Clark and Loni

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T11:41:00.001-08:00

Source: myowlbarn.com via Cici on Pinterest

Well blogging something I love everyday hasn't really happened and I'm sort of over it now, so that was good enough! :) I guess I'm really not a blog-every-day kind of person. That's OK. I do have to say though that there are a so many more people that I love and am grateful for that I didn't get a chance to write about... so to all of you, I love you! :) (you should know who you are)

Happy Valentine's Day! Clark and I are going to spend our night making some gourmet burgers and relaxing, maybe we will grab a red box. We already went out to eat last night and are going out of town to San Francisco this weekend for my birthday/valentine's so today we thought we would keep it low key. It's still a good day though! <3

Love #8: Grandparents

2012-02-10T18:56:00.000-08:00

Love my grandparents, love Clark's grandparents, love my family. We are blessed.

Love #7: The Temple

2012-02-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

I love to see the temple, I love to go to the temple, I love what the temple means, I love that my family is forever.

Love # 6: Our Amazing Parents

2012-02-07T14:10:00.001-08:00

I think Clark and I are the luckiest people ever when it comes to our parents. They are all such good examples of faith and perseverance and love. On top of that, they are all amazing grandparents! Faye absolutely adores each of our parents and they absolutely adore her too. it's pretty great.

Love #5: Modern Prophets

2012-02-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

“May I share with you a formula that in my judgment will help you and help me to journey well through mortality... First, fill your mind with truth; second, fill your life with service; and third, fill your heart with love.”
― Thomas S. Monson
“Love is the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is not found only at the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arched across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the yearning of youth, the adhesive that binds marriage, and the lubricant that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. How rich are those who enjoy it in their associations with family, friends, and neighbors! Love, like faith, is a gift of God. It is also the most enduring and most powerful virtue.”
― Gordon B. Hinckley, Standing Something Cd: Ten Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts And Homes

We are so lucky to have the guidance of prophets. I truly love them and the things they teach us and the good that they stand for.

Love #4: The Beach

2012-02-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

Loved it since birth I think. I feeling lucky to have grown up with it so close and really have missed it when living out of state. ((One of the reasons I'm not as excited to go to Oklahoma in a few months!)) Now that I am a mother, I have loved taking Faye and introducing her to the magic of the beach as well. We will miss this place!

Faye enjoying it as a smaller baby
Home from college, perfect sunset

Clark and me when we were engaged.

Love #3: Bikes

2012-02-03T22:16:00.001-08:00

Seriously, I love my bike. I love riding with Faye on the front now even more. She makes it so much fun singing and laughing as we go along. I wish we went out on them more than we do.

Love #2: Clark

2012-02-02T09:23:00.001-08:00

These aren't supposed to be in any particular order of how much I love them ;) but here is my next little love post

The hubs, Clark. Love him times a million. I'm grateful everyday that we are married. I get to be with my best friend forever and that is pretty cool. I am still amazed that everything worked out right for us to be together and it makes me feel so incredibly lucky. I love my man!... and I love that picture, so handsome :)

Love #1: Baby Faye

2012-02-02T09:15:00.001-08:00

Time to enjoy this beautiful little month called February by sharing some of the things I love each day....

We'll start with the sweetest little angel girl in my life: Baby Faye

Seriously, she is the BEST. She lights up our life in ways that I never knew were possible. She makes us laugh everyday. She is such a little cuddle bug and knows how to make us feel special. She is a Mamas girl AND a Dadas girl which makes us both feel great. I'm so glad that we didn't wait too long after getting married to have a baby because she makes everything in our life brighter. We love our baby Faye (who really isn't a baby anymore, but I'm still pretending).

San Diego

2012-01-25T16:44:00.000-08:00

We took a little trip down to San Diego to visit my beautiful cousin, Kelley and her hubby, Rob a few weekends ago. It was unfortunately pretty cold, but we had a great time with them anyway. Faye especially loved running around outside. We went to Balboa Park for a little bit and she was thrilled with all the kids and birds and things to look at. We also stopped by Moonlight Beach, where she played a little on the playground, but like I said it was cold (Faye didn't mind, but the rest of us didn't last long). We are glad that we got to go visit before heading to OK City and we are especially thankful to have such wonderful people in our family! Thanks Kelley and Rob! We love you guys!

Bikes

2012-01-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

We love to bike, but we don't get out and go enough. Luckily my parents brought the bike rack down the other day (along with their bikes) so we could all go down to the bike path on the beach and ride. It was fun, but a little cold and windy (as you can see by the way Faye is bundled). Faye loves when we go out on them. Whenever she sees our bikes in the garage she yells "SEAT!!!" and wants me to take her out. Hopefully we will have some warmer, sunnier days soon so that we can go again and not freeze. Although I'll take the 60 degree weather any day over the alternative....

Jessica Biel...

2012-01-16T19:06:00.001-08:00

I just really loved this whole look. Jessica Biel at the Golden Globes. Gorgeous.

3 years

2012-01-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

Picture by Tamara Elise Photography

Our anniversary was on January 2 and we celebrated 3 years of marriage! I am so incredibly grateful that I married Clark. I can't think of a more perfect person for me. He is so calm and patient and kind. He helps me to see the bright side of things, to always look for the good and to be understanding of others. Plus, he is an AMAZING Daddy to our little Faye. I love him more now than I did 3 years ago... which is a lot. :)

Yoga

2012-01-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Yoga is something I am working on getting better at this year. I can't afford to go to classes, but I can afford DVDs. I LOVE one of my new DVDs that I got the other day. Kathryn Budig (pictured above) is amazing.

Ohio

2012-01-11T20:57:00.001-08:00

The day after Christmas we jumped on a plane and flew out to Cincinnati to visit with Clark's family. It was a wonderful and relaxing trip full of lots of food, games, and good family time. It also snowed a little bit, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to sled in. Despite that, Faye still seemed to enjoy it. We got to spend a week and a half with everyone there and we wish we could have stayed and spent more time together... except maybe with them coming out to California instead, or with the weather being warmer there because I was frozen the whole trip! Faye especially loved being with everyone. She liked calling for her Nana over and over again and she still is calling for her randomly now that we are home. She also really enjoyed the amount of space to run around and the amount of food available for her whenever she pointed for it. We got to celebrate New Year's while we were there. It was uneventful but good. The day after was our anniversary which was simple and nice... more on that in another post. Here are pictures...

With Nana and Grandpa before we left

Graeter's ice cream.. yummy

loving Uncle Eric

New Year

she loves Nana

loving her Christmas present

at Zip's for some burgers

snow

Her hat... She hated it before we left, but we obviously made her wear it whenever we went outside. By the end of the trip, she was calling out for her hat and shoe shoes all the time so that she could go outside...

Christmas

2012-01-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas was spent at my parents this year. It was wonderful as usual. We did a little nontraditional (for us) Christmas Eve brunch with my sister's family and my brother and his wife which was great. We went to the park to feed the ducks and play on the playground. Then that evening we went with my parents to El Torito for some mexican goodness... we didn't feel like cooking. Christmas morning was quiet but it was good. My brother and his wife came back over so that we could open presents together and Faye had fun opening present after present after present (she was pretty spoiled this year). After that we went to church and then back to the parents to hang out. It was a memorable holiday and I am so grateful for the time we got to spend together as a family celebrating the birth of our Savior. What a blessing it is to know that He lives and loves us and to get to honor Him during this time of year.

Christmas day before church

El Torito

Christmas Eve with Faye in her new jammies

at the park

down the slide... she LOVES the slide

A present from my client, Andrea... Faye LOVES it and points to it to have me put it on her all the time

she hates santa, wouldn't get close.

feeding the ducks

Thanksgiving

2012-01-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving at my parent's house again this year. It was fun because my whole family was there, even my brother, Danny and his wife, Leanne and kids came down from Utah. There really isn't much to say about it except that I cooked the turkey again and Faye had a great time with her cousins. Also, we did the usual gingerbread (graham cracker) houses after dinner... here are pictures in no particular order

my house
kids table
Dad cutting the turkey
a very exciting game of Wii... can't you tell?
typical Kendal
around the table
yum yum turkey

We're Home!

2012-01-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

We got back from Ohio today and well... as you can see we are tired. I came into the living room to find Clark asleep like this and it cracked me up. Love him. We are happy to be home and enjoying the wonderful weather, but we miss Clark's family.
I have a lot of updating to do on here... November, and December so those should be coming soon!

Halloween

2011-12-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

I just have not been in the mood to blog lately, so I am forcing myself to do it now, starting with Halloween.

