Allen and Hailey) even if I am dog tired. I guess I have a fear of doing/saying something embarrassing or other people doing something to me. Also sleeping in anything less than full body coverage is out of the question. What if you have to quickly run out of your house in the middle of the night? My neighbors won't be seeing me in my skivvies.

Quirk #7: When I was younger I spoke really quickly. I have really had to work on slowing down, but now I get tongue tied or something and switch word beginnings or the order of words entirely. It is like my brain is going faster than my mouth and things get a little messed up on their way out. Hailey is frequently called "Mailey Hae".

Quirk #8: I am afraid of ants. I know it is completely illogical and silly really, but it is true. It is just they are so little, they come in masses, and they could be on you and you wouldn't even know it. I hate them.

Quirk #9: I once had a co-worker tell me that I was "really fun after about 3 months." Apparently I am hard to get to know and too shy for my own good. I am working on this but in the meantime don't give up on me for about 3 months please. That must be the lucky amount of time I have to spend with you before I am able to break out of my shy little shell.

And finally Quirk #10: I hate bananas, well actually I just hate biting bananas. They leave this gross film on my teeth that I have to immediately brush off. They just aren't good enough to deal with that film so I don't eat time.

Well...now that I feel naked to the blogging world I will call my task complete and mark it off my list.

Loving It!

2009-06-02T09:03:00.005-06:00

Hailey loves being outside, the only thing she might love more is playing in the water. Here is my baby ready to go play in her pool for the first time:

Here is Hailey when I am taking too long to get everything ready:

We did finally make it outside!

I love her little personality. She is my little jokester.

The last couple pictures are of the bag (tutorial) I made last night. I am loving it!! It was my first attempt at machine quilting and I like how it turned out. It is not perfect but a good first attempt. Plus isn't it so cute! And it only cost about $2.50! I won the fabric squares for the front from e-bay, and everything else is leftovers from other projects! I especially love my poke a dot pockets on the inside!

Life is good!

Just things...

2009-05-20T13:05:00.005-06:00

It is true I have neglected the blogging world.

The weather is too nice to stay inside and I am in a cleaning/dejunking phase. The warmer weather has made me want to clean things out, and throw things away. It is amazing how much junk you can accumulate in just three years.

We went to the zoo on the 9th for Mom and Me at the Zoo day. We went to the playground and my little Hailey had to show her independence. She climbed up all these stairs:

And went down the tube slide all by herself, and she did it multiple times. Where did my little baby go? She is a couple months shy of being two and she is already too cool for mom! Holy cow! I was proud of her though.

I have also pulled out my sewing machine again, and have become a little addicted to it.

I have been making Hailey some shorts:

I made my mom some skirts for Mother's day and I made my Mother-in-law a lap quilt.

I also made a tutu for my niece for her birthday. I realize this has almost zero sewing, but I made it and I like it.

Talk about a random post but that is what we have been up to.

Big Changes for Hailey

2009-05-03T23:29:00.006-06:00

We got rid of these:

Since Hailey climbed/fell out we had to get rid of this:And in exchange she got a "big girl" pillowcase with her on it:

and the good news in all of this is that we are surviving the night routine.

My little girl is getting so big!

Big Weekend

2009-04-26T14:32:00.009-06:00

On Friday Allen's sister got married!! The whole day was beautiful, the bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, and it was just a lot of fun.

We got to dress up for the reception. Hailey loved her dress, she didn't want to take it off at the end of the night.

Most of our pictures on our camera turned out like this:

Hailey thought she should wave to everyone. Oh well, at least she looks cute waving!

On Saturday we decided to get out and do something fun and different. We went to the Union Station in Ogden. It has a train museum, a gun museum and a classic car exhibit. Hailey really liked the trains, I guess train love flows in her blood (she gets that from her father)! I personally like the classic cars the best, I guess I get that from my dad!

This car was my favorite, it is like the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Car! How cool is that!?!?!

It was a fun weekend to spend as a family. It is amazing how a little change of pace can make you feel re-energized!

Kodachrome Basin

2009-04-14T21:15:00.009-06:00

We were able to get away for a vacation over Easter. It was really nice to take a break from life. We headed to Kodachrome with my family, the Easter trip is kind of a tradition. I was nervous about the drive there, Hailey doesn't do real well on long car drives. We were delayed a bit by some carsickness, and had to ride in a stinky car the rest of the way but after that Hailey did great. We stopped at Cove Fort on the way so that helped to break up the four and a half hour drive.

Here is a picture that Allen took of Kodachrome just above the campsite:

We didn't stay in the campsite with the majority of the family. My sister's family and the three of us found hotel rooms just nine miles away so we stayed there. Warm shower and not having to tent it were worth the $49 dollars a night!

Hailey really liked the hiking, she takes after her dad. She didn't like taking breaks to look at things she just wanted to go, go, go. The little person with the pink hat is Hailey the other little person is my nephew.

On Saturday we went to Bryce Canyon. It is pretty close to Kodachrome. It was beautiful as always just really cold.

Here is another great picture taken by Allen of Natural Bridge in Bryce: (notice the snow!)

I think Hailey's favorite part of the trip was playing in the dirt. She was kind of a bucket hog. Luckily her cousins didn't mind that she stole their buckets.

