THE GRAYBILLS

We're Having a Baby!!

2012-01-16T22:16:00.003-07:00

And a few more of Bailey...

doing the splits

Playing in the Snow

2011-11-23T22:36:00.001-07:00

It snowed for the first time about a week ago. When I woke Bailey up I told her to go look outside to see what was on the ground. When she saw the snow she was ecstatic and said, "Mom, now we get to go skiing." (We've been talking about going skiing for quite a while.) The snow melted before we went to play in it so the next time it snowed we took Bailey out to play and she LOVED it! She was throwing snow on herself and rolling around in it. It was fun to watch. Then Omai wanted to join in the fun and thought it would be cool if we buried him in the snow. I reminded him that it wasn't sand, but that didn't deter him. So Bailey and I commenced burying him with snow. When I went back inside to grab my camera he was telling me to hurry because Bailey got a little excited and started to throw snow on his face. Well, he wasn't loving that--we hurried to get his picture and he scrambled out of the snow to try and warm up. The snow fight continued more by Bailey than us, but Omai was a good sport to get snow thrown at him.

Bailey Likes to Dance

2011-10-25T16:02:00.001-06:00

I was looking through some old pictures and found some videos of Bailey gettin' her groove on. Oh--she's so cute!

I'm So Mean

2011-10-13T21:32:00.002-06:00

Today was one of those days that all hope of patient parenting was out the window by noon. I thought I had arranged a totally great day for Bailey (and myself) by setting up, not one, but two playdates so she could have tons o' fun with her friends and I could get work done and maybe relax for a moment. I also thought that she would be having so much fun that we could forego naptime and try to get her to bed before 10 PM. Well, the arrangements started great, but when I went to get her from her first playdate she of course refused to leave, became a limp fish when I tried to pick her up, and then punched me in the face as we walked home. (And yes, it was a balled up fist to my left jaw so "punch" is a great word to describe it).

When we got home she was put in time out, didn't stay, and my moment to relax was completely thwarted. I fed her lunch, which helped the whining subside for a while and then it was off to the next playdate. When I picked her up again, she did the limp fish thing again, but fortunately this time, no punching.

I decided to wash my car with some inspiration from the neighbors and Bailey proceeded to drench herself in cold, soapy water. For the most part she was happy until the chill set in. Once I got her all clean and warm I remembered my plan to put her to bed early. I got her all ready for bed and read stories, but as soon as I left her room she started crying (this has become a nightly ritual). I was so done with her that I closed her door and locked myself in my room--yes, I had to lock the door. She sat outside my door for about a half hour crying then finally, quiet. I thought she had probably wandered back to her room to go to sleep, but when I opened the door, there she was--curled up in a little ball asleep on the floor. I'm so mean! I carried her to bed and within 5 minutes she was up and crying again, which has been the soundtrack to this blog entry. Oh, the joy of parenting.

Out of Town

2011-09-22T14:49:00.001-06:00

I'm going out of town this weekend with my family and Bailey is staying home with her daddy. I told her that I would be gone for a few days and asked if she would be okay. She said she would (phew). She doesn't quite understand what I've been saying though because she keeps saying things like "I wanna go ta town". Her latest was, "I wanna go out of town." I asked her where she wanted to go and she said, "To see Santa Claus." hehe

"It's a stick"

2011-08-22T09:09:00.000-06:00

So we are sitting in the office with Bailey and drawing on her chalk board. We are quizzing her on letters by drawing a random letter on the chalk board and asking her what letter it is. Bailey decided to join in on the fun and drew a vertical line and asked us "what is this?" Nickie said, it's an L to which Bailey replied "no, it's a stick." We about died from laughing.

Angel George

2011-07-10T22:37:00.000-06:00

Whenever we drive home along 12600 South and are close to being able to see the temple, I always tell Bailey to look for the temple and tell me when she sees it. When we were headed home tonight I told her to look for the temple and when she saw it she yelled "temple!" like she normally does. Then she said "Angel George is on top of the temple." I laughed and was awed at the things she comes up with. I corrected her and told her it was Angel Moroni on top of the temple and not George. Then she said "Heavenly Father loves you." I replied, "Yes, Heavenly Father loves us." Then she asked, "Are there toys in the temple?" I laughed again and had to unfortunately tell her no, there aren't toys in the temple.

I Love You

2011-07-02T01:21:00.000-06:00

We took Bailey to the Riverton City parade tonight and had a really fun time. It took a while for the parade to start, but once it did, it kept going and going and going. There were lots of floats, vendors and groups from all over the valley. It took Bailey a while to warm up and start collecting the candy that was thrown at us, but once she got going, she collected quite the stash. We enjoyed snow cones (they said it was shaved ice, but it really wasn't--it was a bit disappointing), and I think my favorite were the roller skaters. I didn't even know people did that anymore. I thought the old school skates were history and roller blades had taken over the scene. No way. These roller skaters were awesome!! One did a trick where he rolled right in front of a moving car on his side. When I saw it happening, I was like, oh my gosh, that guy just got ran over by a car and his brains are going to be squished on the road. I guess it was all a big trick because he was totally fine (of course). Amazing!! One of the guys did a back flip for us too. Awesome!! I think I need to go to DI and find me a pair of roller skates--or maybe I'll just leave it to the experts.

When we arrived home, I got Bailey all showered up and ready for bed when we started to hear fireworks going off down the street. We could see just a little bit of them from my bedroom window so Bailey and I enjoyed the show for a while. Well, one of Bailey's new loves is having me pop her toes. I really just pull on each one individually and sometimes one of them pops. After we watched the fireworks, I took Bailey in her room to put her to bed and started popping her toes. She laughed and laughed. Then I asked her something like, "Is that fun getting your toes popped?" She replied, "popping like the fireworks!" Her eyes got really big when she said it. Oh, I just about died. How cute is she!?!

After I popped all her toes and fingers, I brushed her teeth while she laid in her bed--now that's the life isn't it!?! She reached over and kind of rubbed my tummy and said, "I Love You mom". She has never said that before without being prodded by one of us. It was the sweetest thing in the world and completely melted my heart.

Bedtime

2011-06-26T22:41:00.002-06:00

Our naptime and bedtime negotiation is that I put Bailey down for her nap during the day and Omai puts her down at night. Our routine is that whoever has the most energy wrestles Bailey to get her jammies on, usually the other one wrestles with her to get her teeth brushed, we say prayers and then Omai tells her stories. These days it's almost always a story about Harry Potter who Bailey is a little obsessed with right now. I know, I know... a 2-year-old shouldn't be watching Harry Potter, but she does (we fast forward through the scary parts). They quiz each other on the character's names or the names of the pets or things that happen in the movie. Omai tries to trick her by mispronouncing a character's name or teases by saying that a bad guy is really a good guy or vise versa. It goes something like, "Harry Potter's a bad boy" and Bailey will reply very matter-of-factly, "No Dad!" "Harry Potter's a good boy!" And it goes on and on. It's really quite adorable. Omai lasts for about 5 minutes then I hear him snoring away while Bailey just lays in her bed probably thinking something like "wow, that's an annoying sound."

My Grandma

2011-05-30T19:53:00.000-06:00

My grandma passed away today at the age of 87. I had taken Bailey to see her a couple weeks ago and she was doing pretty well. She had just had her friends over to play Bridge, which she did every Monday for probably the past 15 years. Her legs were giving her trouble though--they were all swollen and secreting fluid which meant her heart wasn't able to pump her fluids properly. My dad had said she probably wouldn't last until Christmas so I thought it would be quite a few months until she would pass away.

I got a call from my mom Friday night saying she was at Grandma's house and that she wasn't doing well. We were heading home from a wedding reception in the area so we stopped by to visit. About 48 hours before that, my grandma wasn't able to move on her own anymore so they had brought in a hospital bed where she could rest and be taken care of. When we walked in Friday she was asleep and looked very different from her perky self I had seen just a week or so before. She fell in and out of sleep and would doze off mid-sentence so we weren't able to talk to her much. We did say goodbye knowing that she wouldn't last too much longer.

We got updates from my mom or dad who went to visit her often the past couple days. Today we decided to go see her again knowing that she would probably pass away or tomorrow. We got there a little before 3 PM and she passed away soon after. My dad, Dan and Camille were all there to see her pass. It was sad and we all shed tears, but it was also a relief to know she wasn't suffering anymore--she could breath easy, walk and she probably looks like the hottie she was in her younger years (my grandma used to be a jewelry model back in the day). She is now with all those people who have gone before her and who have been waiting for her. My aunt Camille said she could almost feel what my grandma was feeling--she was at peace and she felt great! I think it was also a relief for her three children to know their mom wasn't suffering anymore and she could finally be at peace, physically and mentally.

The word that best describes my grandma is CLASS. She WAS a classy lady. I have never seen her without her hair done, her makeup on and dressed to the T. She was always proper and even held a manners class for us when we were little. She was also very proud and would tell people that if we ever did something bad to be sure we didn't tell anyone our last name. She and my grandpa had worked hard during their lives to be good people and to always do the right thing. They weren't perfect, but they lived good lives and did their best.

My grandma was a great cook and she would often invite us over for Sunday dinner with the whole family and I LOVED it. She usually made some kind of meat and always served mashed potatoes and gravy. And she always served dessert--usually some kind of cookie or cake she had made the previous week and icecream. Before each dinner she would say, "Take all you want...eat all you take." She wasn't a waster. She bought almost all her clothing at thrift stores and was quite a frugal shopper. We wondered at this because my grandma and grandpa were very well off--I guess that's why they always had money though.

In the past few years it was hard for her to have big groups of people over so we would go visit in small groups. When the great-grandkids came along we gave her the nickname GG so they wouldn't be confused with their other grandmas. She always tried to hold the babies and play with them even if it was a struggle. She would recite nursery rhymes with them and always did "Chin Chopper" to each little baby. She would even try to play catch with them or entertain them with the puppets she had downstairs in her toy box.

Conversations were pretty repetitive as her mind was slowly fading. She would ask about family members over and over and she would compliment me on Bailey saying, "You're never going to have a child as bright as her." I would just smile and say something like, "Yep, she's a good little kid." I was always surpised though at her amazing memory. She couldn't remember what you had just told her, but she could tell you what each of her children and grandchildren were up to. She also had an amazing talent for telling stories and reciting things she had learned. She had participated in bookclubs ever since I could remember and she really enjoyed learning new things. She was a smart lady!

Goodbye grandma. I love you very much and appreciate all your service to me and my family. You will never be forgotten.

Spray It Out

2011-05-26T10:47:00.000-06:00

Bailey was helping me clean the tub today. When I said it was time to spray it out, she went and grabbed her purple spray bottle we use to do her hair and commenced "spraying out" the tub. What a good helper!

Lunch?

2011-05-25T12:23:00.002-06:00

Bailey is carrying on a conversation through the window with the yellow tractors down the street working on the new highway. She's made them lunch and offered them play-doh and coloring. How could they resist!

My Little Helper

2011-05-13T16:34:00.002-06:00

Bailey has become my little photography assistant. I took her with me to take pictures of our little friend Addison who recently turned one and Bailey was such a huge help. Bailey sat down next to Addison when we started taking pictures to help Addison feel comfortable and to give her the low-down on the whole cake-smashing thing.

Then throughout the shoot she would talk to Addison and say, "Look at Nickie," "Look at Nickie, Addison." It was quite adorable and very helpful. Addison also got to smash her cake all over and Bailey had a hard time watching Addison have all the fun. So when Addison was done with her cake and was getting all cleaned up, Bailey got to have her turn at the cake--her little helper's reward. She earned it!

To see pictures of Addison's cake smashing, click here.

Daddy-Daughter Date

2011-05-05T18:29:00.000-06:00

Omai and Bailey just left for the evening on their first daddy-daughter date. They were both so cute! I got Bailey all dressed up in a pink frilly shirt, her new white sparkly sandals, and a braid in her hair. Omai got dressed up too. I'm not sure where they were headed but I think McDonald's Play Place was on the agenda. I love my family!

And just because it's always fun to have pictures, here are a few from Bailey's Valentine's Day photoshoot.

Photoshoot and the Dentist

2011-04-28T21:33:00.002-06:00

I recently started a new job at the Steal Network as a product editor. I create the pages that are emailed out everyday through BabySteals.com and KidSteals.com. I am able to work part time and almost entirely from home. I am LOVING it so far! It's like putting together a puzzle and I have to go find all the pieces and see what I can come up with. One fun perk is that they need kids to model some of the products that are going to be featured soon. I took Bailey in last week to model a few things and she loved it. She was quite the doll. Here she is modeling a little poofy skirt--she was dancing and dancing as the photographer took her picture.

She also got to model these cute shoes and she was completely ecstatic to be able to sit in the pink chair.

What a fun time!