We went to my parents ward party, because they really wanted us to and we wont be here next year, so we obliged. Faye was Little Red Riding Hood. I made her costume, it turned out a little big, but that is OK since now she can wear it again another year if she wants to. She had a great time at their party. She ran around the whole time and then would stop and dance and dance to the music. It was one of the funniest things she has ever done. People would stop and dance with her and it was really cute.

Halloween day Clark had a school meeting until around 7:30, so Faye and I hung out until he got home. We carved our family pumpkin and passed out candy. Once Clark got home, we went trick or treating to one apartment (Ryan and Jenny's) to see how Faye would do. She didn't pass the test, so we walked around a little and let her enjoy seeing everyone out and in costume. She had fun doing that. It was another successful holiday.

It is not letting my put my pictures where I want them, so they are out of order... but here they are.

At the Halloween party
We did a simple pumpkin this year, I wasn't in the mood with Clark being gone.

Faye at the party, running wild
Before the party
Cousins shot

Lit up pumpkin.

Pumpkins

2011-11-21T13:39:00.001-08:00

It doesn't feel like October without going to the pumpkin patch, so Clark and I took Faye for her first time. We went to the Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark which is about 10 minutes from my parents house! Faye had a great time with all the pumpkins, the corn maze, and the animals. Happy Fall!

Pumpkin house
She loved the pumpkins, she kept going up to them and trying to roll them over and pick them up.
She loved running around in the corn maze
A little chicken puppet show that she enjoyed
Riding in a wagon

Funny Faye

2011-11-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

Me: "Faye are you a genius?"

Faye: "Jesus?" points to picture of Jesus on the wall.

She is the best!

At the Temple

2011-11-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

One

2011-11-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

Faye turned one year last month! I can't believe how fast this year went, yet it's weird to think about how life was without her. She really is the light in our lives. We love her so much.
We did a birthday bike ride on her actual birthday, since she LOVES the bike. We also spent as much time outside as we could. She was happy with that. We had a little birthday party for her here in LA with people in our ward. I didn't take any picture... seriously, FAIL. But we did have a little video so that at least makes me feel better. It was butterfly themed, we had hot dogs, and other food, and banana cupcakes. She was just happy to be outside with a bunch of people. As far as her stats go, she is about 22 lbs, which is more average now and she is still tall for her age. She still doesn't like to sleep, loves her Mommy and Daddy, loves her cousins, loves her grandparents, loves her aunt, loves walking, is really great at dancing, runs around like crazy, prefers playing with a bowl and spoon or other random objects that aren't toys, loves her books, loves music, and says a few words, her favorite phrase now is "what's that?" or "What is that?". We love our little Faye baby!
Birthday donut
birthday bike ride
birthday sun glasses
birthday chair, clothes and monkey
birthday party cupcakes, yum.

Sandstone Peak (Mt. Allen)

2011-11-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

Hiked the highest point in the Santa Monica mountains last month. It's only 1.5 miles up from the trailhead, but kind of steep. So pretty up there.

Utah

2011-11-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

The weekend after our trip to Tahoe, my cousin Lindsey was getting married in Utah, so we flew up for that. It was a short little trip, but we enjoyed spending time with my cousins and that part of the family. We got to stop at BYU for a little bit and show Faye around which was fun. The family dinner was up near park city in the canyon at a little restaurant. It was so pretty up there. I headed back that night with my cousins, to help get the bride ready in the morning. We got up early and I did her hair, then we were off to Salt Lake for the sealing. It was a really nice sealing and was done by my cousin Kelley's mission president. Lindsey and her husband Ben met through Kelley since they served their missions together in Russia. After the sealing, we went out to lunch at the Blue Iguana in Salt Lake which is one of my favorites. We then drove out to Oakley for the reception at Ben's house. Unfortunately Clark started back up in school, so he wasn't able to make the trip, but we missed him! It was a great trip and we are so excited that Ben and Lindsey are married now! They are pretty cute together.
Faye waiting during the sealing. My mom was nice enough to watch her for me so that I could go in.
Just married
Russian missionaries (minus Lindsey)
Love my parents
My sister and me. She always gets Baby Faye to sleep.
In the conference center. We took a tour since my sister had never seen it. Faye was holding on to me in a pretty funny way here, so we took a picture.
On top of the conference center.

Tahoe

2011-11-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

Time to finally update! Our computer needed a new graphics card and we finally got one, so back to blogging! Starting with our trip to Tahoe for Kendal and Sabrina's wedding!
We drove out on a Wednesday and the trip out was a lot better than I expected. Faye is such a great little traveler. We got to our cabin that night and I can't remember anything specific that we did besides unloading the car and hanging out. On Thursday, we prepared for Kendal and Sabrina's rehearsal dinner. We decided to make it casual and just do it at the cabin. We had a BBQ and the food was amazing! Best burgers I have ever had. Clark went on a hike with the kids and my Dad that morning to get the kids out while we cooked. Faye had a lot of fun outside with the rocks and things. The next day was the wedding. We got up early and took some pictures with Kendal. Then we went down to Zephyr Cove to the ceremony. It was right on the beach there and it was so pretty. It was kind of windy, but otherwise everything was perfect. Kendal and Sabrina were so happy and the ceremony was really nice. The pastor did a great job talking about marriage and the importance of it. After the ceremony, we went to the Ridge hotel for the reception. It was really nice and intimate. We had lunch and then cake and then dancing. Mainly the kids were the ones dancing and they were pretty hilarious. My nephew Reuben had some serious dance moves out there which was pretty funny because he is usually pretty reserved. After the reception, we headed back to the cabin. That day Clark, my Dad, the kids and I went on another little hike. We climbed around on some boulders and had fun. We got back to the cabin and did the treasure hunt for the kids. It ended with candy and some super hero capes my mom made for all the kids. They loved them. The next day, we met up with Kendal, Sabrina, and the other guests from the wedding for a breakfast at Harrah's Casino. Yummy, but expensive. After that, we went out to explore Lake Tahoe a little bit more. We drove up to Emerald Bay and hiked around. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was absolutely beautiful up there. I would love to go back and explore more someday.
Here are some pictures:
On the drive up, she was was just too cute holding that little rubber ducky and her puppy stuffed animal.
Hiking around with Clark. She really liked putting one rock in each hand and walking around.
At the BBQ
Ceremony
After the ceremony, on the beach
Dancing at the reception (this was the tame part)
Faye and her cape
Emerald bay

Our cabin. It had crazy stairs and Faye was obsessed. She went up and down them all day. Clark is such a good Daddy for doing that with her the entire trip.
Rest stop on the drive home.

Cousins

2011-09-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

We were in Tahoe this past week for Kendal and Sabrinas wedding. It was so beautiful. I accidentally left the camera that has most of the pictures from the trip at my parents house, so I will have to do a post about that later... in the mean time, here are a few pictures of Faye and her cousins while we were up there. She absolutely adores all of them. It's pretty cute.

My Dad with 7 of his 8 grandkids

Cousins being silly

Faye was very interested in Baby Kobe.

11 Months

2011-09-19T15:14:00.001-07:00

Faye is 11 months! I can't believe her birthday is coming up! She has changed so much since she started walking and she basically thinks she is a big girl now. She is so fun and we love her so much!

10 months

2011-08-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, since she is getting closer to 11 months now, but that's ok. Faye is such a sweet little girl! We are so lucky to have her in our lives. At 10 months she weighs about 21 lbs 13 oz. and she is 28 1/2 in. long. She has moved from being way over the 100th percentile to about the 75th percentile. She is still super chunky, but has thinned out a lot. She is talking more and more, her favorite thing to say is "teetee" when she sees my Mom's cats. She has started to say that when she sees my sisters dogs too. :) She babbles all day long, we love it. She has reached a huge milestone this month... SHE WALKS! Not all the time, mostly a few steps here and there, and every once in a while she will take about 10 steps at a time. Crawling is much faster though. She will take a few steps, fall on her bum and then crawl to whatever she wants. She loves standing. She is really good at pulling up on things and also standing up in the middle of the room. She is getting busier and busier and we actually love it! :)

2011-07-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that I have another blog? Because I do...
It's found HERE if you're interested. This blog has turned into more of a journal, and my other blog is more of things that I love or inspire me etc. So feel free to check it out friends.

