Tagg, Darci, & Londyn

Summer happened so fast...

2010-10-07T00:01:00.001-06:00

This summer was so much fun with Londyn! She's at a fun age and does so many sillythings. So, this picture tells a funny story! With Tagg being gone, I've had the pleasure of taking care of the lawn and making it the greenest it's ever been! Sorry Tagg, but it's true, you kinda turned our yard into a brown, weed fest last year. :o) Anyway, I'm a perfectionist in a lot of things that probably doesn't matter. Sad, but I can admit it. Well, it takes me awhile to get the sprinklers set in just the right spot so that it waters the corners AND the flowers. So, I move the sprinklers around, run up onto the porch, stick my leg through the railing and turn the water on with my foot, run back onto the sidewalk to make sure it's where I want it. If not, I run back up and turn the water off and re-position them. I repeat this several times until the three heads are all in the right spot. Apparently, Londyn - being the observant child that she is - thought she could save me a few steps. :o) As I was re-positioning one of the heads, the water turns on! I scream, and back away, and then notice Londyn with her foot through the railing, turning the water on. Then, I hear laughter behind me, and see that Kris (our across the street neighbor) saw the whole thing. How embarrassing. I still can't believe that Lou could reach it and actually turn it on. The little stink! :o)

It's always fun to have cousins over! Luckily, Londyn has a few bikes to share. Indee even hopped on my bike and pulled Londyn and Mia behind her in the bike trailer. I was pretty impressed cuz it was a little big for her. If you know Indee though, you know that she was determined to do it! We sure wish we were staying here, these cute girls and family just moved to Ririe. And Penny & Eric finally moved back from Portland to Tetonia. So, we have been spending time with them and it's been a blast! At least we won't be too far away.

We've spent a lot of time on the phone with Daddy, too! Every time my phone rings, Lou rushes to it and says daddy, daddy, daddy until I answer it. I'm glad she's at this age while he's been away. She's not quite old enough to really realize that he's gone for so long. But yet, she's still at the age where she'll snuggle me so I'm not so lonely. :o)

P.O.S.T. and ATC

2010-10-06T23:02:00.004-06:00

I've realized that I am WAY behind on blogging! I'm sure most of you know that Tagg has been hired to be a Trooper for Idaho State Police. It was a lengthy process, and it's a long training schedule, but it will be so very worth it in the end! Tagg began POST (it stands for Peace Officers Standards and Training, a.k.a. Police Academy) on July 19th in Meridian. He was there for 10 weeks. I must say, it really did go by quickly. He got to come home on the weekends, which of course flew by! He didn't get home on Friday night till about 9:30 and would have to leave on Sunday at 5p.m. Tagg was elected Class President, so he had to speak at graduation. He did a great job and we were so proud of him! Thank you, Jan and Jerry for coming and also to my mom and Grandma Sakota and Kris and Holly for driving there and back just for graduation! We really appreciate all of our families and friends support! Tagg was then able to come home and be with us for an entire week! We kept it very low key and just enjoyed having him home.

Now Tagg has started ATC, which is ISP's advanced training academy. It is BRUTAL!! They started with 9 officers for ISP, and before ATC even began on Monday, Oct. 4th, one quit that same morning!! Then, on Tuesday...Day Two, another one quit at noon!! Grr!! I know I have no clue how hard it really is, but quitting, really? I shouldn't judge, but considering the fact that Tagg almost didn't get hired really ticks me off. He was initially told no, they could only hire 8 and that he was #9 or 10 and they didn't have the budget for all of them. This is a long story, but I want to "journal" it. In addition to the 8 that they hired, they hired 4 laterals. Which means, these 4 were officers for different departments so they didn't have to go through POST, since they already had completed it. They just had to go through ATC. So, those 4 started ATC in March and two weeks into it, someone quit. Well, they called Tagg to see if he was still interested and he was hired! Good thing too! :o) They also decided to hire one more person, so that made 10 and 3 laterals. Well, the second week of POST, one of these 10 ISP guys also quit!! So, I'm just a little shocked that after such a grueling hiring process, someone would just drop out! I am just thankful that Tagg was hired and that he's doing so well. (And to think they almost passed him up) So, the upside to these last two that just quit, is that we may get to be in Region 5 instead of 4. That means, instead of Burley, we may be in Pocatello. (These two that quit were assigned to Poky.) And we could be assigned any city within the Pocatello Region, which could be as close as Shelley. So, that would be great...the closer to home, the better. Back to ATC, Tagg has said this is the hardest thing he's ever had to do! They yell at them and try and break them down. He's physically and mentally fatigued! He said the first day, they had to max out on Leg Presses. Then, the second day they had to do "Rabbit Runs." You start by all holding a rope, in a single file line and run. Then, the person in the back has to run to the front. They had to continue doing this for 2 miles. Ugh! They were up to a 6 mile run in POST and Tagg has heard that they'll finish ATC running 13 miles. ATC graduation will be Dec. 23rd, just in time for Christmas, YAY! Here's to hoping that these next 12 weeks fly by!

Summer fun!

2010-09-02T23:19:00.003-06:00

It's been a long time since I've posted! So, I've got a lot of catching up to do. Lots of pics for this post, but also a lot of journaling, so just skip all of that. I just need to start blogging more before I forget. This has been a fun summer for the most part. Londyn will be two on the 25th and I seriously cannot believe it! This is a super fun age. She's learning new things and I love to be the one to introduce her to those new things. She is finally talking more than signing and it's been a blast to hear her put things together. My three favorite things she says is, "Mmm, nummy!" "There it is" and "Oh, cute!" I was getting her dressed this morning and she stood up, looked down at her shirt, and said "oh cute!" Then when I came outta my bedroom after getting comfy's on, she said it again. Too funny! So, here are a few things we've been doing to keep ourselves busy while Tagg is away. I'll post more about that later.

This is Londyn's first time playing with play-dough. We had so much fun and it even came with a little duffle bag to store everything in. She loved rolling it out and then cutting out shapes.

If you remember, she got this fun musical bike for her birthday last year from two of our neighbors. It has absolutely been one of her favorite things! I've had it in the house for her to ride around, but decided to let her ride it outside. As you can see, she was super excited!

Okay, seriously I'm not an artist AT ALL!!! So, please don't laugh at my sorry attempts for side-walk chalk kitty and puppy. But hey, at least Lou knows what they are right? :o) She loves to color and side-walk chalk is no different. She'll bring me the chalk and say "Meow?" then after I draw the kitty, she hands it to me again and says, "ruff?" She will then go play for a bit and then come back to say hi to the cat and dog. She has even gotten down on her belly to say hi and give them kisses.

My friend, Heidi was so nice to give us this fun slide. Sadly, it's the only backyard toy since we know we're moving, Tagg won't let us get anything yet so we don't have to pack it up. :o) But, this has been great to keep Lond entertained. She'll throw her ball down it and then run and get her baby cuz she wants to share the fun. Lond will sit there for a minute sometimes with her arms up and will say, one...two...three (kind of says it anyways) and then slide down.

And what's a summer without bubbles? I found a little bubble maker that I thought you could just set on the ground and it would blow them out. Oops, that's what I get for not reading the directions. You have to dip it into the bubbles and then it's like one of those mini fans. Luckily Tagg was there to get it working for us. Lou was loving it, too!

Londyn's Many Faces

2010-03-09T23:29:00.001-07:00

Londy will bring the remote to us so we can turn on her shows. She is addicted I tell ya! But, what's not to love about The Backyardigans or Little Einsteins?

Every time we grab the camera and tell Londyn to look at us, she squints her nose and breaths in and out really fast. I'm glad we've got a few on camera now since she usually stops by the time it actually takes the pic.

This cute little face is a new one. She'll go around dancing like a crazy person and sing. She'll also do this face and say ooo, ooo, ooo a bunch as she's doing tippy toes or spinning in a circle. :o)

She loves to brush her teeth, which is an easy way to get her hair done. People always ask me how I get her to hold still and honestly, it hasn't been an issue. I just sit her on the bathroom counter, turn on the water just a tad, and she takes our toothbrushes in and out of the holder and also puts them under the water. I also think it helps that I've been doing her hair since day one. So, I think she's just used to it. I'll even ask her, "Londyn, should we go fix your pretty hair?" And she taps her hand on her head and walks right to the bathroom. She's a pretty good kid. Friends and family keep reminding us that we'll never have another "Londyn". And Tagg says, "then why try for any more and risk gettin a naughty kid?" Hmmm...

Updates on Lou

2010-02-01T09:35:00.003-07:00

I haven't posted anything about Londyn for quite some time. Actually, since she turned one. Londyn started walking at 13 months. She is 16 months now. Crazy! She's a funny little girl. She likes to tease you, especially Tagg. She is at that stage where she loves to sit on things. She loves her Dora chair she got for Christmas, she likes to take my sewing container and sit on it by her activity table, and if she has a box, she drags it all over and sits on it. She's also at the age where she likes to stand on things, like the containers and boxes. Londyn also loves to sing and dance. She will do Ring around the Rosie all by herself, sings and does the actions for Monkey's jumping on the bed, and Monkey's swinging in a tree.

My friend, Katie Wells, has been taking some photo's for my new hobby business. She's awesome and if you're looking for a photographer, click HERE to go to her blog. This is one of my newest patterns, a cap sleeve dress with a sash. I love it!

See that nasty red crusty thing on Londyn's forehead? Yep, it's Impetigo. She did so good not scratching it and took all of her Anti-biotic. It took awhile to heal up and got pretty nasty. It started out looking like a little zit and then she bumped her head on the corner of our computer desk and it all went downhill from there. It got really yellowish and filled with pus, it was nasty! I'm glad that the meds worked and is all healed up. :o) This is the Dora chair that she loves. She also love the piano. She keeps us pretty entertained and she is a very mild mannered girl.

Londyn is a smart little girl! She catches on very quickly and is very observant. This is her signing "more". She knows a lot of signs now and people are so funny when they see her sign, they are amazed. To me, it's not a new concept. I was impressed when one of my friends started teaching her daughter a few signs like more, please, milk, etc. I have always loved Sign Language and knew that I wanted to teach my kids. Some people say it can affect them in not talking cuz they'll just sign, but it has been so helpful during this stage cuz she can't talk yet. So, we'll see how she does. Some more signs she's learned are: Thank you, sorry, I love you, milk, candy, more, baby, brush your teeth, cheese, eat, all done, please, again, no no.

One of her many faces. She was teasing Tagg, he wanted kisses and she would get off this little car and start walking towards him and when she was in arms reach, she'd hurry and run back to the car. I think she thought she was "safe". Tagg bought her a basketball hoop and she's a little short for it, but she will sit on the couch and we'll put the hoop next to it and she will "dunk" it in. She's so funny. Tagg was watching a basketball game and Londyn came into the room and as she did a guy hit a three point shot and the crowd was cheering. Right when he made it, she said, "OOOhh." Then the other team went and scored and she said it again. Do you think she's been to basketball games or what? :o) Don't get me wrong though, she is still very much a girly girl. She still loves her babies and must sleep with one of them. She likes to play dress-up with our clothes and hats and shoes. This is such a fun age!

Christmas Cards

2009-12-19T13:23:00.003-07:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Contest and Sale!

2009-12-18T13:14:00.004-07:00

Check out londylouboutique.blogspot.com for sale prices going on until January 1st. And we're having a contest to win a $10 gift certificate to use on any item from our boutique. :o)

Londy Lou Boutique

2009-11-18T15:32:00.010-07:00

Bows and flowers starting at $4.50 and range up to $6.50.

Ties! These ties have an adjustable neck strap and a clasp for easy on and off, without untying the actual tie. Fabric is machine washable.

Sizes: 18m-4T; 4T-7yrs; and 7-12yrs.