On Sunday my family put on a HUGE egg hunt. There was a ton of eggs, candy, and toys to be found/picked up. This was Hailey's first egg hunt so I was not sure how she would react. She loved it! It was funny because she would find a piece of candy on the ground and point at it. She would then look at me and Allen with this look that was like "are you sure I can pick this up off the ground?!?!." It was hilarious!

So...that was a quick summary of our Easter weekend. I hope that everyone enjoyed the holiday and their spring breaks. Now I guess it is time to get back to life. Oh man... if only vacations could last forever!

Little Miss Independent!

2009-03-10T21:47:00.003-06:00

I decided to make No Bake Cookies the other day, and I asked Hailey to "help" me. Hailey's idea of helping was to make a tower out of the ingredients! She was so proud of herself!

Besides tower building Hailey has discovered she likes picking out her own outfits! She always looks AMAZING!

I am so lucky to have a beautiful daughter with such a funny personality!

Help or Not?

2009-02-18T22:00:00.007-07:00

I decided it was time for a good cleaning of the floors today. It was going well, I swept then handed the broom over to Hailey and she was content "sweeping" as I was on my hands and knees scrubbing. She then decided that it would be funner to help me.

Look how wet she is and the floor, holy cow! She was loving it! I on the other hand was working double time: scrubbing and soaking up EXTRA water.

I thought this picture was classic. I asked her to smile for the camera; I don't think she heard me or she got confused and said "cheese?" resulting in this strange facial expression.

And this blurry picture was taken right after she pressed her dripping wet rag against my back. She thinks she is so funny!

All in all, the floor got cleaned and she had a blast. We both ended up completely drenched, and she sloshed all the way to the tub... but it was so worth it!

Next time we are really going to work on the wringing out the rag concept!

My Valentines

2009-02-14T21:27:00.005-07:00

This morning I made my valentines pink heart shaped pancakes.

Allen humored me, I don't think he cares for food that is not it's original color!

Hailey didn't notice, so it was all in vain!

After these three pancakes the rest were just boring circles.

I think they enjoyed it despite the shape or color!

At least I didn't dye the milk or yogurt, and strawberries are naturally red!

Happy Valentines Day Allen and Hailey!

I love you!

A Bitter Sweet Goodbye

2009-01-28T20:34:00.005-07:00

Josh went to the MTC today. I am proud of him but it was harder to say goodbye then I expected. I will miss him tons!

Here we are at the MTC (my mom and dad were taking the pictures):

Brazil is very lucky...they get Elder Heap!

Your 12 Months Dearer Than Before...

2009-01-23T07:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

We love you!

Sick Girl...again

2009-01-08T22:00:00.006-07:00

Poor Hailey, it has been a rough winter for her. It started with the stomach bug on December 23rd that moved into a cold. Then today I took her to the doctor because she was really warm and I just felt that something wasn't right. Well, she has an ear infection and a temperature of 103.9 and she was even on Tylenol. They almost sent us to the hospital because her temperature was so high! What a bad mom, I had no idea her ear was even hurting or that she was that HOT!

So now she is on Amoxicillian, and children's Motrin. It seems to break her fever and she is being a trooper. She is really cuddly so that is kind of nice, except she is like a little furnace. The doctor asked me if I was feeling okay because my cheeks were really red like Hailey's. I was just hot for her cuddling with me from the hour or so we were in the waiting room. Who knew little kids bodies could get so hot!

Poor girl, but we are on the upside now!

We have a brave climber.

2008-12-28T18:27:00.007-07:00

We have a cube in our living room that is about 21" tall. Hailey has discovered that she can get on top of it! It scares me, but she loves it. I think it is amazing that she actually figured out how to do this and has enough strength in her little body. Kids are amazing.

Now, how do I make my house climb proof? If only such things where possible!

Goodbye Mullet!

2008-12-16T12:11:00.007-07:00

Hailey has been sporting a mullet for a couple months. The hair on the top of her head just doesn't grow as fast as the back... I thought it was kind of cute. Lately it must have been getting worse and no longer looking cute because I have been asked on multiple occasions if I "trim her bangs like that." My first thought was "yes, I purposly give my little girl a mullet" but I would just polietly say "no it is just how her hair is growing." SO...Allen and I decided it was time for a haircut.

Here is the best picture I could find to show the mullet. I don't have very many shots from behind that show it.By the look on her face I would say she doesn't like her mullet either!

I made an appointment at Cookie Cutters yesterday. I highly recommend them!

I was so nervous that she would look like a boy and I was more attached to her hair than I thought. After all it had taken her over a year to grow it!

She picked her car to sit in and she got to watch Barney while she got her hair cut.

Hailey did so well, she sat so still and would look down when asked. I was so proud of her.

Here is the "after" pictures! She now has a cute little bob!

I love her haircut! It is a huge improvement and she looks so much older!

The Real Christmas Spirit

2008-12-13T13:10:00.003-07:00

This morning there was a knock on the door and two young boys were there. I had never seen them before, they looked between 10 and 14 years old. They asked if they could shovel my walks. Since Allen has to be gone all day today our driveway had not been touched at all. I looked out the window to make sure they were okay and this picture is what I saw. They did an amazing job and they even did the sidewalks and fast! They came and told me they were done. I only had a couple dollars and some chocolate bars. They didn't mind at all that I didn't have much to give them.