27

2011-07-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

Clark's birthday was on Saturday! We had a great day celebrating him! It was during "carmageddon" so we didn't plan on going anywhere since we live right off the 405 where it was closed.... but the traffic that weekend was actually great. So that was an added bonus even if we didn't go anywhere in particular. We spent the day eating. I cooked a big breakfast, big lunch, and dinner, and then we had some cake. Clark got to talk to his Dad and brother's all day and play games with them to his hearts content. We got out for a nice walk and the weather was perfect. That's really all we did, but it was a good day. We were happy to be together!
Anyway, in honor of Clark on his birthdays, I like to post why he is so great, so here are a few things...
He is an AMAZING Daddy. He adores Faye and Faye adores him. I absolutely LOVE watching them together, it is so sweet.
He is a great husband too! So thoughtful and considerate and kind. I can't begin to express how lucky I feel that I got to marry him.
He is so funny. I love how lighthearted he is. We spend most of our time together being silly, laughing, and saying ridiculous things to each other because it's funny. I love it.
He is so smart and such a hard worker. I love how he doesn't waste his intelligence by being lazy.
He is spiritual. I love learning his insights about the gospel.
He is a family man. By that I mean family always comes first for him. He loves his brothers and his parents, and he loves our little family so much too. I always know that we are his priority.

Clark is my man, I love him so much it's ridiculous! I am so happy that we got to spend a day celebrating him. I can't believe he is 27! Time is flying!

9 months!

2011-07-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Faye officially became a 9 month old! She is quite the busy little baby these days! She is getting braver and braver about crawling out of sight and she is getting better and better at keeping her balance with standing. She pulls up on everything! She will also push off the wall to stand herself up! She is getting into everything these days! She figured out how to pull open one of our cupboards and she loves to pull out all the DVDs. She loves to chatter all day long, her favorite things to say are DADADA and ooo ooo like a monkey. Her favorite book is called Mommy Hugs and it has these little animals snuggling with their babies, she especially loves the elephants and the monkeys in the book. When we make the elephant noise she will copy, and when we come to the monkey page, she automatically starts saying oo ooo ooo. It's pretty cute. When she is mad, she definitely lets you know by saying NUNUNUNU!! This baby puts EVERYTHING in her mouth! It's crazy. She only has 2 little teeth now and she got them in last month. They have only come half way up too. She loves her Daddy and as soon as she sees him when he walks in the door she starts giggling and gets super excited. As much as she loves her Daddy, she is still definitely a Mama's girl. I think it's just because she likes milk so much though... We love our little 9 month old! Time is moving so fast!
I stood her up and she was balancing like this for quite a while, so I was able to get a picture! She is going to be walking before I know it!

4th of july!

2011-07-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Our 4th was pretty simple this year! We spent it with my family. It was nice that it fell on a Monday this year so that we could have the whole weekend and then Clark had Monday off too. Love that. On Saturday we got to spend time with Clark's buddy from high school, Barry and his wife Charmaine and their two babies. We did some swimming and some BBQing and let the babies play! So fun. We are so glad that they moved out here! Monday, we took advantage of having a few babysitters and went out for a nice bike ride together. We did some much needed cleaning of our car (fun right? haha), and then I set out to make my Red, White and Blue dessert from Martha Stewart's website.... It looked good, and it tasted ok, I find that Martha Stewart's stuff often isn't worth the work to make it... Williams Sonoma however, ALWAYS good... lesson learned. Anyway, we had a yummy dinner of fish tacos and carne asada with chips and salsa, hung out with family, and then watched some fireworks. It was a good day. The weekend was also great because by the end of it, my parents helped me get through letting Faye cry it out so that she would sleep through the night! We did it and she didn't put up too much of a fuss! Finally at 9 months she is sleeping through the night! :)
Faye and Lincoln before we went swimming! It was SUCH a hot weekend!
I forgot to mention that we visited our family friends, the Benning's and did a little BBQ thing there too. Here is Faye, enjoying the stuffed animals.
Here is Faye enjoying my Mom's new kitten, Delilah. She is a great little cat.
Dakota lounging in her "boat" in the blow up pool
My mom and sister found a bunch of toys at a garage sale for SUPER cheap, so they brought them home, Faye enjoyed this nice little car.
And Cooper and Clark enjoyed the Castle that they got.
Finishing my little dessert
Eating it with my Grandma!
Faye LOVES watermelon... Don't worry, we made sure that she wouldn't choke! :)
Taylor wanted to make this fancy sign with the cricut, she did a great job!
Tay Tay and I waiting for the fireworks
This picture makes them look farther away than they were. We had a great view right from the street by my parent's house! Love that!

Cincy in June

2011-07-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

For Clark's break in June, we went to Cincinnati to visit his parents! It was so fun and relaxing being away from busy LA for a week. Clark's brother Eric came out for the first weekend that we were there and we had a great time with him as well! We went to a butterfly garden, celebrated Eric's birthday, swam in the pool every single day, went to the Cincinnati Zoo, went on a nice hike to look for fossils, checked out a lake, ate good food, ate Cincinnati's Skyline Chili (which we don't recommend), and enjoyed being with family. The weather was pretty nice, it never got too humid or hot while we were there, although it did rain quite a bit. Clark and I even got caught in a HUGE thunder storm on our way back from the mall. We had a lot of fun and really miss everyone still.
Here is Faye taking a walk before we got on the plane. It's a 4 1/2 hour flight. She is a GREAT little flyer! We are so lucky that she does so well!
We went to the park down the street from Clark's parents house the first night that we got there. Faye had a lot of fun on the swing and she slid down the big slide (with me). We also saw fireflies for the first time that night. We like them.
Eric and a cool flower growing outside the butterfly garden.
Butterflies
Faye and me in the backyard, relaxing
Faye and Uncle Eric before we sang to him for his birthday
These beautiful flowers were growing in the backyard
While we were there, we also got to celebrate Father's Day! Here is Clark with his baby on his very first Father's Day! What a good daddy he is!
This is from our little hike to find fossils. Faye fell asleep on the first part of the hike. Ohio is so pretty and GREEN!
Faye went on her very first trip to the zoo! We had a lot of fun. She enjoyed looking at the animals and at all the people too! :)
She was really getting into waving to people on this trip. Here she is with the polar bears waving to everyone around us!
We love the elephants.
Just about ready to leave the zoo. Proof that we all were there.
We took Faye on a nice walk around the neighborhood. I miss nature! Living in LA, all you see are buildings when you walk outside... I'm not a fan.
This is at the lake. We weren't there for very long because it started to rain, but we saw a lot of cool birds and it was really pretty.
Faye loves her Nana. She is pretty fun to play with!
Before we left, we had to get a shot of Faye with her Grandparents! We miss them!

Blueberry Picking

2011-06-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we went to The Underwood Family Farms (Somis location) to pick blueberries! It was so such fun. My sister came down with her kids, my brother and his fiance came, and so did my parents. We had a great time eating and picking blueberries. They also have a fun little petting zoo there, so we checked that out. I love blueberries! :)
Faye checking out the alpaca at the petting zoo
crazy goat
Our little animals
YUM!

8 months!

2011-06-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we have an 8 month old... actually she will be 9 months pretty soon because this post is late! Oh well! She is such a fun little girl! So sweet! She is getting better and better at moving around. Crawling everywhere and pulling up to stand on anything. Her balance is getting better and she is getting more daring. She can get up steps without a problem, but doesn't understand that she needs to go down them backwards. She waves, kisses, and does this funny thing where she scrunches her nose. We love her so much!

A little behind...

2011-06-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

So I will be posting a few updates today! First let's start with Memorial Day weekend (better late than never)...
We went with my family to Carpinteria to camp for the weekend and had a great time. Faye did a great job on her first camping trip, although my parents brought a motor home and we got the bedroom, so it wasn't that hard to adjust to. :) We enjoyed the camp fire at night, ate good food, played at the beach, went bike riding, went on a nice walk on the bluffs, saw the seals, and enjoyed everyone's company. Another successful memorial weekend. Here are pictures.
She's a little bed hog sometimes...
With Grammy
Playing in the sand with Aunt Lisa
Napping on the beach
Seals
On a walk
at the campsite
Last day at the beach!

Crawler

2011-05-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

Moving Baby!

2011-05-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

Faye has really been working on moving around this week. She will crawl a little bit, before collapsing and then scooting. She also loves to pull herself up to stand... she does it in her crib when she doesn't want to take a nap, or on the couch, or at the computer chair when I am working on the computer. She also does this thing where she leans forward and then sits back up and spins around to another spot... hard to explain, but she gets around pretty good like that. She spots the smallest objects, and then crawls/scoots over to them and of course, puts them directly into her mouth. Today has been pretty funny, because I keep turning around to find her in random places all over the living room...
Here she is, she got herself into this corner and just laid down. I started laughing when I saw this so she got this big grin on her face and we were both just laughing.
I turned around for a minute and the next thing I knew, she had pulled herself up on the couch... She turned around to look at me and posed like this. Then she turned further and posed like this...
Looks like she is walking forward, but she is leaning against the couch, too funny! I love this moving baby!
I've heard that I will regret when she starts moving, but I think it's pretty fun right now! She does get into things, but she isn't moving around to the point where she is pulling things open etc, so it's just been fun! She is so proud of herself when she reaches something or stands up and it's so cute how excited she gets about it! I just love being her Mommy!