Bailey also went to the dentist for the first time today. I had been talking to her about it all week trying to prepare her. I told her the dentist was a doctor for your teeth to make sure your teeth are healthy and to make sure they don't fall out (that's the story we often have to use to get her to let us brush her teeth). When we got there she immediately thought the fish tank was the coolest thing ever and also discovered a little play room. Tangled was also playing on the big screen so I thought it would be easy peasy. Well, ONE HOUR later we finally got called back and it was just in time too because Bailey was about ready to have a melt-down. She wanted a bouncy ball in the machine that only takes tokens from the dentist AFTER he cleans your teeth. When we started to walk back to the exam area the almost melt-down switched gears and she decided she was done with the dentist's office and bolted for the door. I picked her up trying to avoid her flying fists and discovered another fish tank that distracted her. Phew! The nurse laid her down on the chair and turned on How to Train Your Dragon and I thought we were set, except she didn't want the headset on and she didn't want to lay down. When the nurse came to clean her teeth though Bailey was so good. She laid there so calmly and didn't make a fuss at all. She was a little hesitant when the dentist came over and asked for a high-5. She wasn't having it, but after he cleaned, flossed, and brushed her teeth with her new pink Dora toothbrush she was handing out high-5's all around. She practically hopped out of the dentist's office and talked about the dentist all day. She prayed about the dentist, told me stories about the dentist and went through our whole family saying that each person goes to the dentist. I would say she's a fan. Good thing because we get to go back in 6 months.

Daddy's Shoes

2011-02-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Bailey loves wearing big people shoes. She usually tries to wear mine, but occasionally she'll attempt Omai's shoes. It's pretty adorable.

Snow Storm

2011-01-09T22:36:00.005-07:00

For Christmas Omai bought Bailey got a snow brick maker. He had always wanted one as a kid so he thought Bailey would love it. We tried it out for the first time during one of our latest storms--Omai made a pile of snow while I made the bricks and Bailey proceeded to stomp on every single one of them. She thought it was great fun but she didn't last very long because it was pretty cold and it got dark fast.

She refused to keep her gloves on and was a little shocked at the cold when she kept falling over.

Cereal and Butter

2011-01-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

Let me just preface this by saying this isn't an announcement or anything, just bathtub conversation with Bailey.

I asked Bailey today if she wanted a little brother and she replied, "no". I asked her if she wanted a little sister thinking she just didn't want a brother, but she replied "no" to this as well. I asked her a few minutes later again if she wanted a little brother and she replied with "cereal". I guess she really doesn't want another sibling--I just had to be sure she wasn't in a "no" mood and would reply "no" to everything I asked.

But later I asked her if she wanted something to eat and she said "butter". I said, "You want to eat butter?" She said, "ya". I said, "ok". "Butter it is". Then she said, "sister". I finally clued in that she was saying "brother" and not "butter". So I guess she will be accepting of a little brother or sister. Phew.

Merry Christmas to Us

2010-12-27T01:56:00.025-07:00

Last Christmas was very special because we had a new baby in our home which gave a different feeling to the festivities. This Christmas was more on the fun side because Bailey had somewhat of an idea of what was going on. We had prepped her by taking her to see Santa, which she hated, and we sang songs all month long about Christmas. So she kind of knew what was coming, but I think despite all of our "prep work", I was WAY more excited than she was.

Christmas Eve we spent getting some last-minute things together and spending time with each other. Bailey and I both slept in--she doesn't like sleeping anymore so she's been waking up late every morning and I've been up with a cough from about 2 AM - 5 AM every night so it was much-needed sleep. Omai was up bright and early though to start assembling Bailey's big present--a pink kitchen. I had procrastinated sewing a skirt for Bailey so I spent the afternoon doing that. We met my family at my dad and Lesli's for a beautiful spread of appetizers and sandwiches followed by a scrumptous dessert of chocolate fondue. My favorite were the avocado eggrolls from The Cheesecake Factory and Rice Krispy Treats to dip in the chocolate. Yummy!! We had to quickly exchange gifts before heading to the Graybills to see the family. Bailey got a Play-Doh kit from her Grandpa and I'm totally stoked about it. I might let Bailey play with it.

We were really late to the Graybill's and missed dinner, the nativity, and gift exchanging so I decided next year we're just going to do one family per day. It's no fun to have to rush around and miss stuff because of the time it takes to drive everywhere. Maybe if NASA comes up with a flying car we can make it work, but until then, I think we need to try and simplify.

When we got home we put Bailey to bed and I fell asleep on the floor as Omai told her a bedtime story. I woke up and came downstairs and thought about just leaving everything to be set up in the morning, but dug deep to find the energy to get Christmas all ready. It turned out to be really fun to play Santa with Omai and to imagine how Bailey would react to everything in the morning.

We all slept in again and enjoyed a quiet morning. We decided to wait for my mom and Paige to come out before taking Bailey downstairs so we all took showers and got dressed while we waited for them to arrive.

After opening a few presents we realized we were all starving so we took a break to make breakfast, but by this time it was about 11:30 AM so I guess it was more like lunch. Omai made his yummy potatoes and I make scrambled eggs that we ate with cinnamon raisin bread that our neighbors gave us from Great Harvest. After our tummies were filled my mom did the dishes while we finished opening our gifts. I got Omai some running shoes, sweat pants, sandles, and a reading light. He surprised me with a sewing maching. Wow! I've been thinking of all the things I want to make with it. I'm pretty excited.

Bailey loves her kitchen and I totally went overboard with everything else. I thought I had kept everything in check, but after Bailey lost interest and I basically had to open the rest of her gifts, I realized I probably got a few too many. But I figure the gifts are really for me because I get so bored of playing with her toys that I need some new stuff to play with.

Bailey got lots of gum in her stocking from Santa.

After all the gifts were opened we all rested and enjoyed a quiet afternoon. We headed up to my mom's house for dinner and met everyone after they had gone skiing for the afternoon. We ate taco soup compliments of Tyra and had chocolate fondue again for dessert. It never gets old. After dinner, my mom was nearly busting out of her skin in excitement to give the girls our gifts. We walked into her room where she had all our American Girl dolls displayed with refurbished beds and trunks to hold all the doll accessories. It was all very cool I have to say and the girls really liked everything.

We did a family gift exchange and we had picked Chris and Chelsea to get a gift for. I put Omai in charge of buying their gift which I think was the highlight of his Christmas. He bought them a Coleman tent. I had worked hard to totally throw them off by asking them what they thought about a cotton candy maker or a kettle korn popper. Hehe. I did really well because they were totally surprised!

Matching hats and scarves the girls got from grammy.

With the whirlwind of activity for the past couple days Bailey wasn't able to really play with her kitchen until this afternoon and I think she really likes it. She loves stirring through all the plastic food and opening the cupboards and slamming them shut. I think we done good.

I love Christmastime and the magic that is in the air. I love that I have a daughter I can teach about Christmas and about why we celebrate it. I found myself thinking often about the Savior throughout the day as I would reflect upon how wonderful our lives are and how many blessings we have. We did a Sub-4-Santa with the Graybills for a Tongan family who have six kids and another on the way. The dad has a part-time job, but it just isn't enough to provide everything the family needs. When I find myself grumbling because I think we don't have enough money for something I want I think about our fridge that is full of food, or our heat that keeps us toasty warm and remember that others aren't as fortunate. During a Relief Society lesson a couple weeks ago the teacher said it's hard to imagine not being able to provide a Christmas for your family, but that it's a reality for a lot of people. It's humbling to know how much I have when there are so many people who are struggling. I really am so blessed.

Bailey Gets a Haircut and Pigtails

2010-12-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at church I went to check on Bailey in nursery between Sunday school and Relief Society. I peaked through the window and saw all the kids sitting at the table doing an activity, but I couldn't see Bailey anywhere. I thought maybe she was throwing a tantrum and sitting against the door where I couldn't see her. I opened the door a crack to see if I could see her, but when I looked over at the table again as I walked in, there she was--she had been sitting there the whole time working away. I totally didn't recognize her because she looked like a boy! She had pulled her headband off and so her hair was all shaggy and hanging in her face. I decided it was time for a haircut. Here she is with her new do.

Santa is Scary

2010-12-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

We took Bailey to see Santa a couple times this year and it was exactly how I envisioned it--with lots of tears and a little screaming. For playgroup we went to the Festival of Trees to see the trees of course and the line was short to see Santa so we decided to give it a shot. I tried to warm Bailey up to the idea as we waited in line, but it didn't help. As soon as I sat her on Santa's lap she immediately started crying--poor Santa. He was a good sport and held her nice and tight while a friend snapped these awesome shots.

The next day we took Bailey to Emilie's Santa Session and the outcome wasn't much different. We thought if we could warm her up to him then at least she would stand next to him with a semi-decent look on her face, but that didn't work either. Those pictures are yet to come.

Bailey now says "Santa scary" when we talk about him. I guess that's okay since I would rather have her focus be on other things during Christmastime rather than just Santa.

Thanksgiving and Vegas

2010-12-15T01:13:00.000-07:00

I've have been a total slacker with this blog for the past 5 months and hardly know where to begin. I have every intention of documenting those many months if it kills me. Here's just one thing we've been up to.

One highlight of the past couple months was a totally fun trip to Las Vegas. Omai had to film a little league tournament over Thanksgiving weekend for Sports Filmz. We debated for a long time about what to do as far as when I would go down and what to do with Bailey. Our first plan was to all drive down together on Wednesday and come back Sunday. I was a little hesitant about this plan because we would drive down with Omai's friend and his wife so I wouldn't have a car to get around while I was down there. Then Orin and Meagan offered to watch Bailey while we went and slowly our plan evolved into me flying down Friday afternoon and leave Bailey with Meg and Or and then drive home Sunday with Omai and his friend. It all worked out perfectly and made for such a fun trip. Omai spent Thanksgiving day working so it wasn't the greatest for him. His boss' wife made dinner for them so at least he got something, but he had to eat standing up in a little trailer that was used as the filming headquarters for the weekend. Not the greatest Thanksgiving he's had in his life.

Once I got to Vegas I didn't see Omai much, but I got to visit a lot with my good friend Andrea who I lived with down at BYU my sophomore year. We were able to catch up from the last almost 10 years and it was absolutely fantastic. I met her cute little boys and saw her adorable house that she's decorated almost all herself. For the past three weeks I've walked around my house thinking, what would Andrea do with this space, or, Andrea made this space functional in her house so I can do it too. It was a weekend well spent.

I got to do a little shopping because Omai won $150 playing Black Jack. I also got in on the action winning a whopping $2.50. I also won $7.25 in the Wheel of Fortune slot machine. It's not much, but all I cared about was paying for my lunch so I was happy. We also ate very well going to the Rio Buffet and the Claimjumper restaurant where I ordered a six layer piece of chocolate cake for dessert. Oh boy!! Talk about death by chocolate. Despite my desire to consume the whole thing I shared it around and could hardly finish one layer. It was yummy.

On the way home we got stuck in a snowstorm and spent 14 hours trying to get home. It was pretty miserable. The only saving grace was that Omai's friend, Mullet, had a DVD player in his truck. Psych, Robin Hood, and How to Train a Dragon became my lifesavers. We stopped at a restaurant in Fillmore and spent almost an hour waiting for our food. Turns out it was basically the only open eating establishment other than the Phillips 66 for many miles in either direction. Another up side is that we were heading north and not south because a diesel truck carrying fuel had rolled on the freeway blocking all southbound traffic. We heard those people would be stuck for 7 - 8 hours on the freeway. Now that's a bummer if I've ever heard one.

We finally made it home pulling into our driveway at 11:30 PM. Bailey still recognized Omai having not seen him for 6 days and I swear she grew like three inches. Meg and Or said she did great and just played and played and played. We're already planning our next trip to Vegas in March for the MWC tournament. Can't wait!

Bailey's New Bed

2010-11-13T23:06:00.049-07:00

Bailey is growing so fast and I find myself getting a little too excited for her to be a big girl and it ends up not working out very well for me. One day I decided it was time for Bailey to start sleeping in her big girl bed. I took down her crib and brought up her bed. The assembly ended up taking me way too long because I decided not to use my common-sense part of the brain. Anyway, after putting it almost all together then taking it all apart again, I finally got it put together the right (and safe) way. Even though she wasn't cooperating with me as I tried to take pictures of her, I think she really did like her new bed.

And as a side-note--we got these cute paintings from a neighbor who just moved in down the street. Bailey loves them!

Grumpy Bailey. She knows when I want her to look cute for pictures and I think it makes her mad :).

Isn't this more like the look of a grumpy teenager rather than a 20-month old baby?...

The part of this that doesn't work very well for me or Omai is that since putting together her toddler bed, we find her in all sorts of weird positions--most of which are NOT in her bed. She often won't stay in her bed whether it be for naps or for bedtime. One day I put her to bed, went down into the garage to clean out my car, came back inside to grab something and Bailey was sitting on the kitchen floor playing. She likes to get all her toys or books out and play with them after we put her to sleep. So we usually have to fish a bucket-full of toys out from under her before we go to sleep ourselves. She likes to play with beaded necklaces that we put in a drawer in her nightstand. It's not unusual to find her with four or five of them around her neck and she'll be curled up on the floor next to her bed. I'm terrified she's going to strangle herself. Omai found her the other morning asleep half-way under her bed. He had to lift up the bed to get her out so her head wouldn't get stuck. Even though I vowed I would never do this, she ends up sleeping in my bed most nights from about 3 AM on because she'll cry, I go check on her, she'll be asleep on the floor, she screams when I put her back in her bed, I'm sick of getting no sleep, so I just bring her in bed with me. Even though we have a California king-size bed with plenty of room for both of us, she ends up sleeping perpendicular to me with me on the edge of the bed and her feet in my back. I think we're going to resort back to her crib until we need it for another baby. This arrangement just isn't working for me.