This boys really made my day. I had been thinking about all the Christmas "stresses," and how I was going to get the walks shoveled with Hailey and then these two wonderful guys came and served me and my family. It really made me remember the real meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas Everyone and thank you to the two little guys who ever you are!

Wii are having Christmas fun!

2008-12-10T23:23:00.006-07:00

Hailey LOVES her dad and she wants to be apart of everything he does! It probably is more work for Allen than help but he is great with her! When it came to decorating for Christmas it was no different!

Placing the tree in the corner and putting the tree skirt in place.

She started standing on the little ledge of this cube!?!?! Crazy child, and this is mild for her!

My Hailey, not being a daredevil. That is how I prefer it, she is too brave for me! I think I might already be going gray due to the stress she causes me.

Hailey playing Guitar Hero with Allen (you can kind of see his leg in the lower right corner!). Check out that position, I think we have a natural!

I just had to add this picture, I love it! This is what Hailey does if you ask her where her tongue is. Cracks me up everytime!

And I leave you with a little Dance Dance Revolution staring Hailey! Hope it makes you smile. Happy Holidays...

Accomplishing my to do list...

2008-12-10T23:12:00.004-07:00

I finally did it! I made Hailey a stocking. I feel bad because this is her second Christmas and I just got around to making the stocking. Hopefully she will forgive me! I was able to use all scrap material and I am happy with how it turned out! I think I might add some white Ric Rac around the cuff, any opinions on that?

Second thing from my to do list...Here is my visiting teaching handout for the month. We have a new route and since I am a nervous nelly I like to have something to give the new sisters. I feel like it helps break the ice. Weird I know.

I have about 100 more things on my to do list to get done before Christmas but I'm getting there!

Elder Heap Has Returned...

2008-11-28T12:05:00.004-07:00

Justin is home from his mission! He has been serving in New York and came home on Wednesday! I know that he blessed many lives and was a devoted servant to our Heavenly Father. I am so proud of him!

Our entire family together after two years!

Welcome home Just!

Giving Thanks...

2008-11-20T22:38:00.006-07:00

I realize that I am early but next week is a little crazy for us and I wanted to get my Thanksgiving post in.

I really enjoy Thanksgiving, I always have. I love that the sole purpose of the holiday is to get together with family and friends and express your gratitude. Usually holidays are centered around giving and getting things but not Thanksgiving! I wouldn't go so far to say that it is the "perfect" holiday but I sure do like it! I am sure my opinion will change when I am in-charge but for now I am content just bringing my side dish and a pie!

I think that it is unfortunate that we don't express thanks more often. We should have Thanksgivings once a month or more, where you really think about what you are grateful for and then for goodness sakes tell the people. I know that I need to be better at it.

Here are some of the MANY things I am especially grateful for this year:

My patient husband (I am not a walk in the park that is for sure!)
My beautiful healthy Hailey
My husbands employment
My safety and freedom
Supportive friends
Family
My Savior
Unconditional Love

So...it is your turn go crazy expressing your gratitude!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

New Favorite Playdough

2008-11-12T13:08:00.009-07:00

I have found my new favorite play dough recipe! Since it has been wet outside and Allen has been taking the car more to work I have been looking for activities that Hailey and I can do inside. I can across this recipe and I love it! It is easy, and it has a nice texture. My favorite thing about it is when you play with it your hands don't get the salty feeling. Try it out!

I would recommend making it some random color that doesn't remind kids of food. The blue worked out well but I made a purple batch and Hailey thought she should try to eat that one. Go figure?

This is after it has been kneaded ( it kind of looks like a brain in this picture):

It is a hit! She likes to put it in and take it out of the container. She is so funny!

First Cement Dive

2008-11-07T12:49:00.006-07:00

Hailey took her first cement nose dive yesterday :0(. We were on our way to visit Kaylynn and Devon and Hailey was walking/running down our sidewalk and turfed it. Her nose took the brunt of the fall but she has a nice goose egg and an oncoming bruise on her forehead to accompany the nose. I think the whole thing has been harder on me than Hailey, she is tough. There are two things that make it worse: one, she has a cold so I have to keep wiping her nose. And two, we were suppose to have family pictures taken tomorrow! ( I rescheduled)

So for all of you out there a word of caution: Watch out for fast approaching cement. It is tough stuff!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-01T22:47:00.005-06:00

We went to Mabey's Pumpkin Patch last week. It was our very first time going to a pumpkin patch.

Hailey really loved the BIG pumpkins. After investigating this huge pumpkin she was ready to make a purchase.

But...in the end we got some pumpkins that were more her size, and everyone knows that two pumpkins are better than one!

I think we might go to a pumpkin patch every year it was really fun.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!

Funny Flower Story

2008-10-28T14:31:00.005-06:00

Last week I was rocking Hailey to sleep for a nap and she was almost out. I got up to put her in her crib and there was a LOUD knock on the door. Needless to say, Hailey was no longer asleep and no longer happy. I go to the door and a lady hands me a vase of flowers and says "Flower for Allen Greenwell." Okay, I thought it was strange that someone was sending my husband flowers. So now I have a fussy baby in one arm and a vase of flowers in the other and she says "please sign right here." I probably gave her the "Are you kidding me" look (sorry about that lady). I race to put the flowers down and then I sign the paper. I am still thinking that it is really strange that someone sent Allen flowers, but sure enough the card says Allen Greenwell. So whatever, I just went back to trying to get Hailey to relax again.