7 months!

2011-05-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

Faye turned 7 months old today! I can't believe it! She is the greatest blessing in our lives, we can't imagine life without her! She has grown a lot this last month. She has expanded her vocabulary to Ma Ma and Ba Ba. She has started to say Da Da and Fa Fa a few times too. Yesterday she officially figured out how to scoot forward for the first time! She is doing a great job at that! She also is eating more solids these days, although she prefers milk above anything else still! :) We love her so much. She is really the greatest ever!

Stats

2011-04-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

We went to the Doctor yesterday for Faye's 6 month check up. She weighs 20 lbs 8 oz. (100 percentile) and is 28 inches long (95 percentile). Her weight is starting to come down from being well above the 100 percentile, to being right at the 100, and since she is so tall, they said she is just right for her height. She also got shots and didn't even cry until the last one, and she only cried for a second. She really hates when they check her nose and ears more than getting shots.

6 Months!

2011-04-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

How did this...

Turn into this already...

My baby is 6 months old! She is about 21 pounds and 26 1/2 inches long (last we checked). She loves to be outside, be around other people, watch people, make monkey sounds like "oh oh oh" all day, and eat apples. Whenever I feed her apples she says "mmm, mmm!" She is also really trying to move more. She can scoot herself into a corner all while staying on her bum. She is trying to figure out how to get into the crawling position and actually stay there... she has done it a few times but only for a second. She is great at rolling and can roll in both directions. She loves her Mama and always wants me within her sights if not right next to her. The other day she even said "Ma Ma" once, but I haven't gotten her to say it again! I can't believe she is already 6 months old and yet I feel like she has been around forever all at the same time. We sure love this little bug!

Love.

2011-04-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

image via http://nicety.livejournal.com/782106.html

I wish that I could create this little gem of a space and enjoy a perfect summer evening there. This is one of those pictures that I wish I could just jump into.

Swim Season is Coming!

2011-03-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to put this baby in a pool! Now if only I could look cute in a suit too!:)

The Big 55

2011-03-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Today is my Dad's birthday! I want him to know that I love him very much and I am grateful that he is my Dad.
He is a great father, husband, and friend.
He is the hardest worker of anyone I know.
If anyone ever needs anything and he knows about it, he will go out of his way to help.
He loves the temple and serving there and has taught me the importance of going often.
He is a wonderful Grandpa! Faye loves him so much and he is so great with her.
He is one of the nicest people in the world, I'm pretty sure anyone who knows him would agree.
I hope he had a very Happy Birthday!

Too Funny

2011-03-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

http://facesofthelastseasonofoprah.tumblr.com
This was on Joe Bowers blog. We thought it was funny, so we had to share too. :)

Challenge Nation!

2011-03-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

So about a week ago I got an email from Groupon for an urban scavenger hunt around downtown Los Angeles and got really excited and told Clark that we had to do it. It was described as being "part 5K, part scavenger race, and part urban exploration" which sounded like a lot of fun to me. It was also described as being a sort of mini version of The Amazing Race, so I was definitely in since it is a dream of mine to be on that show! :) We searched for people to be on our team, but it was pretty last minute and we only had a few hours before the Groupon expired. Luckily, we got our friend Stacey to sign up with us and she said that she would bring her baby Bailey too! Her husband Jason couldn't make it and we were sad about that, but we were excited to have another team member. Clark and I decided that with 2 babies, we definitely needed to be prepared for this thing so that we wouldn't get lost downtown or too confused about any of the clues. We printed out maps of the area and looked up facts about different historical sites and buildings. We are so glad that we did, because it REALLY helped us out while we were there. Here are the clues and the pictures that went with each one:

1. On the grounds of these gardens that share a name with this Cider House Rules actor, you'll find a sculpture that calls 9perhaps, sometimes literally) us to a noble purpose. After you see its name, you'll know what sign to make with your team's fingers in the photo...
Answer: Maguire Gardens. Peace Bell.

2. Take a photo with anyone with a badge--cop, rent-a-cop, firefighter, crossing guard, meter maid-- it's up to you. But they've got to have a visible badge and you've got to convince them to point at the sky with your whole team or it doesn't count....

3. Find this park whose namesake has a nickname shared with a casino favorite. Then find this fun 1946 poem/quote on the backside of a curved concrete feature. Read the whole thing! Then take a photo with it AND capture the whole Library Tower in the shot!
Answer: Pershing Square

4. Inside a complex named for a former Mayor, you'll find wings named for a (different) former Mayor and a former president of USC. But you're really looking for a rotunda named for this former chairman of ARCO... and in there you're ACTUALLY looking for a member of your team's first or last name among the plaques on the original card catalog drawers. If you can't find a match-- take a picture of your team with the plaque engraved with the creator of The Simpsons, instead.
Answer: the LA Library. We found a plaque with Thompson on it for Stacey.

5. Probably Team Challenge Nation's favorite edifice in town, this art deco masterpiece shares a name with a bunch of other buildings nationwide that house a similar mission--though this one was the last to be built. To complete this clue, find the enormous unused former ticket hall that isn't open to the public--but you can take a picture with it in the background. Have your team mimic the time shown on the huge clock visible with your arms in the photo.

Answer: We only had to finish 11 of the 12 of the clues. By the time we figured this one out, we were way far away from it and it wasn't worth going back! It was Union Station though! :)

6. Wander inside this oldest house in Los Angeles, tucked inside a historic 9if a bit touristy) area. Take a photo of your team in the courtyard with the cacti or the wagon--your choice! Note: it closes at 4, so plan accordingly.
Answer: Avila Adobe on Olvera Street

7. You have to do this with another Challenge team! Assemble your team and theirs on the landing between the two flights of stairs on the side of this famous municipal edifice that is inscribed with a Cicero quote. Have your team point in the direction of LA's Japanese sister city. (Hint: there's a helpful aide across the street for the direction). Make sure to get the whole building in the picture, top to bottom!
Answer: City Hall, pointing to Little Tokyo. Across the street there is a pole with a bunch of signs that point in different directions around LA. I realize the whole building wasn't in the shot, but didn't see that until after we were done! Oops! The other team is dressed up because there was a costume contest for those interested. It was pretty funny seeing all these people running around LA in their costumes.

8. LA's oldest office building, it's across from a theater that comes at a pretty steep price. Take a photo with the famous wrought iron and skylight in its famous interior atrium.
Answer: The Bradbury Building across from the Million Dollar Theater.

9. This one will take a little bit of planning: for being so short, it sure has quite a storied history-- and its third act is just one year old this month. Just two bits will get you a ride... take a photo with your team inside the car, but only while descending! Take a moment to enjoy the view from the top!
Answer: Angel's Flight

10. Los Angeles is a pretty old town--find any building, object, statue, etc. that existed prior to 1890 that DOES NOT OVERLAP with any other clue objective and take a photo with proof of its age.
Answer: Could have been lots of things, but we did Masonic Hall, 1858

11. Roy's brother has a venue in downtown. Find the blue flower behind it--it's made of thousands of pieces of smashed porcelain. Take a photo of your team pointing at one of the few non-blue- shards visible.
Answer: Walt Disney Concert Hall

12. We promise you'll interact with a bunch of folks for this one--find a stranger along the way who hails from a state that starts with the letter M or N or O or P. Have them prove it by taking the picture with their drivers license!
Answer: Man with New Mexico license!

That was it! We finished 39 and there were about 200 teams! Pretty good for 2 people carrying babies!
We finished in 2:11:23 and our team name was "Babies For The Win!"
Here's a picture of Stacey and me with the babies! Bailey got a nice nap in and Faye was thoroughly enjoying herself. Faye especially liked when I ran a few little bits, she started squealing and laughing. Too cute!
And here we are at the end! We did it! Thanks Stacey for being a great teammate!
Everyone LOVED Faye and Bailey. We got comments about the babies all over the place!
We had a lot of fun and are excited to go back downtown and explore some more when we have time to look around better! :)
Special Thanks to Eric for helping with the clues from home! We couldn't have done it without him!!
If you are interested in doing this go to Challengenation.com to see if there is one coming up in your city! (for those not in LA)

2011-03-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

This picture makes me laugh... because that is exactly how Clark sleeps.
It's from this etsy shop.