Prices: $12.50 each or 2 for $22

How cute is this skirt? Londyn has been sporting this around at church, Jamie's wedding, etc. These skirts have an elastic waist, or we can sew belt loops and make a matching belt to tie in a big bow on the side (like a sash). Seriously, these are adorable! We have found a few great fabric stores, but patterns aren't guaranteed as the material comes and goes. We will do our best to match the color schemes wanted.

Sizes: 6-12 months up to 10 years

Price: $20.00

Dresses: These dresses are so fun! Grab a cute flower and clip it onto the ribbon for an even cuter look. We have lots of fun fabric that is sure to catch the eyes of many! We can do two borders on the bottom or just one, which ever you prefer. These have been worn as a dress or long shirt, with leggings, tights, and jeans. So many cute things to do with these!!

Sizes: 3-6 months up to 7 years

Price: $20.00

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Well, it's official, I have started a boutique! My sister, Courtney, and I have been busy making things for a craft fair we did at the Madison Jr. High. It was a great success! We were going to do the Rigby Craft Fair, but our sister, Jamie, got married that same day. Anyway, we have started a blog: londylouboutique.blogspot.com. It is still a work in progress, so be sure to check back often. We will be running specials and will have some awesome give-aways, so stay tuned! :o) Also, we are doing HOME PARTIES! We offer fabulous hostess rewards and are really excited about it. We bring our bows/flowers, ties, skirts, and dresses. Because we're cosmetologists, we will show fun, easy, and super cute hair styles and show different ways to accessorize with our products. These types of parties have been our biggest hit. But, if you would rather just have us come and display items only, we can do that too! Both parties have been successful. Please contact us for more information. Also, we accept CUSTOM ORDERS on all of our items. So, if you see something that you've gotta have, let us know! :o) And of course, we love feedback, so any tips, advise, or ideas you may have, please comment or contact us! If your interested in hosting a show before the holidays, please contact me soon as dates are filling up fast. I can send you an email with more info and what the hostess benefits are. Email me at: londylouboutique@gmail.com

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T19:10:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had a couples only Halloween Party. We have lots of fun neighbors and we have been getting together each month for a party. This month was the Howard's turn to plan and it was a blast! We had yummy food, played fun games, which included musical chairs outside in the freezing cold. Great party, great company!! Can't wait for next month!

Burgess & April

Kris & Holly

Josh & Amanda

Us: Tagg's idea, by the way. He was Hannah Montana if you couldn't guess and I was her friend Lola.

Justin & Vanessa

Here is Londyn - our little "stinker". Isn't she the cutest?

I seriously love this costume! Thanks again mom for finding it!! It's been a hit so far, can't wait to show her off some more tomorrow for Halloween. I'll have to try and get a pic of Londyn crawling with this. The bottom of her feet have paws, so "stinkin" cute!! :o)

Couldn't resist - sorry babe! ;o)

Londyn's ONE!

2009-10-10T09:54:00.015-06:00

AAHHHH!!! My baby is ONE!!! Well, she actually has been one now for a few weeks. I've got a million things on my plate right now, but I'll skip the excuses and just get straight to the fun we've been up to, and of course some pics. :o) Londyn turned one on the 25th of September. We started her morning off by getting some pics done by Katie Wells. We had this cute cake done by Violet's Custom Cakes and I guess Londyn thought it was too cute to dig into it. She took the little swirly ribbon off the top and that was pretty much the only part of the cake she ate.

Then we had a birthday party for her at the park with family and some neighborhood friends. It was so much fun! One of her favorite things she got was from the Howard's and Barnes', they got her this cute musical activity cruiser. She LOVES music and loves to scoot around and walk behind it. Here are some things I want to remember:

*Has four bottom teeth

*Signs: baby, more/eat (she thinks these mean the same), please, all done

*Says: mama, mom, dada, hi, and hi da (in a really cute high pitch voice)

*Took three steps by herself and will stand alone for a quick second or two :o)

*Blows kisses, waves hi and bye

*Puts her hands on her ears and shakes her head, as we say "I'm not listening"

*Loves Little Einsteins and will pat and raise her hands to the air when they do, then she'll crawl around in circles as they "blast off" and she says, vvrrrooom. Pretty funny to watch!

*Loves dancing and music, she'll see Tagg's phone and get super excited and will grab it and hand it to us until we turn on the music for her.

*When she wants something, she holds her hand out and says, "Ehh" -hard to describe in words, but it's pretty funny to hear her repeat it over and over until you figure out what she wants. Usually it is her binky or baby or some stuffed animal she sees at the store.

*She likes to "try" and put her socks and shoes on. She has also been putting my flip flops on one foot.

Londyn is very much a girly, girl. She loves her babies and stuffed animals and will sign "baby" by putting her hands on her chest and rocking her body back and forth - seriously, so cute! She has also been giving BIG hugs which are to die for! As you can tell, we can't get enough of her. She is still very cuddly and I still rock her to sleep for naps and bedtime. This is a routine I love and look forward too. She, of course, still has to rub her hands on my arms. She just has to touch my skin, even in the car, I have to reach back to her so she can hold or rub my hand. And, since I wrote this a week ago, Londyn has now taken 10 steps on her own. She's a very determined little thing. When she falls, she gets right back up and tries again. Won't be too long before we're running after her!

Oregon Coast vacation

2009-09-10T23:25:00.003-06:00

We went to Portland for Labor Day weekend with Tagg's parents to visit Tagg's sister, Penny and her family. We had so much fun and even after the drive, are so glad we went! We went to the OMNI Max, Comedy Sportz Center, Saturday's Market, and even squeezed in time to go to Lincoln City so we could spend the day at the beach. It was BEAUTIFUL! The weather couldn't have been better considering it rained the first two days we were there. The Oregon Coast was nothing like I had imagined. Here are a few pics of our trip. Eric is a pro with his camera and thanks to him, we have some great pics! Londyn's first time to the ocean, the water was FREEZING, I'm not even kidding!!

Walking on the beach with Daddy. Don't you love her "squinty" face?

Londyn and her cousin Canon, he's only 5 months younger than her and already weighs more than her. He's slighly taller too, can you believe that? He's the cutest, chunkiest boy ever! And they both were so good! :o)

What would a trip to the beach be if you don't eat a little sand? :o)

No longer Private

2009-09-10T12:56:00.002-06:00

So, I've decided to open up my blog and see how it goes. Some of my relatives and friends haven't been able to view our blog since I went Private with it, and I've been feeling bad about it. So, I'm just going to be extra careful on the personal info I put on here. :o)

11 months old

2009-08-31T23:25:00.003-06:00

Where has this summer gone? I just realized I haven't posted once this month...and here it is the last day of August! Crazy! We have a had a fun, busy, and short summer. We went to Heber City, Utah for the Williams Family Reunion. Lots of fun and memories there! Like what the losers of Texas Hold 'em had to do...Lex singing on the train, trying to get everyone to join in. Chad yelling at him to "Shut up! And sit down!" Then Melissa riding a bike about 2 miles downhill with a Barbie helmet, saying "wheee!" and singing. And good 'ole Grandpa Jerry having to drive around the security gate a couple of times. And Logan asking if he could buy a blue wagon from someone's yard that was overly cluttered with "stuff". (we wondered if they were preparing for a yard sale and just never got around to pricing things) Ahh, good times!
Londyn turned 11 months old on the 25th. I know each month I say how crazy it is, but seriously, it goes by so fast! I'm just going to write some things that she's been doing so I can remember them. Londyn is walking around the furniture like crazy, but not walking on her own yet. She loves to dance, I kid you not. Tagg got to go to a Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick concert, so he was listening to their music a lot. Londyn is hooked! She loves the sound of drums and starts head bopping to it. When we're driving, she'll be looking out the window and just start bouncing along to the music. She has also started to climb into her bouncer and hold onto the top of it, stand up, then start bouncing up and down. The vibrating button must be on, if you turn it off, she'll bounce for a second, stop, then reach down and turn it back on and begin the bouncing again. Hilarious to watch! She also loves to dance to Tagg's cell phone ringtones. She'll keep handing you the phone to turn it on so she can dance. I have loved seeing her comprehend things. She's pretty dang smart! She's been blowing kisses, giving kisses, and hugs, for a couple of months now. Recently, she's picked up on putting the phone or her hand to her ear and saying "hello?" She'll also put both hands to her ears and shake her head as you say, "I'm not listening". Of course, this is really cute now. :o) She has a serious love for dolls and stuffed animals. She'll see them and stick her hand out and say "Uhmmm". Then when you give it to her, she cuddles it and starts rocking back and forth, then hums to it. She also loves my mom's dog and neighbor's cat. Oh, and Tagg is pretty proud that she has taken an interest in playing ball. She loves bouncy balls and will crawl after it and then throw it, and crawl after it again. She especially loves doing this on the hardwood floor since it keep rolling. Or throwing it to my mom's dog, Meisha, because she'll go chase it and bring it back to Londyn. Some milestones to remember:
*First time in a boat at Heber City (fell asleep the whole time on the boat)
*First time on a 4-wheeler (put you in a carrier and you fell asleep the whole ride)
*Got your third tooth, bottom (now have three bottom teeth, and the fourth bottom coming in)
*Got babysat by Holly (first time being left with a babysitter as mom and dad went to the Temple)
*Actually, got babysat three times (Holly, Jalyce, and Jan) in a week! After mommy hadn't left you with anyone, but daddy!
*First word, mom :o)
*Understanding the word more, and starting to say it
*Attached to mommy, especially when tired
*Loves to play in mom and dad's bed in the morning, especially to crawl up on daddy to wake him up! (He is so not a morning person!)
*Pats to Little Einsteins when the Rocket is about to take off
I wish I could write just how much personality this little girl has! She is a character and we couldn't love her more!

Londyn dancing

2009-07-25T22:04:00.000-06:00

Londyn is 10 months old today! I can't believe it...two more months and she'll be ONE!! AAHH! She loves this activity table. She'll open and close it a million times and flip the page, and just start dancing. She is climbing up on things now, but I'm in no hurry for her to start walking. :o) I'll post some fun pics tomorrow, she's quite the character! She'll hear our cell ring and start dancing, actually, whenever she hears music, she dances. We think it's pretty funny. She's also started pointing at things. It's amazing how much they learn in such a short time.

Going Private

2009-07-01T10:45:00.001-06:00

After much thought, I've decided to go private with my blog. There are some crazy people out there and I can't imagine anything happening to my baby!! I know we are in a little "safe" town, but you just never know. There have been a few incidents where total strangers have said they've seen my blog or seen pics of Londyn, via someone else's blog. It just gives me a creepy feeling sometimes. I know that I may lose some contact with people, but I figured better safe than sorry. Plus, I have a Facebook account and so does Tagg, so people can look us up there where we don't have so much personal info. So, if you would like to follow our blog, please leave your email address so I can add you. Even if you just look in on us from time to time, we'd love to stay in contact with you (unless you're creepy and crazy) haha

Pics of Lou & exciting news

2009-06-24T14:28:00.001-06:00

Londyn was such a trooper this weekend! We went to Cedar City, Utah for the Utah Summer Games. Tagg and his brother, Chad took their team they play on and we had a blast! We sat through 6 games in 3 days. Londyn did great, she even slept through some of the games. She usually only cries when she's really tired, or falls off the bed! (Tagg took his eyes off her for two seconds...that's all it takes) Anyway, she is so much fun. As you can tell in the last pic, she is still pretty serious, and we've learned that she's very curious! Her personality is coming out more and more, and we are loving it! She dances (bounces) whenever she hears music, laughs when she purposely drops things and you try and catch it before it hits the floor, crawls all over, loves dogs and kids, and has recently loved babies and babydolls.