Later that night when Allen got home he came in the kitchen where I was making dinner and Hailey was coloring. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: There are some flowers on the entertainment center for you

Allen: For me? What makes you think they are for me?

Me: The card has your name on it

Allen: Did you read the card?

Me: No, it has your name on it (I am weird when it comes to privacy)

Allen: (after retrieving the card) They are for you, from me.

OH! Makes more sense now. Anyways... Thank you Allen for the beautiful flowers. I love you!

Pirates, Arrr!

2008-10-25T21:33:00.010-06:00

We went to the Greenwell's Ward Halloween party Friday night. Hailey loved seeing everyone's costumes and running around. Here are pictures of my favorite pirates!

This is Hailey on the way home from the party. She managed to open the bag of homemade bread Grandma Greenwell gave us. This is the face she gave me when I told her not to eat it. It was too classic not to blog.

Don't worry, we gave her a slice when we got home. We aren't that mean!

14 Grain Bread

2008-10-21T22:28:00.005-06:00

My best friend Ray come over tonight and taught me how to make 14 Grain Bread. She is so wonderful and patient. I came out with four loaves of bread, her homemade raspberry jam, lots of extremely helpful hints, and renewed hope in my domestic abilities. I have the best friend ever! It was such a fun night. Thanks Ray for coming over and teaching me!

Now all I need is a Bosch!

Planning and Resting

2008-10-21T12:12:00.006-06:00

Here is Hailey planning our week! She loves to steal my planner and "color" in it. I could use some help with real planning! I am in need of fun indoor activity ideas to do with Hailey. It was so easy to plan things when we could go outside but now that the weather is getting colder I am having a hard time thinking of things to do. Any ideas would be great!

The other fun thing right now is Hailey thinks she is too old for naps! It drives me crazy! Here she is in my attempts to just get her to relax, with the idea it will turn into a nap. I was wrong. We started laying on Mom & Dad's bed (she is not liking her crib right now). Then we had to get puppy, then we had to get the Halloween witch and her broom. Then we just got up, just to have her fall apart at dinner time because she is exhausted. I hope this stage passes soon!

Josh's Mission Call

2008-10-02T22:25:00.005-06:00

He is going to the Salvador, Brazil Mission.

He reports to the Sao Paulo MTC in January 2009.

We are so excited for him!

(Kaylynn has a count down on her blog, check it out)

Meaning of Names

2008-09-25T19:27:00.004-06:00

I thought it would be fun to look up the meaning of our names tonight. Here is what I found:

Sara: Princess

Anne: Grace of God

Allen: Precious

Jay: Happy

Sounds pretty good right!?! Check this one out:

Hailey: Hay clearing

Mae: The fifth month

SO...my daughter is a hay clearing in the fifth month. Sorry Hailey, we didn't think to check this before we named you! Hopefully you will still love us when you find out what your name means! OOPS!

Witches!

2008-09-22T11:34:00.003-06:00

On Saturday we went to Gardner Village to see the witches. Hailey wasn't so sure of them but I did get her to sit next to one.

The Living Plant Aquarium

2008-09-22T11:20:00.007-06:00

We went to The Living Planet Aquarium! It was so amazing! I can't believe how many things they have there. Hailey absolutely was going crazy. She kept making the "fishy" face. I tried to get a picture of it multiple times but she sees a camera and goes cheesy! But I was able to catch a few creatures on camera. These are some of the many I took.

I discovered that I am a pretty big wimp when it comes to water creatures. They have an area were you can pet a string ray and I was not doing that! Some of the creatures (like the eels) gave me the willies! Thank goodness we live in a desert.

4 Minutes

2008-09-10T22:17:00.007-06:00

I have officially found my favorite walking song. Tonight I am walking my butt off on the treadmill (literally!) and 4 Minutes starts playing on my iPod. I started dancing on the treadmill and the faster speed no longer felt like certain doom. Just minutes earlier I felt like I couldn't take one more step and then the song came on and I have the energy to dance!?!?!?!? I listened to the song twice and the last half mile went by faster than I thought even possible. IT IS A MIRACLE! Thank you Madonna and Justin for making my exercise not so terrible tonight.

Owen T. Farley

2008-09-04T12:40:00.006-06:00

At the Capitol Building there is a new memorial that will be dedicated on Saturday for all the fallen officers. My Great Grandpa, Owen T. Farley was a member of the Salt Lake City Police Department. He was killed in the line of duty on May 23, 1951 when my grandpa was only 9 years old. On Tuesday September 2, 2008 my Grandpa was able to go to the memorial and place his father's plaque on the wall with the other fallen officers. It was a real honor for him and a great experience for me to be there when he did it.

In the middle of the memorial is this seal:

My Great Grandfathers plaque:

My Grandpa placing the plaque:

The plaque is placed. An honor that took too long in coming.