Here is an example of one of the many ways we've found Bailey asleep.

Pools and Poop

2010-07-09T22:39:00.005-06:00

For Easter we got Bailey a little kiddie pool and I put it to good use this summer by having her bathe in it some mornings in the driveway. I would warm up the water for her and she loved it. She would splash and splash in the water, throw all her toys down the driveway for me to go fetch, and splash some more.

One morning barely five minutes into her bath I could tell she needed (and started trying) to poop. I quickly grabbed her and got her out of the pool because I didn't want all my hard work of warming up her bath to be ruined. I ran inside and sat her on her potty, and viola--she totally pooped in the toilet. It was awesome!! Mess avoided. I wiped her little bum and she was back in the pool splashing away.

Our Little World

2010-06-27T16:59:00.008-06:00

Throughout each day as Bailey and I experience our lives together in our small part of the world, I feel like I'm watching little miracles happen all the time--many times a couple in every hour. And I think to myself, "Wow, this kid is amazing! I should do something like document it or something." I hate my hand writing first of all, and writing takes too long for me so I have a hard time wanting to pull out my journal to write anything down. I also think to myself, no one wants to read about another little baby saying goo goo ga ga all day. Well, I've decided I don't care, and I'm going to document away and tell you of a couple little miracles that happened today.

Bailey has decided she wants to be put in the "picky eater" category so we have a small battle on our hands at least three times a day. Today, I had tried giving her everything I could think of and she wouldn't eat anything so I washed my hands of breakfast and called it quits for the morning. After breakfast, she was "helping" me load the dishwasher (but in order to help me load it, she first has to take everything out) and I just wanted to get the job done so I needed a distraction. Food! I thought. Well, there are two sure-fire things Bailey will eat--no matter what; grapes and oranges. Turns out I had grapes so I put a bunch on a small plate and set them on a little table that is just her height. When she was done, she, of course, threw the plate on the ground and commenced "helping" me load the dishwasher. I asked her to pick up the plate so we could put in the dishwasher. She cautiously walked from the dishwasher, to the table, and leaned down to pick up the plate, which she couldn't quite reach without letting go of the table. She figured as much, so she sat on the ground and crawled over to the plate, picked it up, and hefted it onto the table. Then she pulled herself up to the table, picked up the plate again, and handed it to me so I could put it in the dishwasher. Ta da! Do I have the smartest baby in the world or do I have the smartest baby in the world!?! I picked her up and gave her a big hug as we squealed together and practiced giving kisses on the cheeks.

Well, lunch time came around and what does lunch time mean?--eatin' time, right?... Well, Bailey didn't get the memo because she was not having it. I put her down from her high chair again having lost yet another meal-time battle and Omai and I decided we were going to play this game the Nana Graybill way--no snacks, treats, or anything in between for Bailey. About an hour later, she started to get fussy and my first thought was that she was tired, but then remembered she hadn't really had anything substantial to eat all day and decided to try my luck at feeding her some mashed potatoes and turkey. And ta da again, she downed probably 2 cups of potatoes and turkey with a little cheese mixed in. Now, this probably doesn't seem like anything, but remember that Bailey has decided to be a picky eater and everything I have tried giving her the last week she has adimately refused. I've even tried holding her down to force a bite of food into her mouth hoping that after one little taste she'll realize that food is a good thing and that she should eat it. I think a part of me is so worried that our next Dr.'s appointment will be similar to Bailey's 12-month appointment (me leaving in tears because the Dr. says my baby's malnourished) that I've realized I'm constantly trying to get her to eat--whatever she'll put in her mouth. I even had a dream/nightmare that Bailey barely gained a pound when we weighed her at the Dr.'s office weighing only 20.4 lbs. The Dr. was worried and questioned if I was feeding her. Ahhh... Breathe. She is finally growing out of her 9-month clothes so that must mean I'm doing something right. So today's turkey and potatoes with a little cheese on top is a little miracle in my small part of the world.

And just because I'm a visual person and like seeing pictures with my narratives, here are a few pictures I took of my little picky eater with a photo contest in mind entitled, "Yellow" (that I never entered).

And here's the shot I was patiently waiting for, yellow tongue and all...

Island Park with the Graybills

2010-06-23T21:28:00.007-06:00

This year for our Annual Graybill Campout we went to Island Park for a couple days. There's nothing like roughing it with a soft bed, running water, refrigerator, and hot tub. The downfall was that half the family couldn't get off work to make the trip. We headed out Tuesday morning but had a slight delay as we met up with the whole group. Erin was following Keri and Maryanne and the kids in Keri's Subaru to The CAD Store and got rear-ended by a ReddiIce truck. Erin was okay and so was the car for the most part, but we had to make some phone calls to get things squared away to cover any damage to the car. It wasn't the greatest start to the trip, but our spirits were quickly renewed and we were off.

About a year and half ago, Dion was working on a project in Rexburg and discovered a delectible little pizza joint called Craigo's. It was all Omai and the kids could do from salivating at any mention of pizza--they had the opportunity to taste of Craigo's goodness last year and couldn't wait for another visit. When we got there, we all filed into a little room off the kitchen and had our way with the pizza buffet. And it was, as Paige would say, DELISH! There were about eight different kinds of pizza, a pasta bar, a salad bar, and my favorite (and I think everyone else's too), a dessert pizza buffet. It was fantastic! (And as a side note, they have fabulous canned Mandarin Oranges, which is all Bailey would eat.) After stuffing ourselves to the gills, we were off.

When we got to Island Park the first thing all of us noticed were the mosquitos. My family usually goes there in the fall so summertime at The Pines was new to me and I thought we were going to be eaten alive. Keri quickly ran to the store to get bug repellant for all and I don't think any of us got bitten. Phew. Like I said, experiencing Island Park in the summer was new to me and the word I would use to describe the scenery is BREATHTAKING! The foliage was so thick and green and it covered the hills and mountains for miles. In this part of Idaho there is mostly just flat fields and rolling hills so you can see for miles and miles and the green goes on for miles and miles. It's incredible.

On Wednesay we drove into Yellowstone and had a delightful time. On the way into the park, we stopped to see the Buffalo, and man, are they big.

For lunch we stopped by a little stream and were pleasantly surprised at the beauty and tranquility of our surroundings. Here's Bailey with her daddy enjoying the scenery and lunch.

Here was our view from the picnic table.

(And I think we saw Oprah's boyfriend Steadman there in his fishing garb. We aren't 100% sure, but Erin, Keri and I all think it was him. We should've taken a picture darnit :)) But just so you can get a visual of our experience...

After lunch we drove into Fire Hole Canyon to see the falls.

Then we were off to see Old Faithful.

On the way home, Omai took us along the scenic by-way to Mesa Falls. Once again, it was a breathtaking site.

This was the view from the ledge of the falls.

The view from the walkway was a little scary when you looked down to the sheer cliffs and tumultuous water below.

On the way home, we stopped at Craigo's again to make ourselves sick on the pizza buffet. Yum Yum. Then we headed over to a carousel for a couple rides on the ponys. Bailey LOVED it! This is my favorite picture of the trip.

Thanks everyone for a fun vacation.

Bear Lake Half Marathon [plus] Food Poisoning [equals] My Weekend

2010-06-13T21:16:00.007-06:00

Let me just start by saying that this image doesn't represent my weekend entirely, only what could've been.

My whole family traveled up to Bear Lake to support Tyra and Paige as they ran the Bear Lake Half Marathon on June 12th. They had been training for a few months and were excited for their first long race. I decided to join them in the race but, however, was too lazy to train for it and too poor to pay for it. I thought I would just see how I could do. My big mistake was to have my celebration meal (an Arctic Circle #8) the day before the race rather than after. I felt fine until 6:00 AM the day of the race, but then my stomach started to turn flips and I felt horrible. Needless to say, there definitely weren't enough green John's along the route. My family met us along the route at quite a few places and I kept thinking how nice it would be to call it quits, jump in the van, and be out of my misery. I was determined to finish what I was already 6 miles into though. At about mile 10 my whole body was done, but I just kept thinking that if I just keep going it will all be over eventually, I can get my half of a banana, my cookie and be on my way. After the race it took a while for the family to load up and get back to our hotel and by then I wanted death to take me. No such luck.

The rest of the day was very unfun. I got stuck in a traffic jam 15 minutes from home and thought someone was playing a very cruel joke. After the traffic cleared, I had to throw up in an empty cinnamon bear bag while driving down the freeway at 65 miles an hour. I finally made it home, got all cleaned up, and took a three hour, but very unrestful nap. Omai had Bailey at the Graybills so I had the house to myself to re-cooperate and completely veg. I got to finish the second season of Chuck and also started the third. I probably spent a total of five hours on the couch watching TV and it was awesome. I didn't even feel guilty. I feel much better today and have decided to lay off the AC and train for half marathons.

Moab or Bust

2010-06-12T23:09:00.009-06:00

For Memorial Day weekend we planned to do something a little different and exciting--leave the city and head south to Moab. We were going to meet Riki and Erin and kids there for a few days of low-key hiking, swimming, eating, and we hoped a little bit of sleeping. In preparation, Omai took his car to get the oil changed and we were off.

We were passing through American Fork when the 'STOP' light came on in the car that told us there was a problem with the Oil Pressure. We pulled over and Omai checked the oil and made a call to Burt Brothers to determine if we needed to pull over or if we could keep going. They told us that the problem was probably linked to a thermostat issue and that we were okay to keep driving. We stopped again in Spanish Fork to talk to a mechanic because we were still having the same warning and we were nervous to keep going. They said that we were good to continue as long as the engine sounded okay. While we were there, I decided to take Bailey out of the car and realized she had a poopy diaper. She hadn't pooped in a day so this diaper was rather large to say the least. It had gotten all over her clothes and made a total mess. Omai wasn't too thrilled with another "disaster" but I just had to laugh at our terrible misfortune. All of Bailey's clothes were in the trunk that had a bike rack strapped to it so we had to stop at K-Mart to grab her a change of clothes. We got her all cleaned up and with a go-ahead from an expert mechanic we thought it would be smooth sailing for the next three hours.

We made it as far as Spanish Fork Canyon. The car started to make some strange noises so we pulled over to check it out again. Construction was being done on the railroad track through the canyon and a few of the workers stopped to see if they could see what the problem was with our car. They couldn't detect any problems, but we decided we'd pushed our luck far enough and turned around to take the car to get fixed. We barely made it out of the canyon when the car sounded like it was going to blow up and it smelled like it was burning. We called a tow truck and decided our big adventure down south was over.

We decided to make the best of the next hour while we waited for the tow truck and my dad to bring us a car to get back home.

I have been wanting to take pictures on a railroad track. I got my chance.

When we got home I was pretty bummed that our trip fell through and we still had a whole 3-day weekend in front of us with no plans. Saturday morning we decided to run a 5k that our Stake put on. It was nice to get out and see friends and enjoy the cool air even though I was more in the mood to get a nice sunburn while hiking to Delicate Arch.

Saturday night we had some friends and family over for a BBQ. The weather was a bit chilly so we took the party inside and chatted and watched the Real game--well, Omai watched the Real game while everyone else talked.

Monday we went hiking and rock climbing with Chelsea and Chris, Paige, and kids. Our "hike" turned out to be a less than desirable. We went up to Silver Lake that was completely covered with snow. Everyone had worn sandles and shorts so we didn't make it very far along the trail. Omai had some bad luck and fell through the snow right on the edge of the boardwalk and hurt his leg pretty bad so after a short photo shoot we were done and piled back into the cars. On the way back down the canyon, Licy got car sick and threw up. We made the best of the break and ate lunch while we quizzed each other on Lost trivia. That was probably the highlight for me.

Once our bellies were full and Licy was clean, we piled in the cars again and went rock climbing. Well, Chris went rock climbing to secure a rope for Colley so we could get this sweet video of her. The rest of us chilled and took turns wrestling the babies and tried to keep them from disturbing all the other climbers who were there, I'm sure, to enjoy the quiet sounds of nature. We weren't helping.

And we know how Paige loves her close-ups.

After Colley was done, so were the little girls and we headed home for naps.

The End

Bailey's First Birthday Party

2010-06-10T23:28:00.004-06:00

I had such a great time planning Bailey's birthday party and getting everything all ready. We invited the whole family including my family and Omai's family. With so many people coming we decided to have it at the church, which worked out perfectly.

The kids brought bikes or scooters so they kept themselves and some of the adults entertained for the afternoon.

I ran the Riverton Half Marathon in the morning so I prepared as much as I could the day before so the party would be as stress-free as possible. My plan worked because everything turned out great and I wasn't stressed like I usually am for things like this. I made 4 dozen cupcakes and decorated them with my new cake decorating skills (not very impressive, but very fun to do). Turns out 4 dozen cupcakes are too many for 20 people to eat in one sitting. We had tons left over so we got to celebrate Bailey's party for a whole week and she got plenty of practice eating cake and making a total mess.

I also decorated Bailey's Giant Cupcake which was really fun too. I made a mistake though and left it on the counter in the sun before we left for the race in the morning so some of the frosting melted, but I was able to fix it for the most part.

My mom showed up to the party with a car load of birthday decorations. She got hoola hoops for all the kids and tied balloons to them and spread them all over the gym floor. It looked really cute and filled the gym with color.