Now for some other fun news...I have started making and selling hair bows! I made the ones Londyn is wearing in these pics and lots more. I need to post them...just haven't found the time. I have also "reserved" a seperate blog, but haven't updated anything on it yet. I'll post the address when I have things up and going. I also do custom orders, so let me know if you'd like any or want more info. :o)

A new look

2009-06-17T00:53:00.000-06:00

I finally did it, after talking about for 8 months...I cut my hair off! Initially, I was planning on only cutting a couple of inches off, maybe 6 in. But, I decided that if I was going to cut it, I might as well do a complete style change. So, 13 inches later...what do ya think? I haven't had it short for 4 years, nor a swoop bang, so this is all new to me. But I love it! I'm so glad I did it, it's so refreshing! :o) Don't mind Londyn...she just woke up and I hate taking pics of just me!

8 months old!

2009-05-25T13:15:00.003-06:00

What have we been up to the last month? Well, my brother, Tyson got married in Phoenix on April 24th. This was Londyn's first Airplane ride and she did great! As we were getting off our flight, an older couple told us they didn't even know she was on there. Londyn had fun looking around at all the people. She's so curious! This is just before we boarded the flight.

We flew with my parents and Jamie and Jalyce. Londyn enjoyed going back and forth between all of us before the flight took off. Then, she slept for most the flight.

Tagg was a Groomsman and was pretty hot stuff! :o) Tyson and Meghan had a beautiful wedding, great food, and dancing! It was a blast. Tagg even got to have Londyn's first dance. So cute! I wish I would have got pics of my nephew Adler dancing. He went up to the D.J. and requested "Low" by Flo Rida (a.k.a. Apple bottom jeans). Then, Adler danced the entire song doing his sweet Ninja moves, turtle shell spin, penguin slide, and various break moves! The photographers were LOVING him! After the song, I asked Adler if he had fun and if he was scared. He just said, "I think everybody liked my dance. They kept taking pictures so I kept doing it." Too funny! I'll have to see if we can get a video on here, it's hilarious! Anyway, it was a short trip and we loved being in AZ. It was so warm, but not too hot yet. We didn't want to come back to the freezing cold, that's for sure!

And last but not least...Londyn is 8 months old today! Crazy!! She is so fun! She is so close to crawling. When she's sitting, she gets into this position, with one leg back and starts scooting and lunging forward. Then when she's on her tummy, she gets into position and starts bouncing. She will move her hands forward and then does a nice face plant or lets out this "ugh" sound from landing right on her tummy. :o) She is also teething, not so fun. She got the first bottom tooth at 7 1/2 months, now the other bottom is making it's way. I hate the fever, running nose, clingyness, and whinning that comes along with teething. But do you blame her? Poor little girl.
I am covering for a girl at work while she's on Maternity Leave. Luckily, they are letting me bring Londyn. I must admit though, it's a lot of work being back full-time and having a busy baby there! I feel so bad for her cuz she gets pretty bored. It's supposed to only be for 2 weeks, but I haven't heard if that's still the case. Londyn's been a trooper. Some other things she's doing is waving hi and buh-bye and giving kisses, slobber and all. Love it! She plays peek-a-boo and you can tell her to dance, and she'll start bouncing. ADORABLE!!

My first blanket!

2009-05-12T16:11:00.000-06:00

Well, I did it! I finally bought a sewing maching, picked out material, and made my first baby blanket! I wanted the rag style, just bigger squares, and something bright for Spring/Summer. I really liked how it turned out. Thank you Jan for helping me! Oh, and doesn't Londyn look so cute in yellow? Can't get enough of her!! When I was taking these pics, she kept grabbing at her new blanket and trying to play peek-a-boo, too cute!

Easter fun

2009-05-05T22:56:00.001-06:00

Aren't these rollers so cute? My Aunt Johni said we should just go out on the town with them in. :o) I forgot to take a pic of what her hair looked like afterwards, oops! Just add it to my to-do list.

Londyn on Easter morning. We got her this cute Fisher Price Zoo thing with cute little animals and a learning table. These were/are big hits! She loves to clank the animals together, swing the monkey so he makes noise, opens and closes the "computer" on the learning table, and we just sit and watch and laugh. It's great family fun!

This is Londyn in her Easter dress. She has so many cute Spring/Summer dresses, it was hard to decide which one to put her in. This is her learning table, we left off the legs though, since she can't stand on her own yet. Londyn is 7 months old. I know I always say that the time is flying, but it really is. She has started rocking back on her hands and knees and rolls all over. I'll have to post some more pics - it's so cute! She's pretty busy, and with crawling around the corner, I can only imagine the things she'll discover! She's very curious too. We spent Easter Saturday at the Williams' and had a fun Easter Egg Hunt and just enjoyed dinner and visiting with the fam. Jerry was showing the grandkids how he trained his dog to catch a frisby, so we were out watching and out of the blue, Londyn just started laughing! It was so funny. She would laugh everytime Bo would jump up and catch it. Then, we went to my mom's for Easter Sunday. It was nice to have a quiet day with just us, my parents, and two little sister's. And of course, another yummy dinner!

Makes us smile!

2009-04-22T21:02:00.000-06:00

Thought ya might want a good laugh! We are so in love with this little Lulu girl! We can't help but smile with her around!

Londyn's Photo Shoot

2009-04-03T14:06:00.006-06:00

I know I just posted about Londyn, but I couldn't resist posting these pics! Londyn got her 6 month pics taken yesterday, and I love how they turned out. Do you have a favorite? I'm having a hard time choosing, and these aren't all of them. :o) Thank you Caralee, you did a fantastic job!

This is the only one that she is smiling in. I was a little worried if any of these would turn out because Londyn was so serious, but sheesh, they're great!

Love this one! See her right big toe? Whenever she is sitting, it sticks straight up. Must need it to balance. :o)

Nothing like a baby girl in pink!

Ahh, she's so cute, I just love her so much!!

Tutu, cute!

Isn't this the sweetest little face? I think I'm going to print this one in color though and maybe on canvas. Great idea, Penny! I am so glad I got this hat - it turned out so cute!

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!! It's a 4x10, so I hope I can find a frame. If you know of anywhere, please let me know.

6 months old!

2009-04-02T18:41:00.007-06:00

Londyn had her 6 month check up last week. She's growing, growing...oh so fast! She was 14.5 lbs (23%) and 26 in. (63%). I am loving this age, even though I'm sad the newborn stage went so quickly, it's fun seeing her cute little personality as she's getting older.

Londyn has been sitting up by her self since she was 5 1/2 months old. She loves her walker and to just sit and watch you. She is giggling more and more, but it's still like pulling teeth to get her to laugh. She is always very smiley in the mornings and when she wakes up from naps, which is one of my highlights of my day!

Londyn is liking her veggies. Sweet Potatoes are her fav, then Green Beans, then Peas, then Carrots. She's not a fan of Butternut Squash. We just started her on fruits, and she's not loving them like I thought. She's tried Applesauce, peaches, and bananas. I'd say banana's are her fav of the three. Next on the list is pears. She definitely loves her Oatmeal and Rice cereal.

So, I love this picture. She loves Backyardigans - right when the Penguin pops up and says, "Hi! I'm Pablo." This is her expression. Isn't it so cute? She will just sit there through the whole opening song and giggle and smile and babble, it is the cutest thing. We're getting so excited for Spring...it can come soon enough! We went to Anaconda, MT this past weekend for Tagg's annual basketball tourney. (They took third this year) Londyn was pretty dang good! She was ready to be home though, we all were! We had to stay an extra night because of the snow storm, and that was one day too many for that town. :o) Also, my niece, Raelei was baptized on March 21st. So, Londyn and I made a quick trip to Utah. (Tagg had another tourney in Mud Lake) It's was a lot of fun to spend some time with the fam. I can't believe Raelei babe is 8!!

Our Shabby Apple Baby

2009-03-31T13:45:00.008-06:00

I saw the cutest dress on a friends blog and thought - Wow! Londyn would look so cute in that! So, I clicked on the link and oh my....a mom's heaven. Shabby Apple has the CUTEST dresses for girls, mom's, and mom's to be! The hardest decision you'll have is choosing which one. If you're like me, I couldn't decide, I wanted them all. So, I decided to enter their "Picture Princess" baby contest. If Londyn wins, she'll receive an entire Shabby Baby Spring Wardrobe and will be in their Summer 2009 Photoshoot. So don't mind us, we're going to brag a little here...

Our little Londyn is the "Perfect Picture Princess"! She arrived with her right hand up and snug by her head...she was born a diva princess. At only 6 months old, she has us wrapped around her cute little finger. When others see her, they always comment on her sparkly big brown eyes, her head full of hair, and just how stinkin' cute she is! We rarely make it through a store without being stopped. Londyn definitely is a crowd stopper! Just one look at her and she's got ya lovin her...that's a true princess! We love our little Londy Lou!

Although I think Londyn would look absolutely adorable in any of these dresses, I can only suggest one. I love this 'Queen of Hearts' because that is exactly what Londyn is to us! We hope Londyn wins. Shabby Apple needs a baby model - and who better than Londyn? :o)

Be sure to check out "Little girls and girls dresses from Shabby Baby"

Seriously, so cute!! And click here to enter your own princess, today is the last day!

Baby Parade Winners 2008

2009-03-17T15:55:00.004-06:00

We went to my mom's on Sunday and when we got there she asked us if we'd seen the Post Register. We hadn't, and I asked her if the Baby Parade had come out. I told her we must not have won because we didn't get a phone call or anything, but mom and Jalyce said she had! They choose a winner for each month and our little Londyn won for Septemeber!! Yay! Also, the June winner, Kazley Sakota, is a cousin. Something in the blood I guess. ;o)

Our little September! We must admit that we are pretty proud parents! :o)
I love looking through this every year! There are so many cute babies, fun names, and some names that ya wonder - what were they thinking. :o) Any favorites that you've seen???

Who does this?

2009-03-03T15:58:00.003-07:00

Anyone else bugged with The Bachelor last night? I read a friend's blog who feels the same way I do, we feel it was set-up last night cuz Melissa looked ticked when she came out. Plus, no audience, both her and Molly had to know something was up. I just can't believe he broke up with her on live TV - seriously, who does this? I liked Melissa from the get-go and agreed with all that she said last night. I guess there is a Part 2 tonight...I was thinking, oh what, now he's going to dump Molly and hook up with DeAnna? So lame!

5 months old!

2009-02-27T14:51:00.004-07:00

Londyn turned 5 months old on the 25th. I've realized that I haven't posted about her for awhile and she's getting so big and is still so dang cute! :o)

Here are some milestones that she has reached and things I want to remember:

*Rolled over from back to tummy on Valentine's Day

*Loves her Rice Cereal

*Sleeps from 8:30pm-4:30am, eats, sleeps till 6:30, eats, wakes up around 8:30am for the day.

*Loves her baths

*She is a pretty serious baby, it takes a lot to make her really laugh, but she sure smiles a lot

*Loves to babble, especially in the mornings (she's like me)

*Loves to stand

*Likes to sit up, but still tips over slightly

*Loves to touch mom's face, especially when "talking" or rocking

*Loves me to sing her to sleep (I really think her favorite song is "I'm trying to be like Jesus")

*Loves her binky and sucking on her fingers, thumb occasionally

*Likes Baby Mozart

*Likes to play with her knees and toes

*Loves snuggling and likes our hand on her face, or her cheek next to mom's cheek, when trying to sleep

*Loves to grab things and put them in her mouth

*Likes her Tweety Bird Rattle and teething toys (she's not teething yet though, fewsh!)

*Size 2 diapers

*Started wearing some 6-9 month pj's and pants cuz 3-6 were too short

Girl's State Basketball

2009-02-24T09:21:00.002-07:00

The Sugar-Salem Diggers are State Champs! They went 26-0. Pretty fun way for Jamie to end her Senior year. We had a lot of fun in Boise! My brother and his finance' flew up from Arizona and Court & Jeff drove up from Utah so we were all there. We also had several cousins, aunts, and uncles there. We made these shirts and lots of posters. This hot pink one says "Shenanigans!" And "No Foul". Tyson (my bro) had to have that sign.