Golden Spike

2008-09-04T12:18:00.004-06:00

We went to Golden Spike with my family on Labor Day. It was a lot of fun. Allen and I go there every year but it was nice to have company this time! My dad was picked out of the audience to be the one "volunteer" to be in the reenactment, he did a great job and the grandkids liked seeing Grandpa up there. Thanks family for coming with us!

Hogle Zoo

2008-08-28T14:04:00.010-06:00

We went to the Hogle Zoo yesterday with Kaylynn, Adam, and Devon. Thanks guys for coming it was really fun!

Hailey was able to see the animals and she wanted to make sure I saw them too.

We went on the train! Allen are you jealous?!?!?

We showed the Giraffes how fast our strollers are.

I saw a swimming turtle. It was really cool.

We had a great time!

Bear Lake

2008-08-28T13:47:00.013-06:00

Last week we spent a couple days at Bear Lake with the Greenwell Family. Duff and Karen rented a three bedroom condo that we stayed in. We really had a blast. It was so nice to have a vacation.

Hailey loved the water but wasn't so sure of the sand at first. She walked out into the water all the way to her waist and probably would have kept going if I would have let her, but the water was way too cold!

We went to LaBeau's for the famous Raspberry shakes.

Hailey and Anna were apparently having a VERY important conversation while we were waiting for the shakes.

Hailey loved the play ground at the Condo. She would scream all the way down the slide!

Allen water skiing He is great at it and he fell in love with wet suits.

Our family on the beach.

On the last day Hailey decided it was okay to get dirty and she went down to the water and started digging in the mud. Apparently if you are going to get dirty bypass the sand and go right for the good stuff: the mud.

We had a great time. Thank you Duff and Karen for the fun vacation.

Finally made another card...

2008-08-17T15:04:00.004-06:00

I made this birthday card for my brother. I am excited with how it turned out, it is completely different than how my cards usually look but I really like it. It was really fun to have the time to get into all my supplies and just create. Hopefully I can start making and posting more cards and creations!

Happy 19th Birthday Josh!! Love ya!

One Year Appointment

2008-08-11T23:59:00.008-06:00

Hailey had her one year appointment today. She is 32" long and she weighs 22 pounds. She is 99+% on height and about 65% on weight. She thought the doctor's office was the best place ever, then she got the dreaded shots and she was more than ready to go! (She did like her Bugs Bunny band-aids though) The doctor was very pleased and surprised by her growth and development, Yippee! Our goal before the next appointment is get her off the bottle completely. Wish us luck!

What a party...

2008-08-07T11:03:00.010-06:00

We had a great time last night celebrating Hailey's birthday!

We had spaghetti and green beans (two of Hailey's favorites) and we let Hailey completely feed herself, she loved it! She made the biggest mess!

She opened two presents and then we let her open this one up next. It was a mistake because then she never opened her last one. We gave her a little tykes guitar that plays music and lights up. If you strum the stings or push the wammy bar it actually works! She LOVES it!

So we spent the rest of the night jamming and playing. It was a blast!

Happy Birthday Hailey!

2008-08-06T21:29:00.014-06:00

Today is Hailey's first birthday! She has changed and grown so much. I also think she is pretty darn funny not to mention smart! ( I might be biased though :0) )

August 6, 2007

1 month old:

4 months old:

6 months old:

8 months old:

10 months old:

1 year old:

What a fun day! I am a little sad that my baby is no longer a baby, but... on the bright side we both survived the first year!!!!

Happy Birthday Hailey-Love!

Thanks for joining the family.

Random events and thoughts:

2008-07-31T11:14:00.017-06:00

Last week we had a pretty big hail storm. It woke Hailey up from her nap and scared the tar out of me.

Hailey liked watching the storm and touching the hail. She probably would have tried to eat some too if I would have let her.

The REAL storm started after I shut the door and told Hailey we could not go for a walk. She was not happy with me.

Some exciting news: I finally found some shoes that Hailey will wear and walk in. They were also a great deal. I went to The Children's Place in Jordan Landing and picked them up for $2.00! Gotta love a deal!

The video is Hailey dancing to DDR. I didn't get a great video of it but you get the idea. We had a Wii party for Allen's Sunday School class and that is when we discovered that she loves it. You can no longer play when she is awake. She also loves Guitar Hero so if Allen and I want to play we have to wait till she goes to bed. It makes for some interesting playing because we have to keep the volume way down and be quite.

If any of you read the post where I vented about how crazy life is...I think we are getting the hang of it. Allen really loves being in the Bishopric, and I am getting use to him being gone more. There are still days and moments that I think my head might explode but it will hopefully just keep getting better. It will be nice when I am no longer Young Women's President. That will definitely free up so time and relieve stress.

Hailey is my little jokester

2008-07-22T12:00:00.007-06:00

Hailey loves to help with laundry, well really she likes to unfold the folded clothes. She could care less about the pile of clothes waiting to be folded, she likes the folded ones. Lately she also loves to put things over her head. So when you mix the two together this is what you get: Hailey stuck in a pair of shorts and loving it!