We ordered pizza from The Pie that was incredibly greasy and expensive, but oh so good.

After pizza, Bailey got to eat her cake. I think she was a little freaked out with everyone gathered around so she didn't dive into her cake like I was hoping.

We gave her a small cupcake after the failed attempt with the giant cupcake that was more in line with her eating ability. She loved it and made a good and healthy mess all over.

We got her all cleaned up and then she got to open presents. We had bought Bailey a stuffed soccer ball from Ikea a couple weeks before her birthday that she had been eyeing all week. I was tempted many times to give it to her before her party, but I resisted. When we finally gave it to her to open she buried her face in it and was so excited. It has become one of her favorite things to play with.

She got lots of fun toys and books from the whole family that made her day. She sits and plays for hours roaming from one toy to another pretending to read her books and talks to her toys or dances to her music.

Thanks everyone for helping to make Bailey's birthday special. I had a fun time and I'm sure she did too.

Bailey's First Birthday Cake

2010-06-10T16:30:00.002-06:00

I found a giant cupcake mold at Walmart and was really excited to try it out for Bailey's first birthday cake. I had made one for Bailey's family birthday party a few days before this cake eating to give her a little practice, but she wasn't too thrilled with the idea of smashing cake all over herself. She was more scared than anything. This go around was a little better and I think she actually had some fun. She was so cute and we had a great and messy time.

Riverton Half

2010-05-24T20:15:00.011-06:00

In January a bunch of girls in the ward decided to train for the Riverton Half Marathon that took place on March 26th. Many of us had run the St. George Half so we thought it would just be a matter of keeping up our training. Winter is a very tough time to train for a race and I don't think I could've done it if I didn't have my friends Randi and Susie waiting for me every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday to go running.

This was Randi's first Half and since we were training partners my goal was to stick with her and help to keep her going. It was actually a pretty tough race because of the number of hills along the course--I will have to have a really good reason to run it again. Our plan was to stop at every water break and take our time to eat our Sports Beans and drink water rather than rushing our breaks. It was hard to walk and let other runners pass us, but I'm glad we did because at the end of the race I felt really good and think a large part of it was because we stayed hydrated and had refueled often.

Omai was a great support. Including the starting line, he found us four times throughout the race to cheer us on and take pictures. The last place he stopped to see us was at about mile 10 at the top of the hill. It was so awesome to see him and Bailey waiting for me. Bailey had a big smile on her face when she saw me and reached out for me to hold her. It was such a sweet moment and gave me a burst of energy.

There was one hill in the race called Devil's Slide (or something like that) and it was the steepest hill I had ever seen. I'm not kidding. I think many cars older than a 1980 would've had a hard time up this thing. At the bottom of the hill there was a water station and Randi and I were discussing our plan of attack. I just kept thinking if we just keep going and don't stop, the pain will be over that much faster. Sure enough. We made it to the top of the hill--we didn't die and it felt good to have pushed through it.

For me, mile 11 was pretty tough and I knew Randi was struggling as well. To keep our mind off our pain I told her the story about Hazel Powers who I met on my mission in Virginia. She was 81 years old, had diabetes, and only one leg. My companion, Sister Roundy, and I had to give her a bath one day because her maid had been fired and Hazel had just gotten a perm and needed the chemicals washed out of her hair. That was an experience I will never forget and it made for a good anecdote to get our mind off our aching joints.

We finally made it to the last mile of the race and I got my energy back and felt great as I crossed the finished line with a time of 2:09:55. Omai was there waiting with Bailey and it felt so great to see them and give them a big hug. We took a few pictures and were off to set up for Bailey's 1st Birthday Party. Phew. What a day.

Kiwanis 5k

2010-05-24T19:46:00.003-06:00

I'm attempting to catch up on recording the events of our lives before they're completely out of my memory.

Some friends and I ran in the 1st Annual Kiwanis 5k on April 9th held at Gardner Village. I have been running with my friend Randi and I think we make a pretty good running pair because we run the same pace and we have good conversations. We had run the Riverton Half Marathon back in March (more on that later) and have been running on average three days a week so we weren't too worried about a 5k. It was a little chilly when we arrived at the race and were anxious to get going so we could warm up. Randi gets a little nervous at races so when the race started she took off at a faster pace then we were used to. After about a mile we were both a little tired and started to slow our pace, but I wondered to myself if I could keep the pace the whole race. I decided I would go for it and see if I could do it. I was feeling pretty good at the half-way mark and felt I could keep going. I think I was mostly running on adrenaline because of all the people I was able to pass. In my mind I kept thinking just pass that person, you can pass that person, you can catch that 7-year old (there really was a 7-year old girl in the race who almost kicked my butt). Towards the end of the race I was still feeling pretty good, but was very anxious to see the finish line. There were many people who were running about my pace and I wondered if this pace was normal for them because I was almost ready to die. I didn't die however and finished with my best time of 26 minutes. After the race they gave us our print outs with our times and race standings and as we were all comparing our times we realized they had totally messed up because no one's were correct. Randi had gotten a printout with my time on it and I had gotten hers. We found out the scanner used to scan everyone's bibs wasn't working and then when they tried re-entering them, they dropped the stack of tear-offs so they got all out of order. During the medal ceremony my friend Randi had gotten 2nd place so we thought for sure they would call my name, but they ended up awarding the 1st place medal to a boy for the Women's 25-29 division. I was bummed because I had never run so fast for so long in my life. We headed home after the race and it took me almost four days to get over my headache and to get rehydrated (all for a 5k... ugh).

Well, guess what came in the mail the other day?!!!

Ta Da!

I'm A Big Kid Now

2010-05-21T23:38:00.002-06:00

I went out to dinner with some girlfriends tonight and Bailey got to spend the evening with her Nana and Papa and Aunt Keri. When I pulled in to the house Keri and Maryanne came out to meet us. I got Bailey out of the car and handed her to Maryanne and immediately Bailey turned to me and said "ba bye" and waved. Oh what a little cutie. She makes me laugh and she's getting so big. It's quite amazing all the things she's learning.

I was making Bailey's lunch this afternoon and I guess I was really into her cheese bread because all of a sudden I hear her on the landing of the stairs. I rushed up the stairs when I heard her and when she saw me she just threw her head back and laughed. She thought it was so funny to make her mommy panic. I think I'm going to install the baby gates so they're permanently attached to each end of the stairwell.

New Tricks

2010-05-16T22:17:00.009-06:00

We've had a full week with lots of fun activities and places to go. Yesterday was a very full day for me so Bailey spent a lot of the day with her Nana and Papa and discovered some new tricks. But before I get too far into our adventerous day, I have decided that Bailey is officially off milk. Our pediatrician recommended a no-dairy diet and for about three weeks Bailey hadn't thrown up and was doing great. Then we ran out of Rice Milk so I thought I would give 2% a try again. She did great for about two days, but then out it all came yesterday morning. When she woke up I gave her the milk with a little Chocolate Carnation Instant breakfast mixed in and I went to take a quick shower. When I went in to get her I thought it a little strange she was being so quiet. At first glance I thought she had spilled her milk all over the place, but as I looked a little closer I saw it was throw up. The poor thing had been laying there for about 15 minutes like that. I felt terrible. She also had a poopy diaper so into the bath she went but Bailey was not having it. She wanted me to hold her, but my only thought was to prevent getting throw up and poop everywhere. Bailey wanted out of the bath so bad that out came her first trick of the day--pulling herself up to a standing position. I was so proud of her, but couldn't really relish in the moment between her screaming and trying to clean her up. After getting all cleaned up we were off for the day. I had a photography workshop to go to so I dropped Bailey off at the Graybills. I was in the kitchen and Bailey was at the bottom of the stairs. She was so eager to get to me so she figured she would just climb up the stairs--ta da--trick #2.

These new talents made something click in Bailey's brain that she can do whatever she wants and the world is hers. So her third trick of the day--getting into every cupboard possible and pulling everything out of it to discover it's contents. I thought my life was pretty much over when she started to crawl, but now that stairs have increased the size of her world 100%, baby gates are my new best friend.

After my workshop I went to a bridal shower for Brianna, Zane's fiance. (Yes!! they are finally engaged). They're getting married June 5th and we are so excited for them. And to keep the romantic theme going, we had a BBQ and invited my sister to meet a guy in our ward who's also single. I think it went pretty well so we'll see how things go.

Bailey Likes to Dance

2010-05-13T15:52:00.001-06:00

Happy Mother's Day to Me

2010-05-09T22:46:00.007-06:00

Omai surprised me a couple weeks ago... we were up in the office just talking and he asked me if he could use my phone. I said sure and handed it over not sure who he was going to call. He dialed and started talking to someone, of course stating the obvious that it wasn't actually me who was calling but it was him. He asked the person if they wouldn't mind taking pictures of Bailey and I since I have about five pictures of me and Bailey together. I thought he might be calling my friend Emilie who's a photographer but then thought, no way would he be calling her, we don't have money for pictures right now. Turns out, it was Emilie on the phone and she agreed to take pictures of us. I insisted that Omai come along so we could get a few with him, but he demanded that he would not be in the pictures. It's like he doesn't like getting his picture taken or something... weird. Anyway, after I got over the shock of Omai's mysterious phone conversation, he handed the phone over to me so we could set up an appointment.

Emilie had had an Easter event where she rented bunnies to act as live props as she photographed little kids and I wanted to get a bunny for Bailey too. The weather had a hard time cooperating but we finally decided on place and time for the shoot. I had to drive down to Pleasant Grove to pick up the bunny from Kim, the girl who rents them out. The whole drive down all I could think was, please don't ask me to hold the bunny, please don't ask me to hold the bunny, please don't ask me to hold the bunny. I just don't really like animals--especially small ones that could pass as a rodent. It turned out okay because Kim didn't ask me the hold the bunny... phew. She did introduce us though and the bunny's name is Sunburst. Sunburst was in a very secure cage and Kim even put the cage in the car for me. She put it on the floor on the passenger's side so I got to look at it the whole drive back to Salt Lake. I talked to it and Bailey on the way to keep everyone happy but mostly to keep myself calm and think good thoughts about Sunburst and work into a 'be brave' mode for Bailey because I know eventually I was going to have to hold it. We got to Wheeler Farm and it was a rather blustery day. I got myself and Bailey all ready just in time for Emilie to show up. Emilie grabbed the bunny and we were off.

Bailey is loving anything soft lately--blankies, stuffed animals, her daddy. So to her, Sunburst was just another soft, cuddly thing that she could snuggle up to. Well, after a few poses with the bunny she realized that it was more than soft and cuddly--it was ALIVE and she wanted it the heck away from her. By this time, I was in full 'be brave for Bailey' mode, but I also knew I couldn't return an earless bunny to Kim so I did my darndest to prevent Bailey from ripping the poor things ear off or bolting into the nearby bushes, in the meanwhile, keep Bailey from falling off the rocking chair and keep my skirt up that was just not cooperating. After a few brave poses I had to tell Emilie just how freaked out I was at the moment and she just laughed. It is rather silly to be afraid of a little bunny, but I can't help it. I'm a wuss. Despite all the drama--well, my drama, we got some very sweet pictures. Thank you, thank you Emilie. You're amazing.

New Year's Eve

2010-03-01T13:52:00.002-07:00

For those of you who missed a rockin' evening, click here for the recap.

Just a Few Thoughts

2010-02-17T22:54:00.002-07:00

I was just reading a blog about our friends whose little boy was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his neck and I've basically been bawling for the past two hours reading about all the procedures he's endured over the past few weeks. It has really made me think about what I would do in that situation, how I would handle it, and if I would have enough strength to make it through. I hope I don't ever have to face something so difficult, but in the meantime I can be even stronger knowing that there are many who suffer so much and who continue to be faithful.

Yesterday, I was reading about members of the church in Haiti who have nothing, but continue to go to church, do their home teaching, read their scriptures, and thank their Heavenly Father for everything they have. They have nothing, but they're thankful for everything they do have. Incredible.

Life is sure good right now and I couldn't ask for anything better than my patient and loving husband and my adorable little Bailey. Things could change in an instant, but at this instant, life is good.

2010 Winter 30K Series

2010-01-31T21:48:00.004-07:00

I decided to join two of my friends who are running in the 2010 Winter 30K Series. It consists of three races run at Saltair the first being a 5K, then a 10K, and finishing off with a 15K each two weeks apart. The 5K was on Saturday, January 30 and it was a fun race. I hadn't run since my half marathon because I bruised my foot and was working on breaking in some new shoes so I was a little unsure how I would do. It was a cold, windy morning, but I felt good throughout the run and had a fun race.

St. George Half Marathon

2010-01-31T21:03:00.007-07:00

A bunch of girls in my neighborhood decided to head down to St. George for the 2010 Half Marathon and 5k. There were 12 of us total who ran in the races--four of us ran the half and the others ran the 5k. When we were planning the trip, a couple husbands were thinking about going, but in the end, Omai was the only one who made the trip down. He was a really good sport about it. At one point all the girls were making plans about going to get a bite to eat and I asked him what he wanted to do. He said he didn't want to go out with all the girls so he would just hang with the other husbands. I panicked for a moment trying to recall the conversation I'm sure we had had when I told him he was the only guy going. He just laughed and said he would go get pizza and wait for all us girls to have our fun together.