"Go Jamie" It was pretty fun embarrassing her. :o) We love you Jamie!"Go Sugar" It was so fun watching these great group of girls. It's sad that it's all done and over though. At least we have Jalyce that is a Freshman that plays ball. And we're excited for track to start to watch both of them. Oh, Tagg wants me to give a shout out to the Lady West Jefferson Panthers for winning State as well! It was pretty exciting as they beat out two awesome teams, one who was undefeated. Way to go Diggers and Panthers!

And last but surely not least...my dad. Do you think he's a little far away? Can't scratch the new car, right? Haha, we love you dad!

How cute is he

2009-02-24T09:14:00.002-07:00

Penny and Eric had a BOY! His name is Canon Kunz - isn't he so cute? Eric told us he heard he wasn't as cute as Londyn and I told him that Londyn's a girl - she's supposed to be cute! :o) We agreed that Canon is one Handsome little boy! I love his cute boyish features already. I don't think they come much cuter than him! Congrats Penny and Eric, we can't wait to meet him.

Go Jamie!

2009-02-18T23:04:00.004-07:00

My sister, Jamie is #10. This is the Lady Digger's after winning District! Way to go!!

Londyn and Great-Grandma Sakota. Londyn does so good at all of these basketball games. We have to get her trained young as this is going to be part of her life! Tagg is in the Ririe League which will end here in about 2-3 weeks. Then, we'll be gone every weekend from the middle of March thru the end of April. So, I'm happy that Londyn will sit through a game. Heck, she even falls asleep with all that noise!

My mom had these shirts made and they only had a size 18 month romper in Royal Blue, so it's pretty baggy on Londyn, but we made it work. Doesn't she look so cute? I was sure to put a big flower in her hair just so people still knew she was a girl! :o) The adult shirts say "Lady Sugar-Salem Diggers" on the front and then "Nothin' but Net" on the back and the team names. They could not fit the whole thing on Londyn's so her's just says "Nothin' but Net" on it. So cute! My mom is pretty proud. She's going to have a hard time with Jamie graduating and not playing sports anymore. Anyways, we are going to Boise for Girl's State Basketball this weekend as it is Jamie's Senior year. Sugar-Salem girls are undefeated and are District Champs. We are really hoping they win State this year. So...GO JAMIE!!

Fabulous Five!

2009-02-14T21:40:00.005-07:00

Today is our 5 year Anniversary! Crazy how time flies. I just wanted to write a quick little post letting my Sweetheart know that I love him. I can't believe we've been married for five years and have a five month old baby (well, 5 months on the 25th). Tagg always says, "we're getting so old". So here's to our fabulous fifth year anni and many more to come.

Marriage Fun

♥ What are your middle names? Tagg Jerry and Darci Mineko

♥ How long have you been together? 5 years today

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? We didn't know each other, we were set up on a blind date. (that neither of us wanted to go on, I might add)

♥ Who asked who out? Technically, neither of us asked each other. Tagg's friend Tyler Simmons and my friend Sheryl wanted to go out but wanted another couple to go with them. So, they finally convinced Tagg and me to go.

♥ How old are each of you? Tagg is 26 and I just turned 27

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most? It's a pretty even. We go to my parents' and we see my two sisters since they are still at home. And we watch their sporting events. But, Tagg works with his brother Lex, and plays basketball once a week with Lex and his brother Chad.

♥ Do you have any children together? A baby girl, Londyn, she's almost 5 months old.

♥ What about pets? We've had three dogs and one cat. Not all at the same time, but we've decided we're really not pet owners.

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Wondering if Tagg will have work with the slowing of building houses, and the economy in general, it's a little scary!

♥ Did you go to the same school? Nope. Tagg went to West Jefferson and I went to Sugar-Salem.

♥ Are you from the same home town? Nope

♥ Who is the smartest? Depends on the subject

♥ Who is the most sensitive? Definitely me.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Probably Plum Loco. I craved it when I was pregnant, so we ate there a lot this past year.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Dallas, Texas

♥ Who has the worst temper? That'd be me.

♥ Who does the cooking? We both do

♥ Who is more social? Well, Tagg is a little shy at first and I hate being out of my comfort zone. So, once we get to know people we're both pretty social. As far as carrying on a conversation, I'd say me.

♥Who is the neat Freak? We both could do better in that department. I'm a freak about how things are organized though, like the dishes put away, the towels folded, clothes hung, umm.. looks like me. :o)

♥ Who is the more stubborn? Uh...me again.

♥ Who hogs the bed? TAGG, hands down!

♥ Who wakes up earlier? ME!! Tagg is not a morning person.

♥ Where was your first date? Applebee's and bowling. Then we watched The Ring and I wouldn't let Tagg and Tyler leave until we watched a "happy" movie. So, they stayed and watched A Knights Tale with us. :o) I'm such a scaredy cat!

♥ Who has the bigger family? Same, there are 5 kids in each of our immediate family. But, I have way more Aunts, Uncles, and cousins.

♥ Do you get flowers often? Not really, I would rather have something that doesn't die.

♥ How do you spend the holidays? With family

♥ How long did it take to get serious? Not very long. Our first date was over Memorial Day weekend, and we were engaged on Dec. 20th and married on Valentine's Day.

♥ Who does/ did the laundry? I do.

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Tagg is great with computers but I know more when it comes to Microsoft Office stuff, just cuz I deal with it more than he does.

♥ Who drives when you are together? Tagg. I sit in the back with Londyn. :o)

Finally, some updates!

2009-01-22T15:31:00.006-07:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Londyn is growing! She had her 4 month check-up and is doing great! Here are her stats compared to when she was born.

Weight: 13lbs 9oz (41%) compared to 6 lbs 13 oz

Height: 25 1/2 in (86%) compared to 19 in

We know she won't be this tall for long. But hey, her short mom can dream, right? :o) I've decided that Londyn is quite the serious baby. She babbles & giggles, but mostly she just sits all content and observes. What is she plotting? I'm not sure. She is getting to be a mama's girl. She doesn't cry for me necessarily, but she watches me like a hawk when someone, even Tagg, is holding her. She is still my little cuddle bug and loves to nap with me. Oh, it was my birthday on Jan 18th and Tagg invited a friend and his girlfriend to go to Iggy's with us. We only had to wait for 20 min for a table, but once we sat down and ordered, we waited over an hour for our food. Needless to say, we were all ready to leave. We got back to our house and Ashley (Matt's girlfriend) had made me a cake that Tagg had told her was my favorite, so I was so excited! Thanks Ashley, that was super nice of you! Anyway, I had a really great birthday. January officially goes down as my clumsy month! This past weekend, Londyn and I went to Utah and I was going down my sister's stairs, with Londyn, and I totally missed or slipped on a step and fell right on my bum! OUCH! I had twisted to my right side to try and save Londyn from hitting her head on the wall and hit my shoulder and back on the stair. And her knees jabbed me in the ribs. I have some pretty fun bruises and could barely walk without something hurting. :o) It knocked the wind outta me too. Sheesh. I fell at church about 3 weeks ago, too - talk about not knowing how to walk! This is a funny story though. Jamie, my sister, gave me some cute church shoes that are the same height all the way around the shoe. Heels are killing me with a baby. Anyway, I tried them on and they seemed to fit great. They don't have a back on them, just a thick strap that slips around your arch and top of your foot. So, I wore them to church. Well, it wasn't long and I started slipping all over the place. After the third time, I looked to see what size they were cuz they weren't staying on too well. Yeah...size 8!! I wear a 6 - 6 1/2. I tried to drag my feet the rest of the time and go slow, but as I was walking into Relief Society, 10 minutes late cuz I was feeding Londyn, I totally slipped right outta the right shoe and Londyn and I tumbled to the ground. Luckily, I hit my elbow and saved Londy's head. I had a huge floor burn on my knee, that bled, and a nice one on my elbow. Gosh, I'm so graceful - just wanted to make a grand entrance I guess. I sure hope I stay upright in February.

Londyn's Laughing!

2009-01-17T10:34:00.003-07:00

Londyn started laughing on Jan. 5th and wow - talk about melting your heart! Tagg is probably going to kill me for putting these on here...but who cares, right?

I'm not sure what is cuter, hearing Londy Lou laughing or watching what Tagg does to make her laugh. Ahh, the things parents will do. :o)

Catching up

2009-01-17T10:16:00.004-07:00

Yes, I know...I've been M.I.A. for awhile. :o) We had a great Christmas and New Year's. We did a Chistmas Play at Jan & Jerry's. It was so cute - GREAT JOB, LATAUN!!
We celebrated Christmas with the Williams on Dec 22nd, a little earlier than usual, but still fun, fun, fun! It's a tradition that the adults do a white elephant gift every year before we open gifts. This year for my white elephant, we had my niece Haddi be our gift. When we told her what she had to do, she was all in! We told her she may be in there for awhile, but we'd try and get her picked quickly. So, with little convincing, Jerry was first up and chose our "gift". We did have a real present so it wasn't just Haddi. I think the best is watching Haddi's mom, Lataun's reaction! She is sitting in the left corner by the tree. Pretty funny!

We decided to go to Driggs for Christmas Eve. Penny & Eric were supposed to be there, but Pen got the flu, and then they got snowed in at Jan's in Hamer. We felt so bad that they drove down from Portland and ended up spending Christmas by themselves. Anyway, we had tons of fun playing Rock Band, eating Beer Battered Shrimp, Chicken, and Veggies, and just hanging out.

Take it away, Tagg!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T22:34:00.003-07:00

Isn't that the cutest picture of Londyn? We love it! And just so you know - it really is a real tea cup. It was NOT photoshopped. :o) The cup is more the size of a mixing bowl - so cute! We hope everyone has a safe and happy holidays!

Growing, growing, growing

2008-12-11T17:39:00.004-07:00

This was Londyn's first time in her bumbo. Don't let this picture fool you though, she totally loves it! She was so content just sitting there watching me as I was making dinner. It's probably nice being able to see the world from sitting up rather than laying down. Plus, she likes to be where she can see me, so this worked out great!

Londyn has found a new comfort thing. Her right hand goes to her mouth and she sucks on the knuckle of her pointer finger. Then her left hand goes directly to her hair! It's so cute. I wonder if she'd suck on her thumb if she didn't always tuck it under her fingers. Anyway, Tagg and I were getting ready to go to his ball game and he went to put her in the car seat and this is what he found. Londyn wasn't even screaming, she was just kinda grunting like she does when her binky falls out. :o) We thought it was pretty funny that she had pulled her bow over her mouth. The next day she pulled it down again, but it was just covering her eyes. I sensed her bows wouldn't be staying in her hair when she was grabbing her hair at a couple of weeks! Dang kid...leave the bows alone. :o)

I have totally loved Londy Lou's smile, coos, and grunts. She cracks us up all of the time and she is only 2 1/2 months old!! Londyn had her two month check-up today - yep...shots! She was supposed to get it done the week of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't do it to her then! And this last week we were babysitting my cousin Troy's girls. So I didn't want to do it then cuz I knew I wouldn't be able to snuggle her all day. So...today was the day. She has been doing pretty good. She definately is hurting, but I've been trying to stay on top of it with the Tylenol. Luckily my friend April suggested to start giving her the Tylenol about 30 minutes before going to the doctor. I totally think that was our saving grace. After her appt. we had to go get my blood drawn to test my thyroid levels and Londyn was smiling and talking to the nurses and that was an hour after her shots. She was still smiling till about 3:30 and then she started crying. It was killing me to see her in pain and that she had to wait another hour before I could give her more Tylenol. Poor babygirl!

Londyn's stats at birth:

Weight: 6 lbs 13 oz (14% for her age)

Height: 19 in (24%)

Here are Londyn's stats at 2 months and 2 weeks old.

Weight: 11 lbs 6 oz (49%)

Height: 23 1/4 in (64%) Wow this will probably be the only time she's above avg for her height :o)

Happy Holidays

2008-12-11T00:04:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Birthday Tagg!

2008-12-06T17:58:00.006-07:00

It was Tagg's birthday last Sunday. He got a dirt bike, it's a 2002 Yamaha YZF 250. He went riding the day before Thanksgiving with his family and they froze! So, I think he is really looking forward to this spring when it's warmer. I'm excited too so I can take Londyn on the four-wheeler and we can all go. I'll have to take some pic's of his bike, he's pretty excited about it. He had gone riding with his brother Lex just around Hamer in the creek beds. Well, they weren't having too much fun so they decided to ride out of it and head back to their parent's house. Tagg ended up having to bail off the bike and broke off the rear fender. So, he got new fenders for his birthday and the bike looks as good as new. :o) Now just for a little mushy part...I just want Tagg to know how much I love him and appreciate all that he does. I'm so grateful that he works hard so that I can stay at home with our sweet baby! He is such a great husband and father, I am truly blessed!! I absolutely love seeing him with Londyn. There is such a special bond between a daddy and his daughter. Doesn't this picture just melt your heart? I couldn't love them more!!

Oh, and people have been telling me that I should include my side of what happened at Londyn's blessing. I finally did so just go to her blessing post and it's under the second picture. :o) Good times.

What are the chances?

2008-11-19T21:17:00.002-07:00

Last year at my company Christmas Party, Lacey, Ashley, Kassie, and I all decided that we would purchase tickets to the Celine Dion concert for Nov. 21st. At first we thought it was a little crazy to be buying concert tickets nearly a year in advance, but hey, why not. We were so excited for our girls weekend. Well, Kassie and I got pregnant and can't leave our babies. So, we decided to take our husbands and go Christmas shopping and stay at the same hotel so the guys could hang out while we were at the concert (and watch the babies). We've been so excited for this, but then Lacey called and broke the news. The concert has been post-poned till February 22nd (a Sunday night - how dumb!). Seriously!! What are the odds? Apparantely Celine has inflammed vocal cords and a naso-pharangeal infection or something. GRR!! I can't go in Feb. because one of our friends from N.D. is getting married the day before. I'm so bummed now!! At least I got to see Celine in Vegas last Nov. But still, we'd been waiting ELEVEN MONTHS for this!! Did anyone else have tickets to go this weekend?

All about Londyn

2008-11-19T20:05:00.003-07:00

Londyn has been smiling & cooing and I've been loving it!! She is getting big so fast, I can't believe she will be 2 months old on the 25th! I just love this picture. Tagg had just set up her play mat and she was just a smiling away and talking, it was so cute!

Londyn also loves tummy time. Actually, everytime we have tummy time, she ends up falling asleep. She naps better on her tummy than her back. I guess she really is her daddy's child as Tagg is always sleeping on his stomach. :o)

So, between weeks 1-4 Londyn HATED her bouncer and swing! It was a little frustrating because I couldn't get anything done since she just wanted to be held. So, I decided to just love her and snuggle her and enjoy it! The housework could wait. Well, at 5 weeks Londyn decided that she LOVES her swing and is warming up to her bouncer. HOORAY! I nurse her at about 8 a.m. then change her, snuggle her, and then put her in her swing. She is usually out in less than 5 minutes. So, I quickly shower and get ready and even get a few house chores done before she wakes up. At that time, we bathe her and get her ready for the day. So, thank you Lataun for letting us borrow the swing!!
I am SO loving being a mommy! It is the best job I've ever had. :o) Even though we've had a few rough days/nights, it has been so very worth it. She has been so much fun and has totally changed our lives. Here's some things about Londyn:

~ Loves tummy time, warm baths, and snuggling

~ Loves her car seat, stroller, and swing

~ Loves her binky

~ Likes to have a blanket by her face when trying to fall asleep

~ Hates being cold (I turn up the heater during bathtime so it's not so cold when she gets out, and it has seemed to help)

~ Holding head up a lot better

~ Smiles and talks to mommy and daddy

~ Recognizes our voices
~ Sleeps from 11pm-3am (sometimes 4) then eats again every 2 hours till about 8 am then she naps till 11 am and eats the rest of the day between 2 1/2 and 3 hours.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T22:56:00.005-07:00

I couldn't find anything that fit Londyn for Halloween, so we put her in this pink cow fleece outfit and called it good. Halloween was so much fun this year, a baby really does change everything. :o) We went to Tagg's parents for a family party. Jan thought it would be fun for us to line up oldest to youngest and play pass the grapefruit under our chins. It was hilarious!! If I can figure out how to put the video of it on here, I'll add it. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween.

Londyn's Blessing..."Oh Sh**"

2008-11-03T22:21:00.011-07:00

Well due to the fact that this was a personal experience I, Tagg, have decided to do this post - but don't get used to it. On Sunday we had the opportunity to bless Londyn. We were both very excited for this, but I was probably more nervous than anything. As the night approached I called my dad to double check how I was suppose to do everything and he was able to calm my nerves a little bit. Well Sunday rolled around and we went to church. I was very nervous because Londyn had fallen asleep a little earlier and I was worried she wouldn't sleep during the blessing. Just as the song ended and ward business began Londyn, like I thought, woke up and was wide eyed. I was sure that she was going to start crying right when we were getting ready to bless her. Well Londyn and I and a few gentleman walked to the front and she was still wide awake. We gathered around the circle and I started the blessing. Don't forget that I was as nervous as a little kid going to the dentist for the first time. Well as I was trying to rememeber the words I felt Londyn kind of sliding in my hands, I opened my eyes and looked at everyone in the circle to see if they looked paranoid at all, and everyone seemed cool so I just thought it was me and my nerves again. Just after I named her there she went.... I opened my eyes, I saw her sliding very quickly down our arms like a ride at raging waters and just as Bishop and my dad almost hit their knees to catch her I non-chalauntly said "oh sh**". I looked around even more nervous now hoping that no one heard it through the microphone.... Fortunatley no one did but I was nervous before and now I was just completly rattled. I made it through the blessing and so did Londyn, although when I raised her up so that the congregation could see her, her dress was up by her neck and her bow had all but fallen off. Needless to say Londyn barely made it through the blessing, and can't wait to see what happens when we baptize her...Anyone sense a drowning???

DARCI'S STORY: I just thought I should include my experience of this crazy story. So, I knew Tagg was pretty nervous for Londyn's blessing. All week he kept asking me if I could please make sure she was fed so that she wouldn't scream through the whole thing. Well, Sunday came and as I tried to get her nursing scheduled around Sacrament I decided to pump enough to hold her over just in case. I was glad I did because she was ready to eat by the time church started. Anyway, so Tagg went up to bless her and just as he named her, he went silent. I didn't open my eyes (unlike several friends and family members) instead, I just thought "Okay honey, find the words..." and still silence. So I thought, "just say something, anything" (which apparently was when he said oh shiz and about dropped our precious baby!!!) And then, finally, he kept going with the blessing. I really didn't think anything of it, just that I felt bad that he either couldn't find the words, or that he got pretty choked up. When he went to hold up Londyn for everyone to see her, I noticed that the Bishop was still holding on to Londyn. I then noticed Tagg mouth to the bishop "I got her". I thought that was a little weird but then thought that Bishop was just giving him a hard time cuz he was a new dad. And then I quickly noticed that Londyn's beautiful dress was up to her neck and that her bow was all cricked and about falling off. I thought, "what the heck did they do to her?" Little did I know that they nearly dropped her! I also noticed that Chad, Tagg's brother was holding back his famous laugh as he was saying something to Tagg. But, I just thought it was Chad just giving Tagg a hard time for not being able to find the words. Once Tagg and Londyn made it to me, Jerry (Tagg's dad) and Tagg were laughing and asking me if I saw what happened. Uh...NO!! I didn't see, but it all made sense that Londyn looked like she had been tossed around the circle afterwards! :o) Tagg also was wanting to make sure that we didn't hear him swear. Uh...nope... just those who were in the circle, including the bishop! So just for the record, I didn't see her nearly hit the floor and I will be sure to have lifeguards at her baptism!

So adorable

2008-10-28T10:49:00.004-06:00

Our little rocker girl! She'll be playing Rock Band with us in no time, right?

These are the most recent pics, just from Sunday. She finally fits into one of the many dresses she has. Don't you just love her little face? I can't get enough of her!!

I thought this pic was so sweet and had to post. She is getting so big, so fast! Everyone at church couldn't stop touching her hair. How do you nicely tell people to stop touching her dang hair...you're gonna mess it up. :o) Just teasing. She has so much hair, ya just can't resist putting you're fingers through it. So, Londyn is now 1 month old, I can't believe it. Where did October go? Londyn is so much fun. She is so alert and content. I've found that during her fussy hour at night, she likes to just lay down on her blanket and have her belly rubbed. She loves being talked to and loves to go for car rides. So, I mentioned before that Londyn loves her hair. Well, the other day she was laying on her blanket while I was getting ready, and all of a sudden she let out this monster cry. So, I ran to her and saw that she had a hand full of hair in a death grip. No wonder little one, sheesh. It was pretty funny though. She's done it a couple more times, maybe one day she'll learn not to pull so hard. :o) Thanks for all of the comments and calls regarding my last post. It really helps to know that I'm not alone. And yes, it has already started to get easier. I think we're finally getting used to each other. :o)

Feeling inadequate

2008-10-23T20:59:00.007-06:00

Today my baby is 4 weeks old. Where has this past month gone? I've found myself pondering a lot today and decided I needed to blog in hopes of getting some advice and maybe feeling like I wasn't alone on this. Do you ever feel inadequate? Last night was pretty rough. Tagg was in Arco all day and was only home for about an hour and a half before he left for his Basketball Game. I decided to stay home with Londyn since she had just fallen asleep when Tagg was getting ready to leave. Good thing I stayed home because not 20 minutes after Tagg left, the screaming began. Ususally she is a little fussy from 8:30 to 10:00 p.m., so I wasn't too surprised. But when she wouldn't nurse, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't cuddle, wouldn't bouce with me, all she did was scream bloody murder, I didn't know what to do! Tagg finally called to let me know he was on his way home, an hour and a half later, and I was tears and at my breaking point! I yelled at him and told him that he was selfish for leaving his wife and baby to go play basketball after only seeing us for a few hours the whole day! I feel bad for saying that to him now, but at the time, I was so mad that he wasn't there to help me...just to give me a break...and give Londyn a break. So, Tagg hurried home and wouldn't ya know it...Londyn fell sound asleep the second that garage door opened. You'd think I'd be relieved right? Nope. I then felt that Tagg probably thought I was crazy. And I, of course, gave him the cold shoulder, then let him know again what I thought about him leaving us. I felt so inadequate as a wife and mom! How could I be a mom that didn't know how to comfort her own baby? Why did I blame Tagg? I've thought that maybe I should go back to work instead of being at home, so she can have a break from me...but I couldn't bare the thought of someone else raising her! Nobody else would love her like I do! So, I've found myself on my knees, more in the last month than ever before. It's a lot harder being a mom than I ever thought, but so totally worth it. How do you other mom's make it look so easy? Your kids love you, your husband doesn't think your crazy, your houses are always clean, and dinner is always ready, how do you do it??? Luckily today was a better day. Tagg couldn't go to Arco today since the parts weren't in, so he was able to spend most of the day with Londyn and me. Thank heavens for new days...I had a new day to be a better wife and mom.

How can you not love this baby? Screaming or not, (preferrable not), Londyn...I LOVE YOU!!

Can't get enough

2008-10-21T16:46:00.005-06:00

What happens when your high school gets a turf football field? An Alumni Football Game. Yep, West Jefferson has a turf field, so the alumni came up with a way to play on it. They have a Charity football game where the proceeds went to help a kid from WJ with Medical Bills as he was diagnosed with Throat Cancer. This was the second year they did it, but the first for Tagg and Chad (Tagg's brother). They split the teams according to the year you graduated, so the odd years were the away team and the even years were home. Tagg and Chad graduated ten years apart and it was so fun to see them play a football game together. Chad took over as the QB and Tagg as a WR, and there was no stopping them. The only thing the other team could do was hit them hard and do a lot of trash talking. :o) Tagg and the odd years, won 26-12 I believe. Woohoo - way to go! But...was the sore knees, ribs, back, legs, arms, etc worth it? I guess so cuz Tagg and Chad both say they'll play again...they just can't get enough!

Diva or Ball Player?

2008-10-10T17:03:00.004-06:00

Londyn turned two weeks old yesterday. Seriously, where does the time go? I am loving being a mom, but sheesh, it is a lot of work. These are just some things that I love and wanted to write down:

1. She wakes up at 3:00ish every morning, and I love this hour she's awake. It's such a quiet, peaceful hour for just the two of us. She's so alert; she's studying my face, as I'm studying her's.

2. Her hands. She LOVES her hands. I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not, but when Londyn was born, she managed to slide one of her arms out with her head. And I told Tagg, hopefully that doesn't mean she's a diva. And his reply was, Nope, she's going to be a Basketball Player, already practicing her shot. Anyway, she can't stand to have her arms swaddled, she always manages to wiggle both arms out and then her arms go straight by her face. It's adorable, and we love it. She's also discovered her hair. She'll reach up and just play with it. I think this is her telling me that the bows will not be staying in her hair for very long. :o)

3. Her grunting. She does this distinctive grunt that only her parents could love. :o)

4. Her facial expressions. I'm amazed at the time I spend just watching her.

5. I love the sweet spirit she brings to our home. Our home has been more peaceful and filled with love, even with the couple of rough nights of crying. I'm so thankful for such a wonderful husband and sweet little girl.

Londyn's One Week Birthday

2008-10-03T15:06:00.007-06:00

My beautiful, sweet baby is one week old! I can't believe it, Oct. 2nd was my due date, and I can't believe she's been here for a week now. I told Tagg yesterday morning that we should put her back in my tummy and do it all over again. He said no, she's more fun out than she was in. :o) Anyway, yesterday was a big day for little Londyn. We started the day off by having Katie Wells take her newborn pictures. Katie posted a few of the cute pics on her blog, but I chose just a few to put on here. I think they turned out so cute!! You can go to katieportraits.blogspot.com to see a sneak peek of a few more. I can't wait to get the CD of all of the pictures, it is going to be so hard to choose which ones to print. Katie did an awesome job, I highly recommend her!! Londyn was kind of a stinker though. First, we took some family shots and then got Londyn undressed to take some pics with daddy, and sure enough...she peed, luckily only a little on Tagg, the rest on the floor. Then she was wide awake, kind of hard to take pics of a sleeping baby when she isn't sleeping! So, I nursed her and it seemed to work. But, when I went to put her in this bean bag thing, Londyn decided to poop. And oh did it go everywhere! I felt so bad, but Katie reassured us that everything was washable and not to worry. After getting things cleaned up, Londyn was wide awake again. We finally got her to sleep and Katie took some amazing shots! Oh, and Londyn's umbilical cord fell off! Tagg got a little panicked at that point since he made a deal with me that as long as I didn't make him change diapers until her cord fell off, he'd not complain about diaper duty. :o) Some things that Londyn has done this past week. At four days old, Londyn slept most of the day. She had her first visit with her Pediatrician. She had dropped a little in weight, which is normal I guess. So, she weighs 6 lbs. 9 oz. and is still 19 in. I let them know I thought she may be jaundice. They drew her blood, and we found out her levels were a little elevated. They said to keep her in the sun and they'll check the levels again in 24 hours. That night, Londyn was up crying off and on from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Tagg and I were pretty worried about our little girl, but all was well. Sept. 30th (day 5), got her tests back and she doesn't have jaundice! Hooray! Oct. 2nd (day 7), Londyn slept through the night! She was up from 9:30 p.m. till 1:00 a.m. but slept from 1:00 a.m. till 8:30 a.m. I am pretty sure this was a one time thing, maybe not, but it was sure nice to get a good night's rest! I guess she was exhausted from getting her pictures done.

So very blessed!

2008-09-29T10:03:00.004-06:00

I can't help but to just stare at this little miracle! It's amazing to me how much love you really have for your baby. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and now a beautiful, healthy baby girl! I have dreamed of this moment for such a long time, it's still very surreal. I can't believe she is finally here. What an incredible journey, and I can't wait for what lies ahead.

I love this picture of our new family of three and our fabulous doctor. We are so thankful that Dr. Meredith was able to help us through infertility and make it possible for us to have this little angel! Tagg was amazing through the labor and delivery. We were scheduled for induction at 11:00 on Thursday morning, but got a call saying there were 5 ladies in labor and we'd have to wait till they delivered before we could go up. We arrived at the hospital at 12:30 p.m. They broke my water at 2:00 and then started me on pitocin. At 4:00 p.m. I was dialated at 4 cm and 90%, which is when I asked for the epidural. At 7:20, I had dialated to 6 cm. The nurse said it still could be a couple of hours, so we were prepared for an all nighter. Well, at 8:00 p.m. I started feeling a lot of pressure, called the nurse in, and she said, "you're complete. I will go call Dr. Meredith to let him know." When she left, Tagg asked me, "so, what does complete mean?" And I looked at him and said..."Honey, I'm at a 10!" I think at that point his nerves really kicked in. The nurse came back and said to push through a contraction to see if we could get things going, that was at 8:15 p.m. I pushed through 2 contractions and then she said she had better call the Dr. He got there pretty fast, and was panting a little. Tagg asked him if he ran here, and Dr. Meredith said, all the way up the stairs! The Dr. wanted me to push through another contraction so he could see where I was at, just as he was telling me that most first time labors can be pushing for an hour or two at least, so to prepare myself...then he quickly told me to stop pushing! He said, oh never mind, she's coming! And little Londyn was born at 8:40 p.m. It went really quick and I couldn't believe it was over, just like that. Tagg didn't pass out either, for all those who were wondering. He did say he got really nervous that the doctor wasn't going to make it though, but once he arrived, he was good to go. What an experience!!

Okay, last one. This is us just getting home from the hospital. So, here's a crazy story. We left the hospital on Saturday around noon and went to Wal-Mart to pick up my prescriptions. When Tagg got back to the car, he said, well...let's go see Brooke (she had just had a baby, too). I kinda looked at him like, are you kidding, we just left the hospital. Anyway, Tagg had got a call from our nurse at the hospital letting us know we hadn't been discharged yet and needed to come back because there was a problem. Not something we really wanted to hear. Apparently, there was another Williams baby girl born and they thought our baby had got all of her shots, but hadn't. So, we had to go back so she could have her Hepatitis B shot, and her first screening. Crazy hospital! :o)

She has finally arrived!!!!

2008-09-28T20:54:00.002-06:00

Londyn Mineko Williams was born Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 at 8:40 p.m. She weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19 in. long (short). This is a picture of Mommy and Londyn meeting just after her first bath. Check out all that hair!!! Actually, it is a toupee....

Here is a picture of daddy and Londyn get ready to check out of the hospital. Isn't he, I mean she, so cute? Mommy and Londyn are doing great and Daddy is stressed out and extremely paranoid!!!! We'll be sure to post pictures of her smiling from the left and the right views, one from birds eye and also one from underwater. Then we will post pictures of her crying in 3D and we also have 45 minutes of video of her sleeping. Ha ha....

39 Weeks

2008-09-28T19:15:00.002-06:00

This is Darc and I leaving for the hospital and a picture of her at 39 weeks.

36 weeks and 2 days!

2008-09-15T21:56:00.003-06:00

Grr! I so hate posting pics of myself, but for some reason people keep telling me that I've gotta post some pics of my belly. So, this was taken on Sat. Sept. 6th, just before my baby shower. I was 36w2d. Today, I'm 37w4d. I can't believe that I could have this little girl any day now. It's still so surreal. In church yesterday, Tagg grabbed a pencil and asked if he were to poke my belly with it, if it would deflate like a balloon and if that would make the baby come out. I think he's getting tired of me being pregnant too. :o) I still can't complain, I've had a great pregnancy. Even then, I am getting very anxious to meet this beautiful girl. We go in tomorrow morning to see how far I'm dialating, so we're excited for that. Last week, we had an ultrasound and even though they can't give an exact measurement, they say right now she is only measuring in the 24th percentile. They say she only weighs 5 lbs 7 oz. So, she needs to stay in my belly as long as possible. I was glad to hear she wasn't huge, having Gestational Diabetes increases my chances of delivering a big baby. But, I am also scared to have a tiny baby - with babies losing weight at first, it'd be scary if she dropped below 5 lbs! Anyway, we are so excited and nervous and can't wait to let you all know when she's born!!

What...Another Baby Shower?

2008-09-15T21:34:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to tell Courtney (my sister) and Lacey (my friend from work) THANK YOU, THANK YOU for throwing me such a great shower last Saturday! I'm pretty lucky to have you two and Katie and Erin to throw me such great showers! And thank you to all my friends and family that came. I know some of you came from out of state just for the shower, and others that I hadn't seen forever, I was so glad that you all came. Tagg and I are truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives that support us and love us. We got so many amazing gifts - when we were unloading the car, we just kept saying how thoughtful and generous everyone was. We seriously hit the jack pot. Mom, thank you so, SO much for letting us have it at your house! I know it must have been a headache, but I truly appreciate it! And Jan (my mother-in-law) thank you for coming over and helping me get organized. I can officially say that I'm ready for our baby girl, well, as far as having all of her clothes washed and put away. It's a great feeling! Anyway, thank you again to all that came and Court and Lacey, I seriously can't thank you two enough! Sorry - I'm so sad to say that I didn't get a single picture with me, Court, and Lacey. But, I'll be posting my prego belly here shortly.

Baby Shower

2008-08-25T22:37:00.002-06:00

On Saturday, my friends from Utah, Katie and Erin, threw a baby shower for me. It was so fun having them here with their babies. Katie's little boy, Jett is 9 months old and Erin's little boy, Eric is 5 months old. Aren't they so cute? And I'm getting pretty big, I am 34 weeks! CRAZY!! All three of us lived in the same Apartment complex in Utah and have been friends ever since. It's so fun that we all have, or in the process of, having babies. I just wish they lived closer. Anyway, thank you Katie and Erin for all that you did!! And thanks to my friends in my Ward that came and gave such great gifts. I had so much fun and appreciate all of you!! Thanks again! :o)

No more Bees!

2008-08-22T14:16:00.002-06:00

Tagg was stung by a bee the other day and it swelled up more than when he sprained his ankle! He even woke up in the middle of the night needing to throw up - which the doctor said was a reaction to the bee sting. He had to take anti-biotics and draw a line on his ankle where the swelling was at, and if the swelling spread beyond that line, he would have had to go in for a shot. If anyone knows Tagg and his fear of needles, you'll know that he was faithfully taking his medicine. (Not something he usually does.) Anyway, the swelling went down and all is well. All except for the bees that lurked in our front yard! The bees were getting really bad this year so we were off to the store to find something to kill them. This is where the picture comes into play. Raid is my new favorite product!! It seriously zaps the bee and kills it on contact. So, Tagg was having his revenge and was killing these bees left and right. We found two huge nests under this bench by our front porch, another one under the lid of our garbage can, two in the eaves covering our porch, and then one in our neighbors mailbox that is next to ours. We went through two cans of Raid and haven't seen nearly as many bees since. Thank you Raid!

Most Valuable Player

2008-08-05T17:25:00.006-06:00

One of Tagg's sweet interceptions during the Championship Game.

And the award goes to...Tagg Williams - Most Valuable Player 2008!
Dustin Simmons, Tagg, and Matt Landon after the Championship Game.

Okay, so I am so late on posting this, but better late than never, right? Tagg and a few of his friends played for the semi-pro football team, Eastern Idaho Lionz. They usually play in the AAA division, but after the craziness that went on during the season last year, they didn't know if the Lionz would even exist this year. So, they moved them down to AA and they dominated. It is always fun to see Tagg in his element, I seriously don't know what this kid would do without sports! Everyone keeps giving him a bad time that once this little girl is born, he won't get to play so much. I'm hear to tell ya that I doubt things will change. I am already excited for Basketball to start up and even though we'll have a little one, these sporting events give us a chance to get out of the house. :o) Tagg had an awesome year with the Lionz, he had a total of 9 interceptions. The first 3 were in his first game and the last two were in this Championship game. He was also chosen for the All RMFL Defense 1st Team as Safety. Way to go, Tagg!

Nursery ready? Check.

2008-07-17T16:44:00.003-06:00

Here are pictures of our baby girl's Nursery. Pretty pink, right? The wall behind her crib is pretty bright, and the other walls are pretty pink. I'm so excited to have it all painted though, we got it done in one day. Thank you to my sister, Courtney for the awesome crib and dresser/changing table. We LOVE it! There is also a glider on the other side of the crib - thanks Court for that too. She has totally hooked us up. That mirror in the corner won't be staying - we just don't have anywhere else to put it right now. Now I've just got to get some decorations for the walls, you can see that Tagg still hasn't hung that picture that is sitting on the changing pad. Oh, and I've got to get a lamp for the lamp shade. So many things still to do and time is winding down. I'm 29 weeks today, feeling great, and counting these next 11 weeks down!

26 weeks and counting!

2008-07-15T23:10:00.002-06:00

After getting my own personal Blog Cheerleaders, Erin & Katie, I am finally posting a picture of my belly. This is the most recent one I have. I'm 26 weeks in this pic, and I will be 29 weeks on Thursday. I just got diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, last week and it's not so fun! I am not on insulin...yet, but I'm afraid it may be around the corner. I have been watching my carbs and sugars and yet my blood glucose levels are still elevated. I was pretty shocked to learn that I had G.D. since I have only gained 10 pounds at 28 weeks. I have quickly learned that there are many factors that contribute to GD and I am not on a diet. My main problem was that I was eating most of my carbs at night instead of spreading them out throughout the day. And I can't drink so much juice, oh how I am missing my Grape Cranberry juice every morning! I also learned that I am slightly anemic, so I have to take more iron pills. I was on such a roll, I had no morning sickness, a great 1st and 2nd trimester, and now on the home stretch - I have some minor set backs. At least the baby is healthy and for now, I can manage the GD with diet. I'll keep ya posted. I meet with my Diabetes Specialist tomorrow and then another follow up appt with my doctor on Tuesday. I can't believe I'm already going in every 2 weeks! Time is flying by!

More at Lake Powell

2008-07-15T19:05:00.004-06:00

Lataun, Mia, and Jan tubing at Lake Powell.

Aahh...Tagg jumpin!

I love this picture of my nieces, Indee and Haddi. It was so fun watching them jump off the rocks, tube, knee board, and ski for the first time.

Lataun and Mia soaking up the sun! Mia was giggling the whole time - it was so cute!

Sicilee and Kimbri - they are my nieces and are the same age. They're getting so big, so fast.

I love this picture too. Tagg practing for next year - our baby will be 9 months old.

Lake Powell

2008-07-15T18:33:00.005-06:00

Tagg and I went to Lake Powell with Tagg's brother, Chad, sister, Kami, and parents. Monte and his family, a friend of Chad & Lataun's, also went. It was so much fun! The weather was nice too. It wasn't too hot, and the water was pretty nice. I couldn't do much, just sit in the boat and the beach, or float around since I was 6 1/2 months pregnant. I would go again in a heartbeat though. There were lots of fun and crazy things that happened. To start off, Jan and Jerry's boat only ran for about 30 minutes. So, us four had to hop between Chad, Monte, and John's boat the rest of the week. That first day, Tagg, Jan, and I decided to take a break from the boat rides and stay with the "beach" stuff, and we got hit with a wind storm! Sand and water was blowing every where, and we were trying to hold on to life jackets, towels, floaties, and anything else that was left with us on this rock. Needless to say, John and Kami were the only one's that came to our rescue! Thanks again by the way. :o) Other things that happened were: ~Chad's boat ran out of gas, twice and Monte had to pull him to the dock.

~Tagg getting teased by everyone for not jumping...I mean, for getting attacked by crows the day before we left, while climbing a 300 foot tower!

~Losing each other while going to Rainbow Bridge. We just couldn't all seem to stay together. :o)

~Watching Jerry Cliff dive, instead of jumping and convincing Jan to finally jump too.

~Waiting for our room's AC to finally kick in.

~Jan's snoring - no worries, I found the highest decibel ear plugs for Tagg and I to wear each night. We love you Jan, but we gotta get our ZZZZ's

~ Going to Safeway to buy Apple Juice and Milk with 5 young girls.

~ Getting hit on by a drunk guy at 6 1/2 months pregnant. And then he asked me for money and kept telling me "you're welcome" and I would ask for what? And he said, "for my people that created this place for you to come enjoy." Yeah, he was VERY drunk!

~ Jerry promising that he pushed 85 for gas and not 87...but he got charged the 87 price, not the 85. Hmm...I dunno Jerr - computers don't lie. ;o)

All and all it was a great trip! What week are we going next year?

To hear or not to hear?

2008-06-21T14:56:00.006-06:00

This is the device that was surgically insterted into my dad's head, permanently. The part with the Electronics Housing and magnet (the two circles) sit a couple inches above his ear. Then the 16 Electodes are wired into the Cochlea, which is in the very inner ear.

This is the attachment that you actually see. He got this in Black so it's less noticeable. So, the white and orange part is what rests on his ear. The piece right after the hook thing is the computer, amazing huh! Then the lower part of it is the battery, which only lasts 17 hours and is $150 just for one. They gave him 4 that he rotates and are rechargeable, but they only last about a year. Anyway, then the orange circle piece is what sticks onto the outside of his head. It is magnetic and sticks to the magnet that is inside the device that was put into his skull. If he takes that magnet piece off his head, he can't hear and once he puts it back in place, the sound is back. Pretty amazing!

This is my dad, my sister Jalyce (14), my sister Jamie (17), and my mom.

To hear or not to hear? That was the question running through our mind on Tuesday, June 17th. This was the day the doctors called "Hook-up Day". To us, this meant whether or not my dad's world would change for the better or worse. Well, after four long weeks of waiting, they finally "turned on" Dad's Cochlear Implant device. At first, he said that everyone sounded very robotic. But then, after about 10 minutes, he recognized Mom's voice. Yes...Dad could finally HEAR!! How truly amazing this was for him and our family! He still has quite a long road ahead of him, more check ups and tests, but the great news was that he could hear us talk. It has been so much fun seeing him be able to hear again and to see what he can hear right now and what he can't. Surprisingly, he cannot hear the T.V. right now, but he did hear his pill drop on the floor. At dinner that night, he was tapping his fork on his plate, just to hear it again. He crinkled up a paper, just to hear it again. When he went to wash his hands after being able to hear, and heard nothing, but then after about 15 seconds, he heard the water running. Fifteen seconds was all it took for his brain to remember what it sounded like. So, he turned off the water and back on again to see if he heard it instantly, or if it would take it a few seconds to register again. So, he turned it on and instantly heard it. The brain is truly amazing. The doctors say it will take a little longer before he can hear the T.V. because there is so much going on and it's not constant. If he were to watch a familiar actor talk or a familiar movie, he may be able to pick up on that. They say after about 2 months of adjusting the device, he'll hear the max that he can. We're so excited and so very thankful that he was given this second opportunity to hear again. It's a miracle and we thank our Heavenly Father for blessing my Dad, and for the technology advancements we have today. We've been so blessed these last six months, I can't even describe my feelings and gratitude. Oh, and my dad is able to hear people talk on the phone, the land line is a lot better and clearer, but this is very exciting! Even when he had his hearing aides, he wasn't able to hear very well on the phone. Dad said that he is able to hear clearer than he ever had with hearing aides, isn't that awesome! His quality of hearing has already improved and it's only been a few days, and is only going to improve! HOORAY for second chances!!

Can we say spoiled?

2008-06-15T10:15:00.002-06:00

Tagg got a new Toyota Tundra when we went to Boise a couple of weeks ago to see Jamie (my sister) run at State Track. Tagg's been researching Tundra's and looking for one for four months! We were going to buy an '06, but then with all of the rebates Tom Scott Toyota was offering, we actually ended up getting an '08 for LESS than the '06. Crazy, I know. We didn't believe it either, but sure enough, the $7000 rebates were legit and we came home with a new truck. Tagg has never had a new vehicle, as he says, "with less miles than my age" so when this had 23 miles on it, and that new car scent, he was in love. Happy Father's Day, Tagg!

Our fingers are crossed...we love you DAD!

2008-06-15T09:17:00.011-06:00

I never realized the value of hearing until my dad, at the age of 46, went completely deaf! He has been able to hear with hearing aides for about 3 or 4 years, but two weeks before Christmas, both ears can no longer hear. It was a hard Christmas, as my dad was dealt a hand he had never been dealt before. Then the concerns of not knowing whether his job would work around him, wondering if he should learn sign language, and mostly how he was going to be able to communicate with anyone. We quickly realized the seriousness of not being able to hear. His whole world changed overnight. At least with hearing aides, he could communicate and people could see that he had them in his ears. Now with being completely deaf, he looks fine, he's young, and can talk to you, he just can't hear you. Some of the things we so easily take for granted like being able to hear really changes your outlook on life. My dad was shopping at Wal-Mart for Christmas presents, and the cashier forgot to de-activate one of the electronic devises, so when Dad left the store and the security beeper went off, he of course didn't hear the beeping, nor did he hear the employee telling him, "Sir, please come back into the store." Dad kept walking to his car, when he was all but thrown to the ground by two employees, giving Dad several bruises. Could they not have been more tactiful??? Embarrassed was an understatement for how my dad felt that day. And the realization of being deaf sank in. They of course took him back inside, and Dad kept telling them he was deaf. Once they checked his bags and realized he was telling the truth, the apologies began. My dad told us that he truly felt that he was no longer a part of the "hearing" world, to sit in silence and know what you're missing was almost unbareable for him, and for us to see him missing out. The simple things were no longer simple. He couldn't go through the drive-thru at any fast food place now, he can't hear them. So, instead he has to go inside, tell them he's deaf and that he just wants a #2, don't upgrade or add anything, and he can't take a number or give you his name to call when it's ready, because he can't hear you. So, he tells them he will be waiting at the end of the counter. Making a doctor's appt. takes two trips, he can't call, so he has to go there to make the appt and then go back when the appt actually is. To sit for three hours in silence at church, and not know what is being said or taught. Anyway, we have gone through lots of post-it notes, pens, and markers from writing everything down on the dry-eraser board, but worth every cent to be able to talk to your dad. Now for the exciting part. Dad met with an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist in Utah and found out that he was a candidate for the Cochlear Implant Surgery. After months of being deaf, there was finally some hope of him hearing again. The down sides, there was no guarantee it would work, no money back, and you had to wait 4 weeks after the surgery to find out if it worked. This doctor only will allow one ear to be operated on, so with the hefty price at $140,000 for one ear, Dad's surgery was scheduled for May 19th. I was able to take a week off of work to be in Utah with my parents. It was an experience that I will never forget. It was so hard seeing my dad in so much pain, but exciting at the same time for the possibility that he may be able to hear us again! This picture is the day after the surgery, he had a black eye and a Migrane from you know where. Dad goes back down to Utah on Tuesday, June 17th to get the attachment that magnetically sticks to his head and find out if he can hear. They say he will never hear the same way he did before, but at least he'll be able to hear something. And it could be up to 7 months of rehab, which means traveling to Utah each month. Dad keeps saying, "you can't put a price on hearing." I'm so grateful for the technology we have now, how amazing it is to me that they operated at 7:00 a.m., cut around his ear and inserted a device into his skull. Then they inserted 16 wires into the very inner ear, called the Cochlea, and was done by 9:00a.m. We were in the recovery room for about 6 hours, and then they let us take him back to the hotel. I was and still am shocked that cutting into his head would only be a day surgery. The doctor actually doesn't even see him again until the 4 weeks of healing are complete. The doctor said he has an 82% chance of hearing again, so our fingers are crossed. Sometimes, it is so hard to understand why we are given the challenges and trials, but then to look back to Christmas and see how our family has changed, I can't help but feel so blessed. Dad is still here, it may be harder to communicate with him, but at least he's here. It's been fun watching my little (well, younger I think they are both taller than me now) sisters become closer to him. It has given us all an opportunity to communicate in a different way and to pull together for eachother, but mostly for Mom and Dad. My mom has been amazing through this as well, I can't imagine not being able to just talk to my husband. My favorite time is talking in bed before we fall asleep. For my mom, now she just writes it down. :o) We love you Mom and Dad! We're so anxious and so excited, and definately praying for another miracle!!

Boy or Girl?

2008-06-01T20:53:00.005-06:00

Okay, I fully admit that I have not been the best blogger, I told you this would be a challenge. We have been super busy, if that counts as an excuse. Anyway, we had our big ultrasound on May 9th and the verdict is officially in...Tagg and I are having a baby GIRL! The first thing that Tagg said was, "Darc always gets her way!" We all just laughed. I have been trying to prepare Tagg for the last few months by telling him that I was pretty sure it's a girl. It was fun to see her moving around and know that she is measuring right on schedule. We picked up this onsie that says "I am not a boy" and Tagg said we'll have to bring her home from the hospital in it so he remembers that it's a girl. She is going to be the 5th grandchild on my side (she makes it 3 girls and 2 boys) and she will be the 16th grandbaby on Tagg's side (she makes 12 girls and 4 boys). When Tagg told his siblings, he just said, "It's another freaking girl!" And everyone's responses were the same....all broke out in laughter! Tagg was wanting a boy to brag to his older brother Chad, who has 4 girls. Maybe next time. :o)

I Would Die For That

2008-05-08T18:32:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfGqOx2iDQ

So, I couldn't figure out how to post this so you could just push play. This was the next best thing. If you get a chance, watch this video! Of course, I was in tears, and when you watch it you'll see why. Especially after my long post about how we finally got pregnant!

Our Miracle...how it finally happened

2008-05-08T16:57:00.003-06:00

I have been getting a lot of questions on how we finally got pregnant and what finally worked. So, here it is, the story of our miracle. In Decemeber 2006, I did a radio-active Iodine treatment to "kill" off my thryoid. I was diagnosed in Nov '06 with Grave's Disease, which contributed to me being Hyperthyroid. So, the safest option was to kill it off, be locked in my bedroom for 3 days, which by killing it off now would make me be Hypothyroid. I gained a lot of weight, was up and down with mood swings, and tired all the time, oh and wasn't able to get pregnant. My poor husband was so amazing through all of this, I'm still surprised he stayed by my side through it all. I know that I wasn't the nicest person and I took a lot out on him. It has made us stronger and has made me a better person. :o) We just kept saying, "And this too shall pass." So, after months and months of trying, we finally decided to see what our options were. In Sept. '07, we started Intra-uterine Insemination (IUI). After three months of it not working, our doctor decided to do the IUI two days in a row (Dec '07). When Jan. '08 came and we still were not prego, we decided to look at other options. Knowing we only had two more months of IUI, they recommend that you try IUI for 6 months, then if it doesn't work you can look into adoption or try In-Virto. So, we met with our Case Worker at LDS Family Services on Jan. 9th and were trying to schedule an appt. with an adoption agency called CASI. Anyway, we got our paperwork and were excited to get started on the Adoption process. It was hard at first to think that I wasn't going to go through a pregnancy or see what mine and Tagg's babies would look like. It was something we had prayed and fasted about and felt that we should keep an open mind and look at adoption as an option. We had told our Bishop that we were thinking about Adoption and he offered to give us a blessing. He gave us great counsel and our blessings were amazing. That same day, Jan 11th, we went in for an IUI as well as Jan. 12th. We also had my blood tested again to see where my Thyroid levels were at. A week later we found out that my levels were not where they should be and that the IUI probably didn't work. Our Dr. told us that we needed to get my levels back to normal (which just meant increasing my dose) and then we could try IUI again. We were pretty discouraged, and at that point, I thought that we should pay the non-refundable adoption fee to be put on the waiting list. Tagg didn't think we should just yet, that we should wait and try IUI one more time once my levels were normal. So we waited. Well, one week later...our miracle happened. We were finally pregnant!! We were shocked and so was our Dr. There really should have been no way for me to be prego since my thyroid levels were whacky. We truly are so grateful to be able to go through this amazing experience. I was really sad at the same time though because I was really loving the possibility of adoption. Well, there it is, that's what finally worked for us. I hope that we won't have to go through infertility treatments again, it is such an emotional rollercoaster, and I have such a soft spot for those who have to experience it. I don't think people understand how hard it really is. I have never been so offended and hurt by some of the comments people made, but you just keep your head up and try and stay positive. Just as an update: My thyroid levels have been off since January and I've had to keep increasing my dose until this month. Hooray, it is finally normal. My pregnancy has been amazing so far. I haven't been sick at all, haven't even thrown up once! I'm counting my blessings (and crossing my fingers that the delivery will goes as smooth). I'm now 19 weeks and we find out what we're having tomorrow, we're so excited!! Oh, we have a family blog, there is a link on my blog, Williams Family Newsletter, and Tagg has put his version of how we got prego. The post is titled, Tagg-o Wagg-o Fam, it's pretty funny! Actually, I think he should be the one posting, he's so much more funny than I am. :o)

My one and only

2008-04-21T20:41:00.007-06:00

What his is name? Tagg
How long have you been married? 4 years
How long did you date? 7 months
How old his he? 25

Who eats more sweets? Me, hands down. Since I've been pregnant, I can't avoid Sour Patch Kids...actually anything sour is totally hitting the spot. Tagg will eat a few here and there, but he rarely buys candy or dessert...he's crazy!

Who said I Love You first? Okay, this is a great one-liner. We still laugh about it, I think he's still pretty proud of it. When we were dating, Tagg said to me, "Darc, I don't know if this is Love, but I know that I more than just like you." Isn't that the biggest line ever? Gotta love him for it. :o)

Who is taller? Not hard to be taller than me...Tagg is for sure.

Who can sing better? I'd have to say me, but that's not saying much. We both can rock it out to Rockband though...anyone up to play, we have killer rock outs! I call drums, first! ;o)

Who is smarter? I'd have to say it depends on the topic. Tagg is smart on most subjects, but I kill him on spelling and anything that comes to English.

Who does the laundry? That'd be me. I love the smell of clean clothes, so I don't mind doing it. Tagg does know how and will do a load here and there, if needed. Mostly his smelly basketball clothes, lately I can't even attempt starting the load, but I'll fold it all nicely for him.

Who pays the bills? This is a mostly me thing. I pay all of the bills, but the car. Tagg pays that one, he always has, probably because he just does it over the phone each month. I prefer knowing that the bills are all paid on time, he did it when we were first married, but I think it drove him crazy that I'd always ask if things were paid. It was just easier for me to do it, and I don't mind, I like writing checks as Tagg says.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Standing at the foot of the bed, I sleep on the right. It's closer to the bathroom and I got tired of always climbing over Tagg a million times a night!

Who mows the lawn? I like to mow the front, it's enough for me to keep my tan. Tagg does the back since it's the majority part and our dog loves to follow him.

Who cooks dinner? Honestly, lately Tagg does. The thought of cooking raw meat...well, we'll just keep it at that. I'm so glad that he has not complained once, he just nicely asks, "Hon what sounds good tonight?"

Who drives? Oh, that would be Tagg...but he gets a lot of "passenger driving" from me. I can't help it, sometimes it drives me nuts when he won't stay on his side of the road. This is something we both know won't change. Sorry baby, I love you and just know that you can keep it between the yellow and white lines. :o)

Who is more stubborn? That's me, no questions asked. Dang Sakota blood. :o) I must say that I think I've taught Tagg a thing or two, and I am not really liking it. Guess it's his way of putting me in my place.

Who kissed who first? Tagg did, but I didn't back away by any means. He was the first guy who actually kissed me on the cheek first, then a goodnight kiss, and ended with one on the forehead. Unforgetable, that's for sure. He also was the first guy that didn't prefer "french kissing" and that's when he had me. :o)

Who asked who out first? Well, we met on a blind date that neither of us wanted to go on. I had a "missionary" who was 3 months from getting home, and Tagg was out water-skiing that day and had no interest on meeting anyone new. So, we doubled with Sheryl (my friend) and Tyler (Tagg's friend) and had a great time. The next night, he called and Sheryl and I told them to come over and watch a movie, and it went from there.

Who proposed? Tagg did. He wrote me a poem, and read it over the intercom at Beauty School in front of everyone. I was cutting a client's hair and he paged me to the front (which only the students or staff are allowed) so it really surprised me. I ignored him and kind of gave him a look like, I'm busy, I'll be up when I'm done. But, one of the gals came and finished the guy's hair for me, and I went up to the front. He had it video taped and got down on one knee. There were lots of tears from the girls and everyone kept saying how sweet he was. He had a whole day and night planned out and it was amazing!

Who wears the pants? I'd say I did at first, or I liked to think that I did. I have been working on the whole controlling thing, and I think Tagg and I can both say we're neutral on this. I'm going to have to agree with Lataun though, that Tagg probably does because I too can't make a decision, I trust and value Tagg's opinion too much and don't like to do things without him knowing. We don't ask each other permission to do things, but we do let each other know what's going on, if that makes sense.

I now tag anyone who hasn't done this.

I love my Sunbeams

2008-04-09T09:00:00.002-06:00

This is from one of my favorite sites, Sugardoodle.net. My friend, Katie and I are both Sunbeam teachers and we were talking about some of the challenges this calling brings. She emailed this to me and I just had to post it!

Sunbeams
I work part-time as a teacher of family doctors. The program provides training on psychiatric disorders and emphasizes the importance of emotional support. The new doctors are given plenty of time in clinic to visit with their patients and learn about their challenges.

One of our interns who has never lived in Utah, and knows nothing about Mormons, is still struggling to understand the cultural climate here. Last week he was interviewing a new patient and stumbled on what he thought was a raging psychosis.

Doctor: "Well, Mrs. Olsen, we've talked about your high blood pressure and your medications. Are you experiencing any particular stress in your life?"

Patient: "Oh, yes! It's the Sunbeams. They're driving me crazy."

Doctor (very surprised): "The sun beams?"

Patient: "Yes. I've never had trouble with them before, but this group won't sit still. They bounce all over the room, and run out the door and down the hall."

Doctor (reaching for a pen): "Have you told anyone about this?"

Patient: "Of course. I told the president."

Doctor: "Really! What did the president tell you?"

Patient: "She said Sunbeams are like that. I'm just going to have to learn to deal with them."

Doctor (concerned that he may be missing something): "I know people who are sensitive to sun beams. Do they cause you a rash or anything?"

Patient (confused): "A rash? No."

Doctor: "What's the biggest problem they're creating?"

Patient: "It's the noise. They just won't quit talking."

Doctor (astonished): "The sun beams are talking to you?"

Patient: "Well, yes. But mostly they talk to each other."

Doctor (scribbling furiously in the chart): "I see. Can anyone else hear them talking?"

Patient (after a moment of stunned silence): "You're not LDS, are you?"

Couldn't resist...

2008-04-08T12:10:00.002-06:00

Well, it's official...I'm a part of the blogging world! I really like reading my friend's blogs and keeping in contact with them. I have wanted to create a blog, it's just finding the time, and honestly, what do Tagg and I really have to post? So, we'll see how this goes. Thanks Katie for encouraging me to take on this challenge! :o)