I also discovered this week that Hailey is taller than I thought. I was making brownies that look like a camp fire for a camping bridal shower for my cousin. I made three of them and put them on the table with the rest of the shower stuff. I then went to get the wrapping paper out of the other room and came back and this is what I found:

Apparently she can reach onto the table now. She took a nice swipe of the frosting right off the side of the brownie. It is hard to be frustrated when she is so darn cute! All I could do was laugh.

Whoa! What a week ...

2008-07-15T15:15:00.009-06:00

Last week was Rough Camp and I would have to say it was a little "rough". I took my camera but I never brought it out of the tent so no pictures. I was extremely exhausted when we got home. I had no idea how much work it was to be a leader at camp. The worst parts were the sunburn I got the first day, the lack of sleep, and the meeting I had we with Stake Presidency on visitors night. They had met with Allen Wednesday night and asked him to be the 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric and then they interviewed me Thursday at camp instead interviewing us together. Needless to say I was a little overwhelmed the end of camp and anxious to get home. I also really missed my baby and Allen. So Friday comes and we are heading home...and we hit road construction and were delayed an hour. That was the longest hour of camp! I finally make it home, clean up the camp supplies, take the girls home and my daughter is mad at me. She would not have a thing to do with me for leaving her. She was like that the rest of the day Friday and all of Saturday. It was so depressing.

Sunday was the day that Allen was going to be set apart. It was a little overwhelming too. I feel much to young to have my husband be a high priest and in the bishopric. Allen is excited and I am happy for him. It will be a little bit of a change and I don't think I will see him much. Allen also moved offices for work on July 3rd. He went from working down town to working in South Jordan. While the office is nicer the bus commute is longer :0( He doesn't get home until 6:45PM on the days I have the car. Oh well, you do what you have to do. We were planning on moving closer to his office but now with the new calling that plan has changed too.

So after all these changes and still no sleep... I decided to do something fun and took Jason and Hailey swimming. Well, I should have guessed that something wouldn't go just as I had planned. We went to Taylorsville Rec. and they make babies wear swim diapers and plastic pants in the pool. The guy at the desk gave me a swim diaper and a rolled up plastic pant. We go to the pool and the swim diaper was huge. No biggy, I brought some of Hailey's. I then put the plastic pants on, which seemed a little tight, and we go in. We had a great time. A little later we decided to head home and I started changing Hailey and I realized that the plastic pants were size 0-3 months. No wonder they were tight, I had assumed since he gave me a huge diaper the pants would be the same size. Silly me. I take Jason home and I change and realize I was burnt. Really burnt.

I had completely forgotten to put sunblock on my shoulders. So last night thanks to the sunburn, stress and worry about all the changes I couldn't sleep and read the entire Twilight book.

After the last week or so I have decided that life is way to unpredictable even when you think you know what is going on. I feel like our life is completely in chaos right now, but I am sure it will all fall in to place. After all change is a good thing, right?!?!?!?

Exhausting weekend

2008-07-06T20:46:00.005-06:00

Hailey was so exhausted after a busy fourth. When we were getting ready for a baptism the next day she feel asleep right in the middle of the living room floor. Poor girl...but isn't she so cute!

Our July 4th

2008-07-06T20:22:00.021-06:00

We had a fun fourth of July. In the afternoon we went to my parents house and played water games, had a BBQ and watched Fireworks. Jeff and Kaylynn were up from St. George and their boys were so cute in the water. I have decided that the bad thing about being the person taking all the pictures is that you are never in them and you don't play as much as the other. But...someone has to do it!

Hailey wasn't so sure of the water. Allen spent a lot of time in the kiddie pool reassuring her.

Jeff & Kaylynn brought a slippy side that had three "lanes" that you could race on it was a blast!

Helping Jason body surf!

Jason thought Mom should play on the slide too!

...and Josh is in the lead!

Okay guys the pool is for the little ones!

Go Dad!

My cute (but oh so devious) nephew Adam.

Hailey loves celery.

Fireworks!

Allen and Hailey just chillin'!

Watching fireworks.

Hailey was tired of all the noise so we watched the last of the fireworks from inside.

I hope eveyone enjoyed the holiday.

Wheeler Farm

2008-06-28T14:47:00.009-06:00

We went to Wheeler Farm with my parents last week. Hailey loved it. Her favorite part was the wagon ride, she wasn't so sure of some of the animals though.

Hailey wearing Grandpa's hat

Allen and Hailey getting ready for the wagon ride.

Hailey loves her grandma!

Hailey, Grandpa & Grandma on the wagon.

Thanks Grandpa & Grandma for letting us come!

We love you!

Almost one...

2008-06-24T19:43:00.008-06:00

We are throwing Hailey three mini birthday parties this year! Well, more like family get togethers since she is only turning one. Our little family of three is going to celebrate on the actual day (August 6), the following Sunday we are having my family to dinner and then we are hosting the FHE that month for the Greenwells (we have FHE every fourth Sunday with them). I would like these parties to be quality family time with just a little birthday celebration is all since Hailey is just turning one and anything more would just overwhelm her. What are some good meal, decoration, or activity ideas that we could do? I am getting Cupcakes from So Cupcake for dessert! I am really excited but could use some ideas. So... all of you that read my blog (all three of you!!) please feel free to leave me a comment with ideas!

Hailey's New Favorites

2008-06-19T18:24:00.006-06:00

She LOVES her new car seat. It makes car rides more pleasant for me too!