5 months

2011-03-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

and growing cuter by the second! She is getting really good at balancing while sitting up and using her arms more for tummy time. Her coordination is getting much better too! She loves when Daddy comes home and always saves her best laughs and smiles just for him. She loves to go out and swing at the playground, watch people, go for walks, check herself out in the mirror, pull my hair, watch me cook, watch us eat, and have visitors. Right now, we are working on better sleep habits and she is doing a great job! She is learning to put herself to sleep instead of eating to fall asleep. So far she only complains a little and then falls right to sleep. If she starts to really cry, I pick her up because I really don't want to do cry it out... and so far so good.... until she cuts a tooth! :)

I Heart...

2011-03-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

...everything about this picture from Shabby Apple's facebook page. I want to be in Rome, I want this dress, I want to have a Vespa again. Oh, how I miss the Vespa! Someday, we will reunite when I don't live in a crazy city with crazy drivers that would squish me on it.

Sitting Baby

2011-03-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

She's getting better and better at it! She really loves to sit up and I think she will be able to pull herself up to sit very soon, she is working on those ab muscles! :)

4 month stats (at almost 5 months)

2011-03-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

Miss Faye Marie finally went to the Doctors for her 4 month check up today! She will be 5 months next Thursday, so we are a little late, but that's ok!
She weighs 19 pounds 12 ounces. I think she was at 26 inches long but my brain is foggy on if that is right. :/ So she is in the ninetieth percentile for her height and way above the 100th for weight! The Doctor was like, "She weighs what most 1 year olds weigh!" What can I say, she loves her milk!
We decided to try out some rice cereal last night because she has seemed ready for it. She liked it fine, she smiled after the first bite and was kind of trying to figure out how to eat it with the spoon and all. It was cute. I was hoping it would help her sleep longer, but had no such luck! Oh well, we will get there eventually! Here she is in her seat with rice cereal chin.
And here is one more picture for good measure... This is what she is doing right this minute... It's been a long day with interrupted naps and shots! She is just so pretty, I can't get enough of that face!

Spoiled Baby

2011-02-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

This baby already has way too many stuffed animals. Especially since she doesn't play with them much yet.
Don't worry she doesn't sleep in there with those... in fact she doesn't sleep in her room at all.

What the?

2011-02-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

Jealous that I am not in South Carolina. Do they even do these near here???
See what I'm talking about, here

Turning 24

2011-02-24T17:59:00.001-08:00

My birthday started out looking like this....

Clark is wearing a mask so he wouldn't breath on Faye. :) We were both sick, but Clark was way worse. :( But it got better by night time (well, enough to not want to die anyway) so we went out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory.
So we were happy
Baby Faye even enjoyed trying to lick some of the left overs off of Daddy. haha! Ok, maybe she was just licking him in general but the picture is great!
And Clark got me some nice presents too!... a yoga mat and a sweat shirt. He got Baby Faye a cute hat also. :)
So, now I'm 24 and it's not so bad.

Happy Valentines!

2011-02-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

I sure love this baby!

Who seems to have found her tongue and likes to stick it out and twist it around
I love her sweet smile and how she laughs (if you're lucky! :) )
I love being her Mommy
I love this man too!
I especially love seeing him be an amazing Daddy
Yes. I love my little family! Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-01-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

Having a baby girl is fun because you can dress her up in all sorts of cute clothes, but sometimes, I think she is even cuter like this. Love those rolls!

Ohio!

2011-01-17T18:52:00.001-08:00

Here are pictures from our trip to Ohio... since it was a whole week, I am giving it it's own post. We had lots of fun playing with Clark's family. We did some sledding, played ping pong, explored the house, played sardines (which was scary in that big house!), opened presents, ate LOTS of food and sweets, went to the worlds largest grocery store, spent some time with Faye at the Children's Hospital (she was fine, as soon as we got there she laughed and smiled at everyone the whole time, so we looked pretty silly), Faye got her first fever (this wasn't why we went to the hospital), went to a giant park with a lake, played lots of Mario on the Wii, filmed some movies, wrote a children's book, and celebrated new years together. New Year's involved making paper hats, watching the ball drop, playing games, filming for the movies, root beer floats, and a little dance party. Faye also rode an airplane for the first time and did a fabulous job. it was also my longest plane ride ever... :)

Clark getting ready to go down the hill
I just think this is a funny picture of Eric
New Year's Dinner
Faye's hat
Eric's glasses
root beer floats. Andy had chocolate on his mouth from filming a few minutes before this.
Cheers
Our family after midnight New Years

There are more pictures, but i don't have them yet! :(

Christmas Time!

2011-01-17T18:31:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas break this year! We spent the first week hanging out at home a little. We did some shopping, went to the temple to see the lights, went to the LACMA to see the Fashioning Fashion exhibit and checked a few things off of our list of to do's while we are living in the city. The second week was spent entirely in Thousand Oaks. My whole family was home for Christmas this year for the first time in 8 years, so it was pretty great! We had a great time just hanging out with everyone. Kendal even proposed to Sabrina during the break, so that was also pretty exciting! It was fun to have Sabrina officially be a part of the family this year! :) The last week of break was spent with Clark's family in Ohio. We are missing everyone and had an amazing time packed full of fun!
Here we are at the Temple checking out the lights
The Christmas tree and the pile of presents!

Lisa trying to get to my present to her!
Mama with her drumsticks
Clark opening a present from me

Our little family at dinner

Baby Faye doing some tummy time!

Perfect Beach Day

2011-01-17T18:17:00.000-08:00

Seriously it was so nice.

Daddy Dressed Faye

2011-01-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

backwards.... It made me laugh.
Clark disclaimer: "I don't usually look like this"

3 Months

2011-01-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

Faye is 3 months old today! She is getting stronger and stronger everyday! She is really good at holding her head up, talking, and eating! She is starting to laugh more and it is pretty cute!

2 Years

2011-01-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our anniversary. It was a tiring day since we had to fly home from Ohio, go to church and unpack some things from our trip, but I really enjoyed the whole day. The flight back was pretty clear, church was nice, and we had a humble dinner just the two of us. Baby Faye slept for most of the day, so Clark and I got to spend a lot of time talking and just being together. It was a simple day, we didn't do anything extravagant, we didn't have gifts for each other or flowers, but it was perfect to me. We spent the last day of vacation together, enjoying each other. Simply still being in love. I truly love my husband. He is such a good man, an amazing Father, and a sweet husband. We don't have a lot right now, but we have what we need, and we enjoy our life together... when it comes down to it, that is what matters most. I am grateful that we are sealed for eternity. I am grateful for how much we have been blessed for the past 2 years. I am grateful for how much better life is since we got married. Marriage really is a blessing.

2010-12-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

This image was on Design Sponge. Perfect. It is a feature of a house in England HERE. I will take the whole house as is please.

SLO

2010-12-19T14:37:00.001-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving, Clark, Baby Faye, my parents, and I headed out on a little road trip up to San Luis Obispo. We stayed at the Apple Farm Inn which was charming. We ate lots of good food, checked out the area, and threw in a game of bowling at Cal Poly. I love it up there. So beautiful.
This is the lobby at the Inn. They had the whole Inn decked out for Christmas, it was so cute.
Our little family by the tree

Dad by the front door area hanging out with the reindeer and Santa
Mom and Dad by the tree

This is the front of the shop and restaurant at the Inn, my Mom and I really liked the bells and the snowflakes.
Here is Baby Faye starting to smile in her seat. She did a great job both there and back and it took about 3 hours (both ways)! Such a good baby!
We went up to Morro Bay to check it out up there. Here is Clark in the bay by Morro Rock (the rock isn't in the picture, but that is where we were). While we were there, there were people with telescopes looking at the birds. There were Peregrine Falcons nesting in the top of the rock (they are the fastest animal in the world)
This is a picture of all the crazy birds at Avila beach (another one of our stops on the way home).
There were hundreds and hundreds of Pelicans diving all over the place. There must have been a school of fish there because it was insane.
We also went through Pismo Beach and made a stop at the Sand Dunes. It was pretty crazy with all the cars driving out onto the beach. It looked like a freeway on the beach there were so many! Someday we will go back and take some ATVs out (I'm hoping!)
Anyway, that was our trip. It was short, but it was so much fun!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving we went to my parents this year. We did the usual, dinner and then gingerbread houses afterward to bring in the Christmas season... This year was a little different for me though because I organized the dinner. I did a lot of the grocery shopping for my Mom, gave the food assignments, made the turkey, cranberry sauce, apple pie, and maple pecan squares. I have to say dinner turned out pretty good. :)
Here is my turkey. YUM
My apple pie
and my cranberry sauce. I don't have a picture of the Maple Pecan Squares but they are awesome and you can find the recipe HERE
Here is Clark with Dakota and Taylor.
Baby Faye hanging out in her seat.
Me and Clark with the finished gingerbread house

On Saturday, we went to Clark's Grandma's house to celebrate with that side of the family. We had a bunch of different leftover foods from everyone's Thanksgiving dinners. It was yummy. Here is a picture of Clark playing his harmonica prize for guessing the closest to Faye's actual birth date/time... (this was a contest on that side of the family, otherwise my Mom would win since she was rooting for 10/10/10 and that was the day Faye was born!) But good job Clarky!
He is playing Jingle Bells for the second time ever... Good job!