Omai couldn't get off work until about 4:00 so we hit the road as soon as we could. There were a lot of warnings about bad weather so we decided to borrow my dad's car so we would have 4WD and enough room for all our baby gear. I was also envisioning the worst case scenario so I packed our sleeping bags and winter gear in case we were stranded on the side of the road for the night. Luckily, all that stuff just took up space for the trip and we didn't have to use it.

The snow wasn't too bad, but we hit a bad patch in Cedar City that didn't cause us too much grief. We rolled into sunny St. George around 9:30 PM and took another half hour trying to find our friend's house where we were staying. We unloaded the car and thought Bailey would for sure want to just eat and go to sleep, but because she had taken a late nap, she was wide awake and ready to play. Actually, I think hyper is more the word to describe it if a 9-month old can be hyper. She was dancing and singing and having the time of her life.

We crashed about 11:30 and woke up just in time to get all ready for the race. One of my friends who had come down with us had forgotten her running shoes, which we had picked up from her house before we left town so we hurried to meet up with her. The girls had also picked up my packet the day before with my number and timing sensor so we were anxious to find each other. About 10 minutes before the race I asked them if they had my number and they realized they had forgotten it in the other car that was headed somewhere else. One of my friends worked frantically to track down someone who could bring it to me, but in the meantime the race had started. So everyone was off to the races except me. My friend who had my packet showed up and I got all my gear on and I was off. It was kind of weird to start all alone, but then I realized it was kind of nice because I could see Omai and Bailey clearly and I passed a ton of people, which always feels good in a race, right :).

Me and Bailey before the race.

During the race Omai tried to meet up with me a few times rather than just waiting at the finish line for me, but it just wasn't happening for us. When I was approaching mile 4 he called me and asked where I was because he was waiting to cheer me on at mile 3. Then he went to mile 7 to cheer me on and called to find out where I was while I passed the 8-mile marker. We still hadn't seen each other when he called me at mile 11. But by this time he was on the other side of a big hill and couldn't get to me in time before I crossed the finish line. I was kind of emotional because I was way tired and I just wanted to see him, but he was on the other side of St. George. Oh boy! About ten minutes after I finished we finally found each other! Phew. We'll plan that better next time. Maybe I'll wear some kind of honing device or something.

Omai tried so hard to find me. I looked at my phone after and realized he had called 11 times during the race and one of the photographers got one of those moments on film. hehe. Oh how I love you Omai!

My and Bailey after the race, red face and all.

I ran the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon back in 2006 and my time was 2:00:20 so I was hoping for a similar time in St. George, but I was a little over at 2:03. I was pleased with my time and was actually excited for my next race. After I ran the Bryce Canyon race, I didn't run again for about a year because I was so burned out. I'm now training for the 2010 Riverton Half Marathon.

Bailey Skis

2010-01-31T20:30:00.005-07:00

I took Bailey skiing for the first time on what I thought would be a warm sunny day to Alta for Ski Free After 3. I should've known better than to expect that in the middle of January. I think Bailey started to get car sick on the ride up the canyon--heck, I started to get sick and I was driving. Little Cottonwood is a doosy. Anyway, we made it up to the resort all in one piece and got all ready to go. It had been raining in Riverton so I thought Bailey would be fine in her little snow suit and she was, until we got half way up the lift. I had put her in a harness facing me and I tried my best to shield her from the wind, but it was blowing hard and it was bitter cold. I hadn't put my gloves on because I wanted them free so I could take care of Bailey. Good thing Tyra came up right behind me when we got off the lift because I couldn't feel my fingers. I've had some cold ski days, but my hands have never felt like that before. She had to help me get my gloves on because I couldn't feel anything.

Once my hands were warm and I could function again, we headed off down the mountain. Bailey, I think, was having fun because she was kicking her feet and bobbing her head like she does when she's happy. The first run down was great and my neices and nephews did a great job. We decided we could do one more run, so up we went on the lift and I think Bailey was done by then. Her little nose was running and she was wimpering most of the way down. I thought she was just uncomfortable in the harness, which she probably was, but we hurried down anyway.

By this time, Bailey was having no fun at all so I rushed down to the parking lot. I decided to save some time and ski through the parking lot trying not to think about the damage I was inflicting on my $600 skis. Bailey was just hanging there and crying like she was the most tired she had ever been. We made it to the car and I hurried to get Bailey undressed. She was so miserable as I tried to take her snow suit off and I found her little hands and feet were freezing. I turned the car on to get it warmed up and fed her while she thawed out. I had not put nearly enough clothes on her and she was freezing, the poor thing. Next time I have it all planned out how I'm going to keep her warm so she was won't freeze to death. Or maybe I'll just leave her with her Nana and wait until next year to attempt skiing with her again.

Nickie and Bailey

Licy all bundled up and ready to hit the slopes.

This was the start of our second run down the hill and by this time Bailey was done.

New Year's Eve

2010-01-21T21:33:00.005-07:00

We did something a little different for New Year's Eve this year... we showed off our talents. Well, actually, in our family we don't really have talents that can be shown off so instead we just entertainted eachother with a lip-syncing contest. We borrowed Keri's kareoke machine to get warmed up and then we were off.

In order of appearance we have Bailey.

Then Licy does her dance routine.

Then we have the Big & Chunky's.

Next on stage is the Respecters.

And to finish the night off we have The Red Trio.

Thanks everyone for a fun night. Next year, same time, same place, same talent.

Hot Air Balloons

2010-01-21T15:49:00.010-07:00

We've been trying to do better with having FHE so we planned out about three months of activities so it would be easier for us when Monday evening rolled around. One of our first activities was homemade hot air balloons. Keri is the expert on making them so she came out and taught us all how to do it. We had enough supplies for four balloons so we only had a handful of chances to make it work. It was tough to get all the candles lit without them burning holes in the plastic bag. We failed on the first three attempts, but the fourth time did the trick.

When the balloon finally took off, we were worried it worked a little too well because it took off down the street and drifted really high into the sky. I envisioned it landing on a nearby roof and starting the house on fire. Omai has good aim so I'm confident he could've taken it out with a snowball before it came to that. Fortunately it just drifted down the street and went out without making contact with anything.

Lighting the candles. It took all of us to make it work.

Aunt Keri and Bailey

Licy. It was way cold that night. It was perfect conditions for hot air balloons, but a little nippy for the nose.

Chris, Colley, and Licy.

Colley.

Chris and Licy.

Me and Keri.

Paige, Chelsea, and me.
Papa, Omai, and Bailey.

Chris, Chelsea, and Licy.

Check out some videos of our attempts and the fourth and final successful balloon.

Thanks everybody for a fun night!

Bailey's Christmas Dress

2010-01-14T00:22:00.004-07:00

Our Stake held a clothing and toy swap after the Relief Society broadcast in the fall and I got a heck of a steal on a little dress that fit Bailey perfectly for Christmas. She looks so cute in it.

Bailey's 1st Christmas

2010-01-13T22:54:00.003-07:00

My mom always worked so hard to make Christmas so spectacular every year, but sorry mom, this year was by far the best ever! Bailey woke up her usual smiling, giggling self in her adorable Christmas jammies. After Omai and I took turns setting out each other's stocking we brought Bailey down to open presents. We took turns helping Bailey open her presents and contrary to what we suspected, she loved her presents a little more than the wrapping paper and ribbons. It felt like we opened presents all day, but it was fun and we enjoyed every moment. Grammy came over in the afternoon after Bailey had her nap and was in the mood for playing. Bailey also opened her stocking where she found a rockin blue Buzz Lightyear cell phone amoung other things, but I think that was her favorite. She would of course rather play with a real phone, but that'll have to wait til she's 25 or married.

After all the presents were opened at our house, we headed to pick G.G. up to go to Grandpa's house for dinner and to exchange gifts. I think all the kids were on gift-overload as well as sugar highs. There was wrapping paper and candy wrappers strewn all over the place.

Christmas has brought on a whole new meaning to me with Bailey being a part of our family now. I look forward to many more in years to come.

Murder Mystery Dinner

2009-12-07T01:06:00.002-07:00

The YW and YM in our ward had a Super Hero Murder Mystery Dinner and we all got to take part. It was really fun to make the costumes and get all ready for the night. I was Poetica - a crafter of clever words and phrases; Bailey was Princess Power Girl - creator of cuteness and adorableness; Omai was Light Boy - harnesses the paralyzing power of light. Omai came up with his own introduction that wowed the crowd. You'll have to ask him to play it for you. He wrote it himself.

Lil Stinker

2009-12-07T00:17:00.015-07:00

(Just trying to catch up on recent events)

Bailey's first Halloween was really fun and she was completely adorable as a Lil' Stinker. She didn't particularly enjoy the costume but it was fun to show her off. We went to the Granite Ward on Friday for their Halloween party and got to see some old friends and catch up.

Here are some pictures of Bailey's photo shoot.

On Saturday, Omai and I went to the Real game with Paige and a friend. They played Columbus Crew and won in the final minute. We headed back to the Graybills for yummy food and games.

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-26T21:28:00.005-06:00

Tonight for FHE we did our traditional pumpkin carving. There's a pumpkin patch down the road from us where you can go and pick your own pumpkins. The pumpkin patch also had some cheap produce and delicious apple cider. It was way fun and Bailey had a great time too.

For carving the pumpkins, we found an awesome site, zombiepumpkins.com, where you can get all sorts of patterns. We didn't have special tools or anything, which I really think make a huge difference. I think next year we'll invest in some specialized tools.

Can you guess what we carved?

Happy Halloween Everybody!!

Car Seat Covers

2009-10-22T12:37:00.016-06:00

This year for the Festival of Trees, one of our projects is to make car seat covers. I got the idea from my friend Abby who made me one for Bailey and I think it was one of the greatest gifts we got. It keeps out the sun, the cold, and hopefully the germs. I decided to make some for friends in addition the ones I made for Festival and took pictures along the way for those who want to try it out. I'm not a seamstress my any means so if I can make it work, pretty much anyone can do it.

The supplies you'll need include:

2 yards of fabric, one yard for the top and a corresponding yard for the underside
1 - 2 yards of grosgrain ribbon
(Before I knew the difference between ribbons I bought some of the silky stuff. It worked okay, but grosgrain worked better). If you are just going to tie knots around the carseat handle you'll only need one yard of ribbon, but if you want to tie bows you'll need closer to two yards.
a lighter to burn the ends of the ribbon to prevent fraying
thread
scissors
iron
and of course a sewing machine

Iron both pieces of fabric first then lay the fabric flat with both right sides facing each other.

I used the car seat cover I already have as a pattern and traced it with chalk.
(Because you're reading these directions I assume you don't already have a carseat cover to use as a pattern. hehe. Here's a simple pattern to help you out with the dimensions).

After tracing the pattern, pin all the way around the chalk outline and a few in the middle to keep the fabric in place.

Sew along the chalk line leaving about a 4 - 5 inch opening to turn the fabric right side out.

Cut off the excess fabric around the edge leaving about a half inch of fabric from the seam.
Turn the fabric right side out and iron the edges to make them flat and to create a nice edge. Be sure to push to fabric to the edge. And the place you left the 4 - 5 inch hold, tuck in both sides, iron it, and then pin.

Sew around the entire cover about a 1/4" from the edge. I used the right edge of the pedal as my guide.

On this particular cover I used ribbon to attach the cover to the carseat. I've also seen strips of fabric with velcro attached. The strips would require two pieces of fabric each 10" x 4". Use whatever fits your fancy.
I used one yard of ribbon cut in half for this cover, which makes each piece of ribbon about 18 1/2" long. If you want to be able to tie a bow around the handles of the car seat rather than a knot, you'll need about double that or a total of 2 yards of ribbon. It's just whatever you prefer.

Burn the edges of the ribbon to prevent it from fraying.

To position the ribbon, measure 12" in from the edge and 18" from the top of the cover on both sides and put a small chalk X.

Center both pieces of ribbon over the X and pin them in place.

Sew a square with an X through it to secure the ribbon to the cover.

Ta da. There you have it.
And here's the finished product.

I folded mine up so the ribbons could be used to tie up the cover like a little package. Cute huh!?

Let me know if I didn't explain something very well and I'll try to explain it better.

Have fun and I would love to hear how your own project goes.

And I just have to add that my daughter was very impressed at my work :).

Chicken Thai Crunch Salad

2009-10-21T21:36:00.004-06:00

We had Zane and Brianna over for dinner and I tried out a new recipe. It was pretty tasty if you want to try it out. I didn't put in the wantons or bean threads, but it was great without them.

Thanks for coming and hanging out guys. We had a great time.

Lime-Cilantro Dressing:
1/2 Cup vegetable oil 1/4 Cup rice vinegar 1/2 Cup coarsely chopped cilantro 1/4 Cup minced red bell pepper 1/4 Cup honey 4 Teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 Teaspoons sesame oil 2 Teaspoons lime juice 2 Cloves garlic Dash salt Dash ground black pepper

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
1/2 Cup crunchy peanut butter 6 Tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar 1 Tablespoon chili sauce (or chili-garlic sauce) 1 Teaspoon sesame oil 1/2 Teaspoon minced ginger 1/2 Cup water

4 Small skinless chicken breast fillets

Crispy Wontons and Bean Threads:
2 to 3 cups vegetable oil or vegetable shortening 8 wonton wrappers handful bean threads

Salad:
1 Cup cooked edamame 1 Cup lightly salted cocktail peanuts 12 Cups chopped napa cabbage, chopped (1 large head) 2 Cups thinly sliced red cabbage 2 Cups shredded or julienned carrot 1 Cup julienned cucumber 4 green onions, chopped (green part only)

Lime-Cilantro Dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a blender on high speed for 20 seconds, or until cilantro is chopped fine, but not pureed. Cover and chill.

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium/low heat. Heat until sauce is hot, but not boiling, and sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture into a blender and blend for about 20 seconds. Cover and chill.

Chicken Breasts:
Flatten chicken breasts by covering them with plastic wrap and pounding them thin with a kitchen mallet. Rub oil on each breast, sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper, and grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until done. Wrap and chill the cooked chicken.

Crispy Wontons and Bean Threads:
Heat 2 cups of vegetable shortening or oil in a medium saucepan to 375 degrees. Slice a stack of 8 wonton wrappers into 1/4-inch wide strips. Slice those strips in half. Fry them in hot oil for about 30 seconds or until light brown Drain on paper towels.

Fry beans threads in hot on "for about 10 seconds or until they float to the top of the oil. Drain on paper towels.

Edmane and Toasted Peanuts:
Cook edmame following the directions on the package. If the soybeans are in the pods, remove them and chill the beans after they have cooked. Toast the peanuts by heating them up in a skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes or just until starting to brown. Immediately remove them from the heat so that they don't burn.

For Each Salad:
Combine 3 cups napa cabbage, 1/2 cup red cabbage, 1/2 cup carrot, 1/4 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup edamame, 1/4 cup toasted peanuts, 1/4 cup crispy wontons, and a couple tablespoons of chopped green onion in a large bowl. Thinly slice a cold chicken breast into bite-size pieces and add it to the salad. Pour 4 to 5 tablespoons of cilantro-lime dressing over the salad and toss well. Carefully pour tossed salad onto a serving plate. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup crispy bean threads on top of the salad. Spoon spicy peanut sauce into a squirt bottle and squirt the sauce in a sweeping motion over the top of the salad. repeat for remaining salads.

Enjoy!

Lake Powell

2009-10-20T14:39:00.010-06:00

We took our annual trip to Lake Powell during the third week of September. We usually go in July or August and sweat to death in the sun and heat, but this trip was a little chillier, but it was okay to hang out in swimsuits and sweatshirts. We were trying to decide if we should take Bailey or leave her with Nana Graybill. We decided to take her and it was a really good time. She was so chill and loved the boat. Well... I don't know if she loved it, but she was very relaxed falling asleep every time we went for a ride.

I had a hard time enjoying the temperature of the water and I figured she would feel the same way so we opted to try it out for a short photo op. You can see how it turned out.

Maybe this was the cause for all the tears. I feel the same way when I have to wear my swimming suit.

Here are some more shots from the trip.

Paige got back from her mission back in August from Mesa, Arizona.

Grandpa taught Taygen how to drive the houseboat. Way to go Tayg!

Bailey looked so cute in her new life jacket all bundled up.

Bailey and her daddy.

Enjoying Every Minute

2009-08-10T11:40:00.005-06:00

I'm sitting here at my computer (obviously) with Bailey playing on the floor next to me. She is kind of wimpering/talking/giggling. The wimpering comes when I look away from her, but then it changes to giggling when I look at her. She loves attention from anyone and is really quite entertaining.

Over the past few weeks I've heard the comment over and over again that I should enjoy every minute because it passes so quickly. I enjoy her as much as I possibly can and am amazed at how much she changes each day.

She has the strongest grip and can hold onto my thumbs to pull herself into sitting position. She likes going on walks now a little more than before. I can make it almost all the way to the end of my hour walk without her fussing or crying. It's fantastic. She reacts to people more and more as well. She smiles at everyone and can definitely tell the difference between mommy and daddy and other people. If she's sitting on my lap, she turns her head all the way around to look at me. She's rolled over a couple times from her tummy to her back. She doesn't intentionally do this, it's more that gravity does most of work leaving her stunned and bewildered at what just happened. She's also discovered her hands and can't go more than five minutes without sucking on them creating a large stream of drool down her chest. Thank goodness for washing machines.

I think Bailey is the greatest thing ever and I love her so much!

Bloomin' Beauty

2009-07-25T23:32:00.005-06:00

For anyone interested, I'll have some of my jewelry in a boutique this Thursday, July 30. There will be a bunch of other vendors there with tons of great stuff. Hope you can make it.

Check out our site.

3 Months Old and Counting

2009-07-13T16:04:00.014-06:00

Bailey celebrated her 3-month birthday recently and is learning all sorts of new things. She now has quite the repertoire of talents. She is going to take a moment to share some of them with you (and in no particular order):

1) I can sleep through the night (9:30 PM - 7:15 AM is the best so far). Mommy's really happy about this one. It's kind of off and on, but I'm trying. 2) I can hold my head up all by myself 3) I can swim at grandpa's pool in my new swimsuit and kick my legs

4) I suck on my hand (fist) if my binkie falls out of my mouth so my mommy doesn't have to keep putting it back in and go crazy 5) I wear size 2 diapers so I don't leak all over mommy's white skirt anymore in the middle of church

6) I love calling my daddy and talking to him while he's at work

7) I can sleep through firework celebrations so I don't cry at the loud noises

8) I love playing in the grass and sometimes I try to eat it 9) I love blowing spit bubbles, but sometimes they get away from me 10) I smile at everyone because I love it That's about it, but I'm trying new things each day. Bye Bye.

I just love being Bailey's mom. Here are a few more pictures that help capture what I get to experience each day.

Go Fourth

2009-07-05T21:24:00.007-06:00

We had a fun 4th of July weekend watching fireworks, the Real Game, swimming, and eating tasty food. We took Bailey swimming for the first time at my dad's house. We got her all geared up for the occasion with a new swimming suit, swim diapers, a hat, and a ladybug floater and boy did she look adorable. The weather hasn't been great so I was a little worried about the temperature of the water, but she seemed to be having fun. She was smiling and kicking and totally loved it. She even got splashed a few times by her cousins, but didn't seem to mind. Go Bailey! For Father's Day, my dad bought tickets for his son and sons-in-law to the Real Game on July 3, but Aaron and Chris couldn't make it so Tyra and I took their spots. I attempted to feed Bailey while sitting in our sits, but after a few minutes both her and I were totally sweating and completely miserable so I took off to the bathroom to finish up the job. My dad held her for the rest of game and she had a great time starring and people and gazing at all the lights. After the game there were some lame performers (sorry David Osmond) before the firework show started. Fortunately Omai got Bailey to sleep before the show started so all we had to combat was the falling debri from the sky. I don't think they planned that very well because the whole north end of the stadium were covered with ashes from the fireworks. Here's Omai with his little girl enjoying her first 4th of July and Real Game (well, she at least enjoyed her fist).

On Saturday we went to the Granite Community Fourth of July Celebration for breakfast, parade, and carnival. It was fun to see family and friends. Erin and Kena. Meagan and Grace.Lily. Nana and Papa cooking breakfast.

3 - 6 Months

2009-06-29T16:01:00.003-06:00

Bailey wore her first 3 - 6 month outfit today and boy did she look cute! We only have about two outfits that fit her now so I went to Carter's to exchange some of the clothes we received during showers for summer clothes that will fit her now. She's going to be looking great all week. Little girls are so fun!

Father's Day, 2-Year Anniversary, and My Birthday

2009-06-29T00:10:00.008-06:00

We've had a great week celebrating Father's Day, our 2-year anniversary, and my birthday. It was Omai's first Father's Day obviously and I wanted to get him something special. I bought an awesome photobook from my friend Emilie and printed a bunch of pictures of Bailey to put in it. Here are a few of the pictures (and the book). I think he really liked it. Okay, I probably liked it better than he did, but it was way fun to make.

For my birthday we went to the Cheesecake Factory and boy was it gooood. I think my favorite food of all time is their Avocado Egg rolls. I'm trying to convince Omai to go back to school to study Culinary Arts so he can make me Avocado Egg rolls whenever I want them. I don't think he's convinced yet, but I won't be deterred.

After enjoying delicious cheesecake we headed up north to Bountiful so my mom could watch Bailey while we went to a movie--the first since Bailey was born. We saw "Year One", but we weren't too impressed. I wouldn't recommend it even if you get it for $1 at Redbox. I did enjoy the Sour patch Watermelon candy I got though so that was fantastic.

When we got back to my mom's we found Bailey in good spirits as always and with a new outfit on as she had spit up all over her clothes. She must like wearing many different outfits during the day because she either blows out her diaper or spits up all her food making a change of clothes necessary. If I had that many clothes I looked adorable in I might do the same thing too.

Omai was back to work Tuesday even though it was our anniversary. It was kind of a bummer, but I'm hoping next year will be the year we can enjoy our anniversary on the actual day. Last year it took us a week to get work off to celebrate. Oh well. Bailey and I went to lunch with my girlfriends to Paradise Bakery and got some cookies to take to Omai for an anniversary surprise and boy were they good. Omai says Paradise Bakery is a girly restaurant and refuses to eat there, but I didn't hear him complaining as he enjoyed those delicious cookies. But who can complain when it comes to eating sugar?...

Growing Every Day

2009-05-14T00:21:00.004-06:00

I can't believe how fast the last few weeks have gone by. Bailey is over six weeks old now, but it feels like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. I love being a mom and being able to spend time with our little bubba all day. Some of my favorite things is picking her up from her bassinet and her little stretch she does. She arches her back, throws her head back, stretches her arms above her head, puckers her lips, and juts out her chin. It's so adorable! She's also starting to coo and she smiles A LOT. She LOVES her binky, which can be good at times because it helps her be so content, but difficult because it's constantly falling out of her mouth. You can probably guess what that means--I'm putting that thing back in her mouth at least 100 times per day. We need to do something about that dang thing.

We had our friend Emilie (from Photo By Emilie) take pictures of her when she was just a wee thing (10 days old). Here are some of the ones we love. Enjoy.

One of Our Favorite Things

2009-04-14T15:51:00.003-06:00

Many people have helped to make Bailey's experience on earth very special. We received some wonderful gifts that have been so enjoyable and fun to see Bailey use and experience.

P.S. In this video I didn't mention Omai who also helped make the moment possible by assembling the swing. Thanks babe.

Bailey's Room

2009-04-08T19:18:00.004-06:00

After many hours of hard work and with a touch of love, Bailey's room is finally complete.

Bailey has Arrived!

2009-04-06T13:44:00.011-06:00

I opened up this window 20 minutes ago in hopes of telling you all about the birth of our little girl Bailey, but I was somewhat delayed having to address a hiccup attack and a poopy diaper. In the meantime I got distracted trying to get a bow glued to Bailey's head. Phew. I think we're all set now.

Our little girl, Bailey Manea Graybill, was born Monday, March 30th. After many phone calls to the hospital Monday morning to make sure there was a bed and a nurse available for us, we made it to the hospital at about 11:30 AM. Things progressed slowly throughout the day and at 5:00 PM the doctor broke my water and I received an epidural about a half hour later. Things continued to progress until Bailey was born at 11:21 PM. She weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 20 inches long.

She is very healthy and happy and I've managed to get quite a few smiles out of her. They might just be gas smiles, but they're smiles nonetheless. Here are a few pictures when she was five days old. We both think she's the cutest thing in the whole wide world, but what parent doesn't think that of their own child right?...

Omai's 32nd Birthday

2009-02-22T22:04:00.010-07:00

Omai turned 32 on Saturday and to celebrate he a couple parties throughout the week. The first party was last Saturday at his parents for our monthly get-together. We had fantastic chicken crepes and his mom made an incredible pumpkin cheesecake that we enjoyed throughout the week. We probably shouldn't of, but you only have a birthday once a year right...
In addition to the family party at his parents, I planned a surprise party for him at our house. It was a week full of secretive planning and frankly some lying to pull it off. I hid the supplies around the house including my car trunk hoping that Omai wouldn't go snooping. I engaged his sister Keri to get him out of the house for a couple hours while I set everything up and waited for his friends to arrive. Omai pulled into the garage, we turned out the lights and in he walked to the house full of balloons, crete paper, noise makers, and friends.

The rest of the evening was filled with stories about Omai and his friends throughout the years. My favorites included the basketball game brawl, "Get off the internet", and the "okay" sign after he and Zane avoided the hood of a car that was lying in the middle of the road. If any of those stories peak your curiousity, spend an evening with Omai and he can tell you all of them. You won't be disappointed.

Well, I thought the surprise party was successful (as far as it being a surprise to Omai), but he later told me through his amazing detective work (and me leaving the evite open on my computer) that he knew all about it. He told me later I almost threw him off by saying I had something planned for him later in the evening, but nope--Omai's too smart.

We had a great time and thank you to everyone who helped make it a success. I had a great time planning it and was so pleased that Omai had so much fun. He said it was one of the best birthdays he's had. Yea!

For the third party of Omai's birthday celebration my mom, Tyra, Taygen, and Jaxon came over for cake and Clementines. I had bought a helium tank for Omai's surprise party and Jaxon spent almost an hour sword fighting almost every balloon in the house--there were about 45 balloons in all. The Clementines came in when Jaxon scarfed down two of them that Omai had pealed for himself as though he hadn't eaten all day--I don't think he had.
Happy Birthday Omai. I love you!!

Gooooooo Brighton!!

2009-02-15T22:50:00.002-07:00

The Brighton Girls BB team has a great run this season only losing one region game to Taylorsville and they've clinched the Region title. Go Bengals! They still have one game against Hillcrest, but even if they lose it won't affect their standings. The tournament starts in two weeks where they'll play either Weber or Clearfield. It'll be a tough tournament, but the girls have improved a lot so they could have a good run. Here's a phew pics of Omai at his last game against Jordan. Other than basketball, we're slowly preparing for Bailey to arrive. She's measuring a bit big, so we're thinking she'll probably be here before April. We are definitely enjoying the times when we can be lazy because in a few weeks that won't really be an option. I got a new calling and I just found out Omai got another calling--so that's two callings for me and three for Omai. We are the family history consultants, and I'm the Secretary in the Primary. Omai's a teacher in the High Priest Group and he's now team teaching the YW/YM. In addition to home and visiting teaching that's a lot of callings I'd say. Phew. We're going to be busy.

A Short Update

2009-01-28T22:44:00.004-07:00

We've had a busy month, but it's been good. Omai has been spending a lot of time coaching at Brighton and so far they've had a fairly successful season. They just played Jordan tonight and killed them (somethink like 46 - 21 I think). They also beat Skyline (a big win) and Alta, which has helped the team keep their spirits high and work hard. It's fun watching the girls improve and to be a part of something Omai loves so much.

Bailey's growing a lot and from what the Dr. says she's healthy and strong. We're slowly but surely getting her room put together--okay really we only have her room painted, but we have great plans for everything else.

We went with Omai's family to the Draper Temple open house last Saturday and had a great time together. The whole process took a while, but the experience was great. The temple was beautiful and I kept thinking about when Omai and I got married about a year and a half ago. I love him so much and I can't imagine life without him. What a blessing he is in my life. We're so excited to be parents together and can't wait to see Bailey's little face and to hold her and kiss her. What a great experience we are about to embark upon.

Christmas Time

2008-12-28T17:36:00.006-07:00

We had a great Christmas this year with lots of festivities and parties to attend (too many if you ask Omai). We decided to do something a little different instead of exchanging gifts with our families--we did a Sub-4-Santa. On the Graybill side we helped Oakland Construction provide books, socks, and underwear for all the students at Edison Elementary (we provided gifts for 15 kids). My family provided Christmas for a family in my mom's ward for a single mom who has four boys ages 8, 7, 6, and three months old. We communicated with the grandma to get all their sizes and information. She told us that the little eight-year-old was very worried about Christmas coming because he didn't think Santa would find them. He wanted to spend Christmas at his grandmas' house because he was sure Santa would find them there. We were able to help Santa find them this year and it was so great to be a part of bringing a little joy to them. I think we all teared up a little when we read the note left by their grandma who thanked us profusely and said we were all now her best friends. It was a great experience.

Another fun thing was that my mom resurrected our old Christmas dresses for the little girls. We all gathered on Christmas day where the girls received their dresses and then we attempted to take pictures. The picture part created a bit of challenge--probably more so than the dresses. With six little kids; the youngest being less than 2 months old, the "photoshoot" was more entertaining than anything.

Overall it was a great Christmas and we especially loved the four-day weekend. Happy New Year's everyone!

Have You Ever...

2008-12-14T22:52:00.006-07:00

I saw this on a friends blog and I thought it was fun to think and reminisce about my life and adventures. It's a little long, but fun! To participate just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. Happy remembering!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23.Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (how 'bout a half marathon)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (does a home video count?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Give it a try!!!!!

Christmastime is Here

2008-11-30T18:41:00.002-07:00

Omai and I went to the Messiah Sing-A-Long last night at Abravenel Hall and had a good time enjoying the music. We didn't take any sheet music so we just listened to everyone else sing. I'm not much of a singer anyway so I don't think music would've helped. Omai had a great attitude even though he doesn't care much for things like that. He would've rather been at the Jazz game, but he still came and didn't complain. He didn't have any leg room though--they weren't really thinking of the seating for those who are 6'3". Maybe on our next outing we'll head for the Jazz game instead. We had a great Thanksgiving--you can't beat three dinners huh. We had dinner with the Graybills a couple weeks ago, dinner at my dad's on Thursday, and then dinner at my mom's on Saturday. We have a fridge full of leftovers so we'll be set for at least a week. It provided many opportunities to think about all the things we're blessed with. What a great time of year!

babies and basketball...

2008-11-23T17:55:00.004-07:00

will be the theme to our '08-'09 winter season. Bailey is already the most spoiled girl in our home and she's only the size of an orange. She has a new bed, dresser, paint for her walls, a new shelf, new outfits and I guarantee there's more to come. But that's okay because it's just a taste of how things will be for her on the outside. Well, we'll try to keep it in check.

She is growing a lot though now and kicks me all day. Most women say their babies are quiet during the day and only wake up at night, but not Bailey. She kicks and kicks all day, then at night she gives me a few good-night kicks and calls it a day. Hopefully she'll maintain that schedule after she's born. We're thinking she might like soccer or at least something active because I don't think she ever stops moving. I just can't wait til those kicks are coming from an 8 - 9 pounder--that will be so fun.

Omai's coaching basketball again this year for the Brighton High girls team. They have their first game this Wednesday at home against Viewmont if anyone wants to come. I'm thinking the Varsity play at 7, which is when Omai will be coaching. He says they'll have a good team this year because the girls are fast and have improved dramatically since last season. Most of them played through the spring and summer on various teams so their skills are much better.

Omai has also decided to start playing basketball every week with some old friends from high school. He'll probably play about 2 - 3 times a week. Like I said--babies and basketball.

it's a...

2008-11-06T20:36:00.002-07:00

halloween (part 2)

2008-11-03T22:28:00.003-07:00

Another fun thing we did for Halloween was had trick-or-treaters come to my work. One of my co-workers who is an awesome photographer brought a photo booth for everyone to get their pictures taken in. It was way cool. Here is Colley, Jaxon, and Taygen.

halloween

2008-11-03T22:06:00.005-07:00

We had some fun parties for Halloween this year and most everyone was very festive when it came to dressing up. Omai's family came over the Friday before Halloween for pumpkin carving and Corn Chowder (which I made for the first time). It was good once it finally cooled down, but not until almost everyone had burnt their tongue. Eeek... sorry. I also made a nice looking, but not so nice tasting 3-layered pumpkin orange cake. Mostly it was just dry, but I think that's an easy fix for next year. There were some cool pumpkins carved as well. I attempted Jack Sparrow, but his eye broke while I was carving so it looked more like a retarded pirate. Omai's turned out really well though. Can you guess what he carved? Here are some pics from the fun night.

exciting news

2008-10-07T14:21:00.002-06:00

Omai and I have some exciting news to share... I'm pregnant!! The due date is April 4th and now that I'm passed the first trimester, life is good again. My clothes already don't fit, but who needs to wear their skinny jeans to feel on top of the world right?

island park

2008-10-07T12:49:00.009-06:00

This past weekend we took our annual trip to Island Park for Conference Weekend. Omai could hardly contain how excited he was for the vacation--he would dance around the house making up songs about Island Park for probably about two weeks prior to leaving. We had a great time despite the cold, rainy weather. Check out some pics from the trip.

We stopped in Rexburg to go through the temple with Omai's parents. On Friday, we went on a nature walk with the kiddies and found old, dead trees to push over. On Saturday, we drove into Yellowstone to see the geysers, wildlife, and Old Faithful.

first annual graybill campout

2008-09-09T12:22:00.007-06:00

After many failed attempts at making the First Annual Graybill Campout a reality, we finally made it happen. We found a great little spot right in the heart of Salt Lake City--Wheeler Farm. Who woulda thought... The camp spot is tucked away in the back of the property surrounded by trees and dirt. Once the sun goes down, you would never think you were just a short distance from a major road. Campfires were prohibited due to the dry weather and we only had one flashlight for the 15 of us. Thank goodness for technology because we were able to find our way around nicely with the light from our cells phones. Garrett, Omai's nephew, Omai, and I decided to really rough it and slept out under the stars to enjoy the beautiful night sky. We all woke up early to the sound of roosters and enjoyed a hearty Mountain Man breakfast prepared by the boys. In addition to the flashlights, we forgot a few more vital things including matches, salt and pepper, and ketchup, but we still ate well and so did our neighbors--a swarm of bees. As soon as the bees were awake and caught a wiff of our delicious breakfast, they wanted to take part too. Most of us had already eaten by the time the bees started to stir, but Dion, Omai's dad, was intent on cleaning the grill before eating his breakfast. He battled the bees for a while and was determined to kill them all before he gave up and just tossed his plate of food. We had a great time and look forward to the 2nd Graybill Campout. Morning Oms. Omai and Gracie ready for breakfast. The sisters-in-law. Good morning Colt.

The cooks.

Colton enjoying cookies for breakfast.

Good morning Lils. Love the hair!

lake powell in september

2008-09-05T13:33:00.003-06:00

We got to go to Lake Powell again for our last summer hurrah and we had a great time. Omai had to work so it was just me representing the Graybill clan. This trip was a little different in that all five of my neices and nephews were part of the mix (three 2-year olds, and two 3-year olds). Needless to say, the trip was all about life jackets, sun screen, and tantrums. What could be better?... It was a fun trip despite being woken up while the stars were still out with no sun rays to be seen--but who needs more than 5 hours of sleep anyways? I guess it was a little training for me and what being a parent really entails.

The five neices and nephews on a hike. Riggs testing out the stairs again--the first time he went down them he did a face plant at the bottom. They can be a doosy. Colley, the Fearless One!

big babies

2008-08-17T01:05:00.003-06:00

I went to my cousin's baby shower this afternoon and in the midst of it we started to talk about the size of babies. My sister, Tyra, has small babies, her first weighing in barely over 5 lbs. Chelsea has medium sized babies with Colley coming in about 7 lbs. Well, I just found out that Omai weighed over 9 lbs. when he was born and his siblings came in close behind him. I was the largest baby in my family weighing in a little over 8 lbs. so to sum it up... our kids are going to be very, very large. What fun to look forward to.

lake powell

2008-08-13T12:12:00.010-06:00

(Tyra, Dad, Chris, and me) We had our vacation of the summer last week at Lake Powell and it was great. We went down on Sunday with my dad and were joined by the rest of the family on Wednesday. The weather was HOT!! and so was the water (about 83 degrees). It was a nice and relaxing week. My legs got fried during an hour long boat ride down the river, which kind of put a damper on the trip. I'm still peeling and my skin's still purple so I think I achieved a second-degree burn. I have to relearn the lesson every year that I can't tan no matter how much I want to and how much the sun burns my skin. Here are some more pics from the trip.

it's been fun

2008-07-22T15:01:00.003-06:00

Well... I'm sitting at work right now with a broken computer and with nothing to do so I thought I would write a bit. Well, to answer a few questions, our new house is in Riverton right on the border of Herriman. And yes, we celebrated our anniversary/my birthday about one month ago. The big 1st and 28th respectively. It took us about a week of scheduling and rescheduling to actually get a day off work because of Omai's promotion, but we finally got a day off to celebrate. We've had a few adventures lately... I found a HUGE spider in our garage. I should've taken a picture, but I was too worried about it running up my leg or into the house that all I could do was try smashing it with the broom. I was unsuccessful and it found refuge in a nearby corner. The next day it was out and about again and this time I employed the help of Omai to be the spider smasher. It was hiding under my car so I quickly pulled my car out while Omai stood guard with an old sandle ready to smash away. He was successful and I had to clean up the guts that were smeared all over the garage floor. It's okay--no more huge spider. Another fun adventure recently was locking ourselves out of our house while we took a trip up to the Maverik for a treat. The locksmith said he'd be to our house in a half hour to let us in so weren't too worried. Two hours later and after getting to know our neighbors, the locksmith arrived and within 2 minutes and a $85 check later, viola, we were in. Let this be a lesson to anyone who is no longer living with their parents and are responsible for securing your own home, have a spare key or some equivelant. This summer has also been full of a lot of soccer... both playing and watching. We (and by we, I mean I) are playing on an outdoor co-ed soccer team with some people from our old singles ward. It's been fun, but a continual reminder that I'm older than I was in high school and my muscles have gone through a period of atrophy as well. Isn't that fun. The soccer watching has been mostly of Real Salt Lake. They have a great team and are improving a lot making it fun to watch. Mostly I go for the Kettle Corn, but watching the matches is fun too. Omai's totally stoked for the new stadium to be completed. He can see it from work so he sees the progress everyday. Well, that's all for now. I'm going to go see if I can get back to work on a computer that's actually working. I love technology...

it's been a long time

2008-06-08T21:40:00.002-06:00

As you know, we moved into our house and are enjoying all the space, our neighbors, and the change in weather. Omai recently got promoted at The Cad Store to Regional Manager. He's excited but a bit overwhelmed with the new responsibility. He has some great ideas already to increase sales. He'll do a great job. I'm still at PRMI despite many interviews for a new position. I have a new boss, which has made a huge difference and has put our team on track. I'll keep looking for a new position, but it's not as urgent as it was before. We are looking forward to some fun summer activities. We are going to start playing soccer next week on a co-ed outdoor team. We will probably both die because we're really out of shape, but it'll be fun anyway. We also are planning on a trip to Lake Powell at the end of July. We saw a sign for the Fort Herriman Rodeo in a couple weeks that we're excited to go to.

we're moved in

2008-04-27T21:43:00.003-06:00

We moved into our new house last weekend and we've had a week full of unpacking boxes and taking many trips to Home Depot. We both feel like there's so much more room than we're used to--we have a choice of which room to hang out in. We love our new house and the neighborhood. It's very quiet and the neighbors we've met are very nice. There's a large park just down the road that we've run to a few times to play soccer and watch the neighborhood kids play soccer. Andy Williams (player on Real Salt Lake) coaches a neighborhood team and we got to spy on the drills he was running with his kids. We've really enjoyed our first week in our new house.

great weekend

2008-04-13T22:28:00.002-06:00

Another great weekend has come to an end. We had a great two days enjoying the warmer weather and the sunshine. We took a drive out to Saratoga Springs to check out a washer and dryer we are thinking of buying from a guy off KSL. It was quite a drive out there, but the area is beautiful with fantastic views of the Utah lake. We went out to dinner and then saw Leatherheads. We didn't think it was too great--I think you have to be from an older generation to enjoy it because my dad really liked it. It turns out that KSL classifieds has many great deals. We found three lift tickets to Park City for $100.00 so my dad, Chelsea, and I spent Saturday on the slopes. It was the greatest day of Spring skiing ever!! The snow was perfect and it wasn't too hot or too cold. Despite my two layers of sunblock though, my face got lots of sun. It was a great day. After skiing we took a short bikeride up to the neighbors with Riki, Erin, and Lily to see the horses and to feed them apples. I rode Maryanne's old school bike that has no gears and foot brakes. My legs were burning after riding up our short hill, but I made it. We finished out the night at the Real game where they slaughtered DC United 4-0. The team played great and were very enjoyable to watch. Hopefully this is the start of some good things for the team. It's been a long road of losses, but it's always fun just to be out enjoying the sunshine, or in our case Saturday night, the cold and wind. We went to our new ward again today and were entertained during Sacrament Meeting as we watched kid after kid try to escape from their parents into the hallway. Many were successful--we were routing for the kids. We met a few new people including some of our neighbors. There's a big mix of old and young families, which will make the ward really great. We found out the ward was organized a little over a month ago so almost everyone's new to each other. They are having the first ward activity this Saturday--we're moving in at just the right time. And finally... we are closing on our house tomorrow morning and only one week later than expected--ugh! Oh well. Underwriting lines are long everywhere, which is the reason for our delay. We're not ready to pull our hair out yet, but we can hardly walk around our house because of all the boxes. Soon enough we'll be moved in enjoying tons of space and a two-car garage. What could be better?

Are you ready for some Futebol?

2008-03-24T14:15:00.002-06:00

Omai here...my first blog entry. I just stepped outside my office to get the mail and the spring weather hit me. I'm ready to start playing some soccer. Please feel free to join me. Good Day!

sin city

2008-03-16T20:10:00.051-06:00

This past week we went to expensive Las Vegas. Luckily we had a crummy hotel room, which made Omai want to do something other than just sit in the hotel. We went and saw a bunch of the big hotels on the strip, had some good food from the Rio Carnival buffet, and saw some basketball at the Thomas & Mack Center. Too bad the Cougs lost in the title game. We had a great time on our short trip and found that you can still leave with lighter wallets even without having gambled. Omai says "Screw it. Next time we're gambling if we're losing that much money." I say we're never going there again. Here are some pics from the trip.

Overlooking the strip from the bridge connecting New York New York and MGM Grand Casinos.

The outside of the Planet Hollywood Casino.

The race car at the M&M Factory.

In front of the Bellagio.

The watershow at the Bellagio.

The Eiffel Tower.

The escalators at the Venetian on the way to the Madame Taussaud Wax Museum.

Pillars at the Venetian.

Outside the Venetian.

Omai and Master Chief.
The Thomas & Mack Center before the championship game where BYU lost to UNLV.

Before the game.

BYU warming up for the game.

our house (cont'd)

2008-03-12T18:48:00.003-06:00

After a little bit of bartering with the sellers, they agreed to our offer and we signed the final papers. The house is ours! We close on April 7th and can start moving in then. I couldn't fall asleep last night because I was so excited thinking about our new house. I have plans for the master bedroom, family room, guest room, eventual baby room... okay, every room in the house. I can't wait and Omai's very excited too.

I talked to Omai today who's in Las Vegas for an AutoDesk software convention. He's pretty bored with the meetings, but he's enjoying his view from the top story at the Mandalay Bay Casino. I'm flying to Vegas tomorrow to join him for some site-seeing and for some MW basketball games.

I also just had a surprising visit from Brother Jacobson who's in the bishopbric--they are re-organizing the YW Presidency in the ward so I've been released from my calling as the 2nd Counselor. I'm pretty bummed and I feel like so many changes are all hitting at once--some good and some bad. On to a new chapter of life.

brazil 2014 world cup

2008-03-11T23:33:00.003-06:00

We've decided to postpone our Brazil trip this summer to 2014 to attend the World Cup. With buying a home and furnishing it we thought a trip to South America probably wouldn't fit into the financial plans. I think this might be the only location Omai would agree to visit outside of Utah so we'll have to live it up. Anyone want to join us?

Egg Derby

2008-03-11T23:17:00.005-06:00

Tonight I had YW where it was an egg-themed night. Last night Keri and I had to blow out a dozen eggs for the girls to dye according to the 7 value colors. It took us about an hour to blow out the eggs and we are probably short about 1,000 brain cells each. Boy it was tough! We also had a hard-boiled egg derby where each girl had an egg to compete with and would roll it across the table to hit another girl's egg--turns out only one egg will break every time. My egg made it through two rounds, but it broke on the third. It was a really fun activity, but I'll have to do a lot of scrubing to get the dye off my fingers.

our house--hopefully...

2008-03-10T00:05:00.010-06:00

After looking about five times and having almost every family member come by, we've decided to go forward with getting this house in Herriman. We're getting a great deal and are excited about the area too. There are about three parks in a five mile radius and the neighborhood seems really nice. It's clean and feels very safe. We're excited to have a place of our own and to finally unpack all our mission and college stuff. We might have to have a garage sale once we see all the things we have been lugging around for 10 years and thought we would want one day. One of the only downfalls is that it'll take me about 45 minutes to get to work, which doubles my commute time, but it gives me even more reason to start looking for a new job. Omai's commute will be about the same as it is now. We'll keep you posted on moving dates, etc.

the season's over

2008-03-06T22:01:00.003-07:00

It's been a while since the final Brighton basketball game was played. They didn't make it to the tournament as they lost to Taylorsville in OT by one point, and T-ville ended up getting the last spot. That hasn't kept Omai away from basketball as he has been coaching the Young Men in Ward basketball. They took second place in the Stake Tournament and won their first game in region play tonight.

valentines day

2008-02-14T09:10:00.002-07:00

I'm sitting here at work listening to a webcast and decided to try this blogging stuff out since Nickie has done it all. Forgive me for any mistakes that I make. Nickie and I are going to a resturaunt called Pine American tonight. We are really excited because we also get to go out tomorrow night which we haven't been able to do for about a month and a half. I've attached a photo just to see if it works.

the mtc

2008-02-10T16:40:00.002-07:00

We took Paige to the MTC last Wednesday (she's going to Mesa Arizona, Spanish speaking). We were all able to get off work to see her off. It was emotional, but it felt like we were just wishing her off to her next adventure. We got a letter from her Friday, which sounds like she's struggling a bit, but keeping a good attitude. I remember when I was in the MTC I really struggled Wednesday - Saturday, but once Sunday rolled around I was feeling good and excited to be there. Hopefully she feels the same.

a brighton loss

2008-02-10T16:32:00.002-07:00

Brighton played Taylorsville on Friday and lost 30 - 31 in overtime. It was a big game and because of the loss, they are out of the State Tournament. Brighton played really well the first quarter putting together some sweet passes ending the quarter 11 - 4, but they just couldn't hold them off for the rest of the game. The girls were really bummed and Oms was too. He said this is the first year Brighton hasn't gone to the tournament since he has been coaching. He's optimistic about next season though. They play Jordan Wednesday, which will be their last game of the season.

Up and Down

2008-02-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Brighton girls played two great games this week against Skyline on Wednesday and Hillcrest on Friday. They lost against Skyline 36 - 39, but played a great game. They were down 30-26 in the third quarter but went 4 straight possessions without a shot due to turnovers. The game came down to a last second 3 point attempt to tie at the buzzer but the shot was off the mark. The girls were not discouraged however and came back with a nice win against Hillcrest on Friday night. They got off to a slow start and trailed 12-4 at the end of the first quarter, but fought back to a 20-20 tie at the half. The game came down to the 4th quarter where the Bengals held their nerve and ended up with a 49-44 victory.

Hinckley Challenge

2008-02-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

I was touched many times this weekend as I watched and heard tributes to President Hinckley and the miracles he brought forth during his time as the prophet of the church. I recieved an email including a challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days. I have failed over the past three years to participate in two challenges to read the Book of Mormon and I feel I have missed out on many blessings that could have been mine if I had but made the sacrifice and taken the time to read. I have been touched by President Hinckley's diligence and his never-ending effort to try a little harder. I need to try a little harder in my efforts to follow the prophet. Join me if you'd like. Hinckley Challenge

@ Jordan

2008-01-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Brighton played really well last night against Jordan, but lost 32-27. They were so close to winning it--they were only down by three in the fourth quarter. A lack of head fakes and the inability to make lay-ups, in my opinion, were what lost the game. I confirmed those points with Omai and he agrees. I could do this coaching thing. hehe. Not. Omai is going to enjoy a day full of basketball tomorrow. He is coaching the YM in a tournament this weekend and next. He's also reffing three games. It'll be a long day.

You Win Some, You Lose Some, Bad

2008-01-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

We had our last indoor soccer game on Saturday in Lindon and it was a rough ending to a fun season. We played a team that was in two divisions higher than ours and got killed. The final score was 2 - 8. They had some cocky latinos who, instead of just dribbling past us, had to put move after move after move on us--so frustrating and totally unsportmanlike. We had fun though overall and played really well--probably our best game yet. Two of our players are going on a mission in February and Corey and Amanda, my aunt and uncle, are probably not going to play with us again so we'll have to revamp the team if we play again.

@ Taylorsville

2008-01-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Brighton played at Taylorsville Friday and they won again 34 - 31!! One of the key factors that contributed to the win was that the team kept their composure throughout the game and staved off several Taylorsville comeback attempts (that was Omai's description). It's fun to watch the girls improve with each game and, boy, was everyone happy Friday night--players, coaches, and parents. The sophs and JVs also had great wins. The team has definitely started to find their rhythm. From the words of one of the sophomores after the Varsity win, "Oh good, now we can finally talk on the bus."

Find your love

2008-01-17T10:45:00.001-07:00

You know that dream you carry around with you each day? It's kinda important. Wasn't it what you were put on planet earth to do? They say everyone has a calling, can your still hear it? Doesn't it eat away at you? That treadmill you are on, did it ever get too much? Did you ever wonder what it would be like to do your thing? Did you ever feel time was passing you by? Just how many days have you left before your last? Did you ever wonder about stuff like that? Did you ask yourself 'what was stopping you?' There is never a right time. You will be too old. Too young. Too something or other. When was last time you took a risk? Did you remember how alive it made you feel? There are no guarantees of success. It's not called a leap of faith for nothing. It's not too late, honest. Jump. You might fall. You might fly.

38-21 Baby

2008-01-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

Last night Brighton HS played it's rival Alta and KILLED THEM!! It was such a great game and Omai was completely ecstatic. The girls played really well and were almost as ecstatic as Omai. I'll let him share a few more details about the game if he so wishes. The band wasn't as loud as last week in the game against Hillcrest. I could actually carry on a conversation with Paige during the game, but had to stop talking during time-outs when the band was especially loud--according to Omai, that's a little tactic to distract the other team. I guess it worked. It was also alumni night where past players were recognized during half-time. Tia, Omai's sister who played at Brighton, came with a few other fellow teammates. Omai's desire is to have it be a tradition each year and get more and more people out every year. Brighton plays at Taylorsville on Friday if anyone wants to come.

Soccer Saturday

2008-01-12T22:57:00.001-07:00

We had our second to last co-ed indoor soccer game tonight. You would think that adding this post about our game I would be announcing that we won, but alas, tis not so. We lost 3 - 5, but had a great time. Omai wasn't feeling too hot so he didn't play, but he's feeling better now and will be at 100% for next week. I have a few bruises and my elbow hurts to bend it but it's all for the team, right. We are thinking of putting together a family indoor team to play at the facility in Woods Cross. Is anyone interested? I think with the combination of the Collett and Graybill families, we could be quite good. So get your shoes out of the box (or go to Sports Authority and buy a pair), maybe do some stretches, watch some English Premier matches, and get set to play. The league will start at the beginning of February. Goooooooaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllll!

Help

2008-01-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this, can you please leave a comment with your blog address? Turns out adding this new template erases stuff. Thanks.