She loves this bunny, we take it everywhere. I am glad she decided to have her favorite tote-around toy be a small bunny!

Sleeping! Her naps are becoming more normal and if I decide to run an errand during nap time, this is what happens. Poor girl, what a mean mom!

Her last thing for now is walking. I am amazed everyday with what she is able to do. Sorry again that the video is sideways and please ignore my mommy voice!

Toe Update

2008-06-14T19:05:00.007-06:00

It has been a little over a week since I had toe surgery and I feel so much better!! They are still a little sore but I think they are looking better. I painted my other toenails so my feet can be as cute as possible even with an ugly big toe!

Snazzy, smaller bandages!

Better lookin' toe, except the discoloration from the Betadine.

Learning to walk

2008-05-29T16:59:00.003-06:00

My baby is learning to walk! It is so bitter sweet. Just wanted to share our new adventure with all of you!

Farley Family Yellowstone trip

2008-05-29T12:54:00.004-06:00

We spent Memorial weekend in Yellowstone with my mom's side of the family. We had a great time. The weather was a little yucky but didn't let that hold us back!

The entire family minus Grandma, two missionaries, a member of the Military serving in Iraq, and a fiance. (yes, we are wearing matching shirts, yes there are a lot of us, and yes it was a little embarrasing!)

Here are a few pictures from the trip. I tried not to go overboard but it is so hard to choose!

Happy Anniversary Allen!

2008-05-14T09:01:00.009-06:00

Allen and I were married four years ago today in the Jordan River Temple. Time has gone so fast. I have really enjoyed being married to him and each year just keeps getting better. One great addition to our family was Hailey and she has just made our marriage stronger. I am grateful that I have them forever. I look forward to many more years and new adventures together.
I love you Allen, Happy Anniversary!

We are back from New York

2008-05-13T16:31:00.007-06:00

We are now recovered from our New York vacation so I am ready to blog! We had a great time in New York with Allen's family. I think that I am going to follow my father-in-law and call it a trip not a vacation since we ran to pack everything in but it was still enjoyable.

Our first couple days there we toured the church sites. Were we able to visit: the Palmyra Temple, The Sacred Grove, The Hill Cumorah, Alvin Smith's grave, Martin Harris' Farm, the Peter Whitmer Farm, and The Grandin Building where the Book of Mormon was published. We were also able to see other things like: the Erie Canal, Niagra Falls (From NY and Canada), the Glen Watkins State Park, The Baseball Hall of Fame, and The Women's Rights National Park. Not very many of these things are close together so we saw A LOT of the inside of our rented Toyota Sienna (which is really nice by the way).

The trip was great and Hailey was such a little trooper! She was amazing! I think that she handled the go, go, go theme of our trip much better than I did! Everyone loved her everywhere we went, we are blessed with a wonderful girl!

Things I loved in NY:

The Sacred Grove

The Grandin Building

Niagara Falls

All the cute old houses

Fears that I discovered I have:

Extreme fear of heights (knew this one but not didn't know it was so bad)

Claustrophobic (luckily not to an extreme)

Things I appreciate more:

The Book of Mormon

Clean water (we had a little water situation at the cabin we were staying at)

Allen

My home

Here are some pictures from our trip. We took over 300 so I just tried to pick a small variety to share.

Hailey's New Trick

2008-04-30T15:09:00.002-06:00

Hailey started standing up the other day. I was trying to get a video of it but as soon as she saw me she would sit down. Sorry the video is sideways I am not computer savvy enough to fix it!

UTA Frontrunner

2008-04-29T09:14:00.006-06:00

We went to the Frontrunner opening ceremony last Saturday. We really had a good time. Allen loves trains and anything to do with trains and I think Hailey is following her dad on that one. We did not stay for the free ride because we did not have enough time but one day we will go on it.

There were a lot more people there than I thought there would be.

Here is the line for the first ride. It was crazy how long it was. When we left it was starting to wrap around the platform. The whole middle section of the line is cut off in this picture but you can kind of get the idea.

Here is Allen standing by the Frontrunner.

Here we are enjoying the sunshine:

We had a great time together. If you want more information on the Frontrunner check out UTA website.

More of Hailey...

2008-04-22T19:16:00.004-06:00

I went in Hailey's room today to check on her during her nap and she was not asleep. When I saw her sitting like this just chillin' I had to take pictures. She is such a good baby. I count my blessings every day.

Hailey's Head

2008-04-18T21:41:00.009-06:00

This week has been a little crazy, honestly I am glad that it is over. Wednesday night Hailey fell off the couch and hit her head really hard. She went from sitting next to Dad to on the floor in three seconds, it was so fast! She has never had a fall like that before and it sounded like she hit really hard. She calmed down and played for a while so we thought all was well. Since I am the worrier of the family I did not sleep well that night and was really paranoid. The next day she was sleeping more and a little fussy, around noon I was giving her a bottle and playing with her hair and I felt this mushy spot on her head about the size of a tennis ball. I panicked. I did not know what it was. I called my mom, Allen and then Hailey's Doctor. The nurse said to bring her in. I was so nervous. We went in and the doctor thought that her skull was fractured. He kept checking different things and pushing on her head and thank goodness it is not fractured! We have to be careful with the spot and it will be mushy for up to a month and even after that you will be able to feel where it was. He said she most likely has a terrible headache so we are keeping her on Tylenol. She is fine we just have to watch her for the next couple of days to make sure nothing is wrong. Head problems are so scary to me. I have circled the area in the picture below.