Oops

2010-12-19T14:16:00.000-08:00

I'm a little behind on blogging about the actual holidays so here are a few Halloween pictures!

Jane Eyre!

2010-12-15T22:42:00.000-08:00

2 Months

2010-12-15T17:21:00.001-08:00

16 pounds. 24 1/2 inches. Head 16 inches. Cooing more. Drooling lots.

A Favorite Resting Spot

2010-12-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

Daddy's shoulder

Oh Christmas Tree!

2010-12-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

Two mini trees in our apartment...

soap.com

2010-12-07T18:37:00.001-08:00

So I know I have talked about diapers.com on here before and they are pretty great. I mean really, I have been using them for a while and they have super fast shipping and great customer service. Anyway, they have launched a sister site called soap.com. I hadn't really looked at it until today, but it's pretty awesome. They have everything and I mean everything that you could need. SO, if you haven't tried it yet, you should head on over and use my code to get 15% off your order. Just type in firsttime in the promotional code section and there you go! Plus orders of $25 or more have free shipping which is pretty easy to do! That code goes for diapers.com too if you haven't tried it yet.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

Grandma Bell emailed this one to us. I love flash mobs.

2010-11-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

Sophia and Faye, Sophia is a premie and Faye is huge. They were born a few days apart. Both are too cute.

5 weeks

2010-11-17T13:08:00.001-08:00

Miss Faye is 13 lbs 9 oz (97th percentile), 23 1/2 inches (95th percentile), smiling, working on cooing and melting our hearts daily.

A Birth Story

2010-10-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

On October 9, we woke up and got ready to go to the hospital so that I could be induced. I was scheduled for 10am, but they wanted me to call an hour early to make sure everything would be OK at that time. I called and they were really busy and asked me to come in at 12. So we anxiously waited a few more hours. We got to the hospital, checked in and got to our first little room. It took a while to get everything going because of my due date situation... they weren't sure if I could be induced because of the October 23 due date and were a little confused by that. They called my Doctor and got the paperwork and whatever else that they needed to induce me and we started somewhere between 1:30 and 2. I was pretty surprised because I couldn't feel the contractions at all really while we were in that room. I felt one big one that I wasn't prepared for, but the rest didn't really hurt at all. I dilated to almost a 4 and they switched me to my fancy labor and delivery room. My Mom and sister got there right before we switched rooms. Once we settled into that room, the nurse broke my water and I slowly started to feel my contractions. I was able to use the techniques I learned about in the books I read to get through them. I would close my eyes and relax through each one. After a while, they got stronger and more painful. I had my Mom and sister massaging my legs and Clark pushing as hard as he could into my lower back through each contraction. The contractions were getting worse and I was trying to push through each one. I knew they were going to check my progress again between 9 and 10 pm, So I pushed through until then... but it HURT! I don't know if it was the pitocin, or if it was just really hard contractions, but they were coming fast and on top of each other and I wasn't getting much of a break in between. My whole body would shake in between each contraction. I thought that I was maybe in transition and so I just waited for it to be 9 so they could check. They checked at 9 and I was only 6 cm. which is great... but not transition. I labored a little longer and by about 9:30 called my nurse in to give me the epidural. I needed the rest. The epidural was in and working by 10. I was able to relax at that point even though I could still feel a lot... not in my stomach, but lots of pressure. By around 11:30 I wanted to push, but wasn't quite to a 10 yet. So they put me on my side and by about 11:45 I was ready. They called my Doctor, but he was at another hospital delivering another baby. He would be arriving soon. They let me push a little with the nurse and then my Doctor arrived. I pushed for about an hour and out she came at 12:50 in the morning on 10/10/10. I have heard people say that the pushing part isn't that bad after laboring... let me just say, they are wrong! It was the absolute most painful part. I don't even think the epidural was working at all at that point because I felt EVERYTHING and it HURT. During the pushing and afterward, I thought I would never EVER be doing that again! Somehow, a few days later, I was already day dreaming about all the babies I am going to have and how great it is going to be. Our baby weighed in at 9 pounds 4 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. She is pretty perfect if you ask me. I never knew my capacity to love could be increased so much. Motherhood really is the greatest blessing. I am happier than ever.

In our first room, laboring before they broke my water
Switched rooms. Still feeling fine
Our view of the Hollywood Hills
Still feeling OK, playing skipbo
Not feeling so good.
Our sweet family
Beautiful baby Faye Marie Mackelprang

Happy mommy and baby

10/9/10

2010-10-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the last of my belly shots! All of them are based on my due date being October 23, so who knows if the week listed is correct! This was taken right before we went to the hospital!

Here We Go!

2010-10-09T05:03:00.001-07:00

I can't sleep. I'm going to be induced at around 10am. I know I need sleep, but it's not working! Anyway, here is the story on why I'm being induced....
This whole pregnancy I have been told that my baby is huge, her due date must be wrong, nevermind, her due date is right, you have diabetes, you don't have diabetes, your baby is way too big. I have written on here already that I knew my due date was wrong, and I still think that, but I also knew that I was just going to have a big baby. Clark is 6'5" and I'm 5'8". Clark was 3 weeks early and over 7 pounds and I was a few days early and 9 pounds 1 ounce.... I just figured our baby wouldn't be small. Anyway, my Doctor wanted me to have one last ultrasound to check on the growth of the baby. So yesterday, I went in and they measured and yep she is still huge... So huge that they estimated her weight at 9 pounds 7 ounces already. The Doctor told me these weight measurements are typically off by about a half pound... so she could either be smaller, or bigger than that. With her being so big and not being "due" for another 2 weeks, he suggested I have an elective C-section this week. He said that she is getting so big, that if I wait too much longer, she will run the risk of hitting 5000 grams and it will be considered dangerous and I would definitely have to have a C-section at that point. They would be worried about things like shoulder dystocia. I said I really didn't want a C-section, why can't we induce instead? He told me in California it is against the law to be induced without amniocentesis before 39 weeks. BUT, lucky for me I had been going to him to check growth since I was about 22 weeks pregnant and she has consistently measured a couple weeks larger than her due date... One of the first ultra sounds with him, her due date was estimated at around Oct 16, so that would make me 39 weeks tomorrow, and eligible to be induced. So we called my OB, he said he could induce me the next day, they both strongly encouraged me to be induced and I said OK. They also warned I would still have a 50% chance of a C-section. That's the story.
I've been pretty nervous since I found out because I have heard being induced is much harder than letting things come naturally. The anticipation of how it is going to be has been driving me crazy. I have since been able to calm down and relax, but it's been hard to sleep! Clark and I went on our last date without kids tonight. We went down to Santa Monica and got CPK and then walked on the beach. Simple and nice. Plus the beach is so relaxing to me that it helped me calm down.
We are also really excited! I can't believe this is really happening, but I can't wait to meet our baby. I feel so blessed to be able to be a mother. I know it is the most important thing I will do in this life. I know it will be hard, but worth it. We are ready!

Getting Closer

2010-09-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

That is a picture from a few weeks ago. I am now at 36 weeks according to my late due date (the 23) and about 37 1/2-38 weeks according to my earlier due dates (between the 7 and the 12). Confusing, I know. Your guess is as good as mine for when this baby will arrive, we are just trying to get everything ready! Clark says it's the 7th because he had a dream that the baby was born and when the Doctor pulled her out her said it's a 7! This was before we knew if the baby was a boy or a girl and in the dream when the Doctor said 7, it meant girl. So, Clark thinks she is also going to be born on the 7th or have some sort of 7 involved. I think she should be born on the 10th because 10/10/10 would be a cool birthday, but I would gladly take the 7th over the 10th :). In reality, she will probably wait until Halloween to come out! The weight seems to be piling on now and so does the swelling. Some days I look down and wonder how on earth my legs and feet can possibly look so huge! I'm starting to long to be able to wear normal clothes and exercise enough to lose weight instead of exercising and gaining weight. Also being comfortable would be great! I have had lovely cases of heartburn and have started throwing up again. Luckily, the throw up isn't every day. I also have a constant case of air bubbles coming up my throat. Weird, I know. Otherwise, I'm fine. Some days I just want her to come out and other days I feel like I can last for a few more weeks without wanting to shoot myself. As far as the baby goes, she is doing great. The doctors are concerned with her size still. Last week I had an ultra sound that estimated her at around 6 pounds 11 ounces. I had to have another diabetes test today because they are freaking out over her size. I really hope she comes early just so that I can say I told you her due date was wrong, but no one listened. :) Besides being large, she moves around a good amount, but nothing crazy. She never keeps me up at night from moving but that might just be that I'm a heavy sleeper. She is hiccuping all the time. She gets them anywhere between 1 to 3 times a day. Clark thinks it's hilarious. I don't mind them, but I started feeling bad for her after I got the hiccups the other day. They aren't supposed to bother her though. Another thing she loves to do is press her bum right up into my ribs on my right side and then kick me really hard. It's surprising how startling that can be and actually it's kind of painful sometimes. I love watching my belly move, she has gotten so big that it looks like an earthquake in there. So crazy. It's definitely the best part of this little miracle called pregnancy! I also had an amazing baby shower last week. Clark's cousin Kris outdid herself and I am so grateful for all the wonderful things we got for the baby! It was so fun! Thanks Kris! I will have to post pictures when I get some... I forgot my camera of course! :)
Well, that is about it, she could arrive anytime now and we are excited to meet her! Oh yes, and we are pretty sure that we have decided on her name being Faye Marie Mackelprang. So that is that! :)

Clark...

2010-09-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

makes me laugh.
I told him that today the baby kept pushing really hard into my ribs and it hurts. He asked, "Was it malicious?" I said it had to be. He said, "Baby, you're grounded when you come out, you have to sleep a lot and only milk for you." haha. I also texted him and asked how his new shoes were, he said, "They are like walking on two chocolate pies, they are that good."
Oh how I love my hubby! :)

I Like This...

2010-09-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

Baby News

2010-09-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a pregnancy/baby update since it has been a while:
I didn't pass my first glucose test and ended up having to take the 3 hour test. I called to see my results and they said my numbers were too high so I would have to go for nutritional counseling for gestational diabetes.
The next day I went to Dr. Justus for an ultra sound and nutritional counseling, where I was informed that they were wrong, my numbers were fine, I actually don't have gestational diabetes, and that my due date was definitely wrong, so he moved my due date up to October 12.
I went to my Ob Dr. Silver, he disagreed about changing my due date and still wanted me to get nutritional counseling and said he would talk to Dr, Justus that week about my due date.
I went back to Dr. Justus' office and was seen by Dr. Silver (a different Dr. Silver) who measured that fluid around the baby and then measured her belly and said it was a too fat. Then she gave me a paper on nutrition and talked to me about what to eat. Basically they want me to eat like I have diabetes even though I don't.
I went back to Dr. Silver, he said that he talked to Dr. Justus and my due date is back at the 23 of October.

Basically I don't know what to think of that, so I try to eat right and exercise when I'm not too exhausted. I know that the baby will come when it is ready, so the whole due date thing isn't that big of a deal... it's just a little annoying! :) Right now we are just trying to prepare for her to be here, I really want everything with her room etc, to be done in the next few weeks, so that we can just relax for the last month while we wait for her to arrive. It's getting close! I am now 33 weeks according to my late due date, but I think she will be here sooner than that... just a hunch.

July

2010-08-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

July wasn't the greatest month, but despite the sad things that happened, we were still able to get in some fun summer activities and spend quality time with family.
We spent the beginning of the month mostly with my family. We had a lot of fun hanging out with Lisa and her kids. I feel like I haven't had very much quality time with Lisa since she moved to Bakersfield, so it was nice to see her and spend lots of time with her for more than just an afternoon. The 4th of July was nice, we just spent it in Thousand Oaks, and of course, I didn't take pictures! But the fireworks were good! :)
The next weekend was bitter sweet. Clark's Grandpa Mackelprang passed away, so we drove up to Utah for the weekend to attend the funeral. It was so nice to see everyone there, but we wished it was under better circumstances. It was a nice funeral and I learned some things about Grandpa that I hadn't heard about before. You can read his obituary here. We miss Grandpa Mackelprang and are looking forward to seeing him again someday.
While we were in Utah, we did get to do some fun things like hang out with these guys
and Stefani and cousins. We also got to go up to BYU campus and reminisce. Clark and Eric made me walk around and go into practically every building. Utah is HOT in the summer when you are pregnant! I got some french toast at Kneaders for breakfast (yummy) and we also went to Jason's Deli and had all the ice cream we could eat. While we were in Farmington, we stayed up semi late talking with family, played card games with Grandma, watched Andrew (Clark's cousin Jennifer's husband) play with fireworks, and filmed something that will maybe turn into a movie someday, although I'm not sure if the plot will come together at all. Andy should have fun with the editing haha. We then took the long drive home. We saw a pretty sunset on our drive,
and I swelled up into a balloon thanks to the 112 degree heat.
It made me grateful that we are in LA, close to the coast and that it was been a mild summer for us out here.
We also stopped in Primm for a while because the traffic was so bad, we aren't fans of casinos. Too bad I am pregnant, or we could have at least done the roller coaster! oh well!
The weekend after that was Clark's birthday. We decided it would be fun to go to the Hollywood Bowl for his birthday.
It was the Bugs Bunny at the Symphony concert, so we had fun picnicking and watching cartoons. My parents, sister's family, and Kendal and Sabrina came. It was lots of fun. There were even fireworks at the end.
At the end of the month we had more sad news come our way, Clark's Grandpa Bell went into the hospital. He ended up going into cardiac arrest, but they were able to bring him back. Clark and I decided we had better go see him when we heard about the cardiac arrest. We went and spent the evening with Clark's Grandma and that side of his family. We were able to go in and see Grandpa a few times, but he wasn't able to speak due to a respirator. He was able to respond by wiggling his toes. On Wednesday, we decided that we should go back and visit again. His kidney's had failed and he had gone through dialysis that afternoon. We were glad that we were able to visit him and tell him that we love him as well as lend support to Grandma Bell. Grandpa passed away the next day. The funeral is this Saturday. We miss Grandpa Bell. He was a very sweet man. This is a picture taken in 1991 of Clark and his brother's with Grandpa.
We feel so grateful for the gospel and for the perspective that it gives us through these sad moments in life. I know this month would have been a lot harder if we didn't have the knowledge that we have of the Plan of Salvation and that our families are sealed together forever. We are so grateful for the temple and the blessings we have received from it. I cannot even describe how huge of a blessing it has been to me to know that Clark and I will be sealed together forever and that we get to be with these people that we love forever even though we have to say goodbye for now.

2010-07-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

One more trimester! We are almost there.... and yet it's still so far away!

Happy Happy Birthday!

2010-07-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

Today is Clark's 26th birthday! I thought I would do a cheesy, I love my husband SOO much and he is the BEST post in honor of his birthday, so if you don't like those kinds of things... don't read it! :)
26 things that are great about Clark on his 26th birthday!
1. he makes me laugh everyday
2. he has the prettiest blue eyes EVER
3. he has awesome dance moves (only to be seen in the privacy of our home, sorry people)
4. he is a genius. seriously, UCLA dental school... enough said.
5. he always gives people the benefit of the doubt
6. he is an amazing uncle and is going to be the best daddy ever
7. he never yells
8. he reads scriptures with me every night even when it's really late and he has school early in the morning
9. he gets up everyday for school at 6 and doesn't usually get home until after 5. he is working hard to be able to provide for our family in the future
10. he never studies on Sunday
11. he always compliments me (even when i have felt disgusting in the worst part of my pregnancy)
12. he has great teeth
13. he is super tall and i can wear whatever shoes i want around him
14. he is patient
15. he always is trying to do his best
16. he is athletic, he loves basketball, he can dunk
17. he loves watching basketball, but also understands when enough is enough and doesn't HAVE to watch every game from beginning to end
18.he is good at compromising with me
19. he notices when i do extra things around the house and is always grateful and says so
20. he is super family oriented
21. he enjoys living a simple life (which is great especially since we are students). he is willing to wait to have more of the things he wants until school is over.
22. he is conscious of taking care of himself and also of taking care of me
23. he is encouraging
24. he is always grateful when i cook for him or make him a lunch
25. he is great to talk to and can always put things in perspective for me
26. he is my very best friend

Happy Birthday Clarky! I love you!

June Break

2010-06-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

June break came and went and now Clark is officially in his third year of dental school! Woo! He is doing such a great job and I am so proud of how hard he works! Only 2 years to go! :)
I didn't get very many pictures of the break, but it was wonderful. We spent our time with family, so it was perfect and relaxing. We played with my nieces and nephew, went to the beach, ate BBQ, went for walks, shopped, and enjoyed Thousand Oaks so much. We also helped Clark's parents with getting ready to move. They officially got their house packed up and are now on their way out of town. We will miss them very much.
I literally got like 5 pictures, so here is one of Clark and his dad trying to get something out of the wall, it didn't end up budging though.
And here is how much my nieces and nephew LOVE Clark. This is typical. He is going to be such a great daddy! :)

Growing, growing, growing...

2010-06-30T16:43:00.001-07:00

She is growing, that's for sure. I'm officially at 23 1/2 weeks now, but could really be at around 25 weeks.... We will see at either my next doctors visit (Dr. Silver) or my next visit with the ultra sound doctor (Dr. Justus) if it will change. Dr. Justus said that either my due date is off or I am at risk for gestational diabetes because baby is measuring about a week and a half bigger than her due date. I am pretty sure my due date is off though because if it was right, it would mean I conceived this child on my trip to Utah with my mom... yeah, not possible.
Besides that, everything is going great. My main concerns these days are heart burn and getting fatter. So hopefully all this heart burn means baby has a lot of hair! :) I've also been able to exercise more which has been wonderful. It makes me feel more energized and in control of things happening with my body, so that's always a plus.
We have also started shopping for this cute girl. Thanks to her Grandma, Great Grandma, and Aunt we are a lot closer to having most of the things that she will need. Now I am planning out the nursery in my head. I'm excited to get started with some sewing projects! She will be here before we know it!

Our baby is gorgeous

2010-06-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Isn't she? and yes, she's definitely a GIRL! :)
That strange looking thing she is leaning on is the placenta, in case anyone was wondering. I usually think these 4d ultra sound pictures are kind of freaky, but not with my baby! I can't stop staring at them!
PS. We got a new Doctor, no more Kaiser for us! :) He is awesome.

Life Lately

2010-05-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

18 week belly at the beach... I keep forgetting to take a side shot pic again

I recently discovered just how horrible I have gotten at taking pictures, so I have made a new vow to take more and to blog more (which forces me to take more pictures so that I have something to post besides words).
I have more energy now so Clark and I have been able to get out together more and I have been able to get out during the day a lot more too. Here are a few things we have done lately...
- Gone to the beach a lot despite the fact that it has been kind of cold
- We went out to the Anaheim Convention Center to the CDA (California Dental Association) convention.... we forgot how boring it is and wont be going back next year.
- We've been out to Thousand Oaks practically every weekend this month
- Barry and Charmaine are in town, so we went to the planetarium
- We discovered a yummy sandwich place. It's called Bay Cities Italian Deli and it is sooo good. It has huge lines all the time apparently, but we ordered online so it was easy and worth it.
- I had my Doctors appointment on Friday. It reaffirmed how much I hate Kaiser. The guy did not care AT all. He is retiring next month though, so yet again I will be getting a new Doctor. We hoped to find out if it's a boy or a girl, but he took one look and said, "it's on it's side so I can't see," it's legs weren't even crossed, so I was annoyed. Luckily, we are having a big ultra sound in a few weeks to do some second trimester screening and should definitely find out what we are having then.
Anyway, I think that's good for now, here are some pictures from the planetarium...
Hollywood sign from the planetarium
Barry and Clark
A picture of the view at the planetarium... this is from where we were eating, I didn't get any good shots from other spots, but that's ok.
Clark and me waiting for the show to start... don't mind how tired I look... that's just how I am all the time... TIRED
Waiting... ps.. we are super excited Barry and Charmaine are having another baby only a couple months after us! :)
Barry and Charmaine
They left Keira at Barry's dad's house while we went out, he put her to sleep in this basket. She is too cute.
Close up of Keira

A Baby Belly

2010-05-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a little bloated since this was taken at night, in the morning I'm smaller, it's weird. But this is what I look like.

Dear Second Trimester,

2010-04-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

I already love you. Sure, you aren't perfect yet, I still have headaches, exhaustion, some queasiness and the occasional puke, but you are already infinitely better than 1st trimester. Thank you for living up to my expectations, I couldn't have made it through the last few months without the idea of you being in my future. I know as time goes on, you will continue to make me a happier pregnant girl.
Love, Loni
PS. Thanks for even giving me the energy to clean the toilet yesterday, it was gross and needed it.

In honor of my new found energy, here are some ultra sound pictures from my last doctors visit. They are super clear because they are from my first trimester screening test, so they used a really good machine. I got to see our little baby kicking, punching, hiccuping, and being super cute in there. It definitely made me feel like there was a purpose to all my sickness and it made me feel more excitement... like it's actually real. I can't wait to feel the baby moving around in the coming weeks and hopefully on our next visit, we will be able to find out if it's a boy or a girl!

Head on, you can see it's brain, face, arms, and tummy

Two profile pics. Nice long legs like Mommy and Daddy!
Smart baby, waving hello!

So Cute

2010-04-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

I know that people want ultra sound pics up and a baby update, and I will get to that once I actually scan them in the computer and have the time/energy/desire to write a post about everything.... so in the mean time, isn't THIS the cutest little baby learning to float that you've ever seen? I love this!!

The picture says it all...

2010-03-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

Split Pea Soup

2010-02-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite memories of my Grandma Johnson is that I used to help her make soup all the time. She made soup a LOT. She would put in whatever ingredients she wanted and then I would help her with the seasonings. I would taste it and say what I thought we should put in and we would add seasonings little by little until we made the perfect soup together. Homemade soup will always remind me of her.
Tonight, I made soup for dinner, it wasn't one of my Grandma's recipes, but it was good. Clark even liked it so much that at the dinner table he started chanting "More! More! More!" This is shocking because it has split peas, onions, and curry powder, all of which Clark hates. I however, love anything with curry in it, so I made it hoping he would enjoy it despite the ingredients. I try to make Clark eat things over and over even if he doesn't like them because he hates all vegetables and I figure the more he eats them, the more he will be used to them and hopefully someday he will acquire a taste for them. Anyway, I recommend the recipe. You can find it here. I will say though that it was a little runny and didn't make that much, so it needs to be doubled and maybe a little less broth.

These two...

2010-02-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

...are the cutest thing ever! I'm so excited! My lovely and beautiful cousin Kelley just got engaged! I can't even put into words how happy I am for her! It makes me a little teary even. Love her so much! I think the wedding is in July? unless it got changed! Can't wait!
ps... I totally stole the picture from here... Click on that link to check out the rest of the pictures from the proposal.

Love this

2010-02-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I'm married already! I loved my wedding dress, it was perfect for my wedding day. However, I was browsing the internet (not looking up anything wedding related) and this dress popped up. So naturally, I had to look it up on Claire Pettibone's Website and share it. Love it. Too bad it's strapless.... not that it makes a difference for me :)

These are cool...

2010-02-02T09:14:00.001-08:00

I want one. For more info go here. I'm thinking it would be a good Valentine's/B-day present.... oh wait.... We're poor! :( haha!

Epicurean Style

2010-01-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

Check out these cute aprons that Michelle makes! Don't you love that? You can find her stuff on her etsy shop here or go to her blog here!
She is also doing a giveaway for some handmade jewelry on her blog. Go here to leave a comment so you can enter! Cute stuff.
*Michelle is married to Marc who is in Clark's class at UCLA.

Jillian Michaels

2010-01-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

Love her. If you don't already know, she is one of the trainers on the show, The Biggest Loser. She is awesome! I love her DVDs. I am currently doing her 30 Day Shred workout. It's only 20 minutes long, but its tough and gets your heart rate up. Yet it is still very doable (I don't feel like I am dying but I do already feel stronger and more energized).

Discovery

2010-01-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

In Paul Mitchell culture there are no mistakes, only discoveries.
Here is a "discovery" that Clark and I had over Christmas break.
For almost a whole year, we had been using our water pitcher like this....
Eric came along for Christmas break and showed us, it's supposed to be like this...
Thank you Eric for being smarter than us and for taking my water pouring/pitcher filling activities to a new level of enjoyment,
I can never look at that pitcher the same and I will always be grateful.