It is still amazing to me how much she has changed me and my life. I love her so much. I know it probably sounds dumb but I want to protect her from everything, give her everything that is good, and take her trials and pains on myself. I think that this whole head ordeal has been harder on me than it has been on her. She has been such a trooper. I am blessed to have such a beautiful little girl.

Oops!

2008-04-18T21:32:00.004-06:00

I gave Hailey a biscuit tonight to eat and this is how she looked in the end:

So I decided to give her a bath. Earlier today I was cleaning out her drawers and found a bath robe that she has never worn so I pulled it out and thought it would be fun. After her bath I put it on her. Tonight was the first and the last time she will wear it. It is so short on her! Oops!

Grandpa sitting

2008-04-14T23:55:00.005-06:00

My in-laws went to Spain on April 4th and they asked us if we could "watch" Allen's Grandpa. He is 90+ years old and he has dementia. I have been going over to my in-laws once a week to be with him so it wasn't a completely new thing. You just have to make sure he eats and that he doesn't go for a walk because he can't remember how to get back, basically just keep him safe. Hailey adores Grandpa Lewis and he adores her, that is not the problem. The problem is Hailey won't sleep there. So every night I have been driving home to sleep while Allen stays with Grandpa. Then first thing every morning I drive back. It has really been difficult, I did not expect it to be this hard. I don't sleep well normally but with Allen not with me it is even worse. I hear every strange noise, and I worry that I will sleep in or that I won't hear Hailey if she wakes up. So...between running two households, taking care of a 90+ year old and an 8 month old, driving all over and not getting any sleep I am so ready for my in-laws plane to land tomorrow night. Here are some pictures of Hailey and GrandpaLew. They kind of look alike, especially the hair or lack of it!

Young Women's Activity

2008-04-02T22:13:00.006-06:00

Tonight we had our Personal Progress Party. This month's value is Knowledge. We all dressed in the value color (which is green for knowledge) and we talked about the importance of knowledge and then their personal progress. We played a jeopardy game and then we ate treats that are also in the value color. The girls did awesome this month with the color, it was a close vote on who the winner was with the most green. For refreshments we had green apples and cookies that had some green M & Ms on them. I know the last one is a stretch but it was tough finding a green goodie that doesn't have mint in it! We really had a blast!

And the answer is...

2008-04-02T22:09:00.003-06:00

get a new circuit panel. The electrician came today and we have to have our circuit replaced. The one we have now is really old and apparently not very reliable. So the electrician is coming tomorrow to replace it. It will be nice to have a new one that is "up to code" luckily we don't have to redo a lot of the wiring so it is only going to cost us $350.00. Since we thought we would be in it thousands (we own an old house with lots of funky wiring) $350 is wonderful!

Home repairs...

2008-04-01T15:13:00.003-06:00

Allen did a load of laundry Saturday night and then he put it in the dryer. He asked me a little later if I had restarted the dryer because he thought it had been going a long time. I hadn't so we just took the sheets out and didn't think anything more of it. So... I normally do wash on Mondays and by that day Hailey is running out of clean pajama's and undershirts. Well I put in a load of wash and then I threw it in the dryer. It never dried and the dryer never stopped. So I called a repair man and $120 dollars later it is not a dryer problem it is an electricity problem. So tomorrow we are having an electrician come and tell us how much it will be to fix the problem. So in the mean time I am using our little bathroom that is in the middle of a remodel as a clothes dryer. I swear when it rains it pours.

Rummikub

2008-03-24T22:34:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Allen brought out the Rummikub game. I had forgotten that I LOVE this game! We played a mean game and I came out the winner. I have to say I was feeling pretty good about myself, it is really hard to beat a Greenwell at a strategy game. So today Allen suggests we play another round, since I was feeling pretty good about myself I agreed. Unfortunately I lost three games in a row tonight. Needless to say I no longer feel so hot about myself and I will not be challenging him to a rematch any time soon. But for any of you out there that have not played this game check it out it is a lot of fun (as long as you don't play with a Greenwell.)

Victory!

2008-03-24T14:37:00.002-06:00

I finally got Hailey to go to sleep and I thought this picture was so cute. Who knew that all she needed was a giraffe to snuggle with?!?!

Easter

2008-03-24T13:51:00.009-06:00

Here are the Easter bags I made for Allen & Hailey. We do not have baskets so I made these to put their treats and goodies in. Maybe one day we will get matching baskets or something. I just have a hard time spending the money for the three of us and then if one day we have more kids their basket will be different or you have to spend all the money again for more matching ones and throw the old ones out. I am probably the only person with this issue. Oh well.

Hailey is playing with her toy that she got from the Hawks for Easter.

WHY WON'T SHE SLEEP!?!?!?!

2008-03-17T14:21:00.004-06:00

Hailey doesn't think that she needs to nap. She fell asleep while she was eating so I laid her down. Just a couple minutes later I went to check on her and this is what I found: