Shout out to my Husband...

Hooray for Dan! Last night he took his last final, and assuming he will have earned a passing grade in all of his classes he will be graduating from BYU! So to celebrate we went out to eat at Cheesecake Factory!!! YUMMO

Gingerbread House

Tonight for FHE we decorated a gingerbread house. It was a lot of fun, it's just a shame it didn't turn out that well (the roof ended up sliding off...oh well) Kaitlyn had tons of fun putting the candy on the house and in her mouth, and once she found out that the frosting was like candy too all she wanted to do was eat that as well. Needless to say our house looks nothing like the picture on the box and more like a 2 year old did it. But at least we all enjoyed ourselves!

And can someone please tell me why I always find my daughter in the most random positions?

Thanksgiving Point

Today Kaitlyn, Lisa, Keaton, and I went up to Thanksgiving Point and visited the petting Zoo. It was SSSOOOOOO freezing cold, but a lot of fun. We were the only people there, and the animals are obviously fed a lot by people because everytime we would come near they came right to us. The llama was the most friendly...Kaitlyn and I were trying to get our picture and the llama came straight at my face and then tried to eat my shoulder, which took me by surprise which consequently freaked Kaitlyn out.






And I just thought this was the cutest picture of Kaitlyn and Keaton and the pony that you can't see...thanks Lisa for being the photographer!

SNOW

*Background info - it snowed over the weekend and I left my car out in the driveway so it was covered in snow. Yesterday rather than spending 30 min to de-snow the car before church we decided it would be easier to switch the car seat over to Dan's car. Last night the wind was super strong and howling all night so when we woke up in the morning my car had provided a nice wall for all of the snow to build up against making a huge pile of snow infront of the garage where Dan's car was parked. We haven't invested in a snow shovel yet, and being the first house to close in our neighborhood we have no neighbors to borrow from.


Lydia: Why don't you take my car today, I can just stay home
Dan: No I can get out of here
Lydia: Are you sure, that's a pretty big pile of snow and you're not driving a big ol' truck
Dan: Ya I can make it, I'll just go real fast...

Needless to say, the car did not make it through the pile of snow (top picture taken at 5:30pm and bottom picture taken at 2pm so a lot of the snow has melted, it was almost knee high at time of Dan's attempt to plow through it). We ended up using our dust pan to shovel a path out for Dan to take my car for the day, so I'm still stuck at home with our car hanging mostly out of our garage. And on his way home, Dan will be buying a snow shovel.

Us the Past 2 Weeks...

1.We finally moved into our house, which is the reason why I haven't updated in awhile. We've been without the internet for the past 2 weeks!!!! waited a week and a half for Qwest to come install, and on the day they were supposed to show up they call and tell us they don't have service in our area yet and aren't sure when they would be getting it. Thanks for lying to us and telling us you did have service. Although I guess it could be a blessing in a huge ugly disguise because I was able to unpack and organize instead of browsing the internet. Thanks to Dan's mom for the cute and yummy basket of house warming cookies!


2. Capture the mouse, yes there was a mouse in our house!!! It decided to make it's debut from behind the refrigerator when Kaitlyn and I were eating breakfast, I let a little girlish sqeal out, Kaitlyn followed, Dan thought there was someone in our house until I yelled it was a mouse. Dan and his brother Aaron tried to get get it out of the house alive but it went back into hiding for the rest of the day. So Dan set out a mouse trap at night and by morning the poor thing was decapitated. (sorry if that offends any animal lovers)

3. Thanksgiving, we had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving. Dan was the master chef cooking the Turkey which we were both surprised at how easy and yummy it turned out. Kaitlyn was just excited to eat the turkey and kept saying "gobble gobble" throughout the whole meal.


and last but probably most importantly (at least in Dan's mind)...

4. BYU vs Utah football game! Another heart attack giver like last year but the Cougs dominated all game and were able to pull through at the end.

Last Year :



This Year:

Christmas is 2 weeks Away!

Ok Dawn, here's an update just for you!
We've pretty much been kept busy trying to close on our house (hasn't happened yet), shop for furniture, packing, and football games (BYU and flag football).

I just realized that Thanksgiving is next week! And for those of you who haven't been introduced to "Lydia counting" here is how is goes... Since Thanksgiving is next week, that means next week doesn't really count since it's a holiday so December is basically next week. Then we basically only have 2 weeks to get settled into our house before Christmas, which will go really fast so really that only counts as 1 week. Then our baby will be here! So much to do so little time.

The past week we went to the BYU/Colorado State and BYU/TCU football games. Lot's of fun, GO COUGS!


And here's a view from the top...the 2nd time around I've noticed a lot more uncomfortableness, squishyness, and even weirder dreams. Someone please tell me that each time it doesn't keep getting worse and worse. Either way it's all worth it, and we can't wait to meet our little girl!

Kaitlyn the Photogragher

Watch out Jen, Kaitlyn got a hold of the camera one day and I think she might be your next big competitor...

Happy Halloween

Usually I have a hard time getting Kaitlyn to stand still for photo shoots...not today! She was sooooo excited to get dressed up. When I got her dress out of the closet her face just lit up and she couldn't stop saying "I so pretty", looking at herself, and dancing. For the first half of the day Kaitlyn was Cinderella. Then after nap time we decorated cookies and got dressed as Sleeping Beauty to go trick-or-treating , and have dinner at Ernie's Sports Deli not that we need anymore sugar but they have the yummiest chocolate cake And when we got home, Kaitlyn was so excited to share her candy with mom and dad.

Campaign promises moms want to hear...

One of my favorite parts or Parenting Magazine is the funny little blurbs they have at the end. I thought this was pretty funny here's a sampling from November's issue....

1. The IRS will allow you to write off up to 100 lost barrettes, socks, pacifiers, mittens, stuffed animals, and blankies per annum

2. National and local weather alerts will also be able to predict temper tantrums.

3. Familes will receive a free Toddler GPS system - complete with cookie-jar alarm - upon their child's first birthday or first steps, whichever comes first

4. The National Institutes of Health will give a large grant to find a cure for stretch marks by the year 2010.

5. Beginning with 2009 models, all family cars will have to come equipped with sound proof barriers behind front seats
(I have wished I had this many times before. Although now that Kaitlyn's getting older it is fun to hear her random thoughts and singing)

6. Dads will be required to sleep on the side of the bed closest to the door (and, therefore, the parade of cranky nightwalkers in footy pajamas)

and my personal favorite....

7. For every hour of baby-induced sleep deprivation you endure, the government will compensate you with a state-sponsered spa experience, including a 60-minute stone massage, aromatherapy facial, and all the things you'd dream of if you ever got any sleep.

***I really do LOVE being a mom, there is nothing better. And despite a past entry which might suggest otherwise Kaitlyn really is the sweetest most thoughtful daughter...She's just a 2 year old trying to figure out all her emotions, and I'm just a mom that needs to be a little more patience.

Pumpkin Decorating

The other day Kaitlyn and I decorated a pumpkin. This is about the extent of my creativity....

Pretty ugly, but Kaitlyn had fun helping me glue everything on (and that's all that really counts is the fun factor right?) and she really likes playing with the "Happy face pumpkin" and the "pretty pink hair".

Now, with my lack of creativity and decorating skills so clearly displayed I ask that everyone leave me a bit of advice, link to favorite websites, or anything to help me so I can get some idea of how to decorate our house.


PLEEEEEAASE!!!

Halloween Party!

Today my awesome Aunt Cathy had a fun Halloween party at her house. She always goes all out for her get togethers and they are always so much fun.



Here's the cute little girls...Kaitlyn, Sidney, and Maggie



Pumpkin Hunt




Ghost Ghost Boo (duck duck goose)




Fishing for treats



And the cutest Cinderella ever.



Thanks Cathy, Tracy, Jen, Julia, Jackie, and Misty for such a fun time, and including us in your family party! We're looking forward to the zoo tomorrow!

A momentous occasion...

I just thought I would let everyone know that today I went to Sams Club to buy 2 things and I left Sams Club with only those 2 items, nothing extra, and I spent less than $20!!! I don't think that has EVER happened before. I always go with a list, and most always end up throwing a few extras in once I get there, and the bill has never been less than $100. But not today, I am so proud of myself!

Our House....

I'm bugged almost as much to post some pictures of our house, as I am to post new pictures of Kaitlyn so here you go Mom, Dawn, and Emily....

It seems like everytime we go check in on it something is always going wrong. First it was the a beam in the garage, then there was framing issues, then the stone we chose was too yellow, then they forgot to put in a built in shelf in the shower, installed a shelf where cabinets are supposed to go, and today the entire interior was painted the wrong color...GGGGRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

This is the way we pitch a fit....

Today was just one of those days...Kaitlyn actually started off pretty happy this morning it just went down hill from there.

Here is my evidence that she actually was happy today...this was taken just before we left for the gym. She usually loves to go play at the gym but today when we went she cried the entire time I was gone (they finally paged me after 50 minutes of straight crying) Then when she woke up from nap time she woke up crying, flailing, and inconsolable for about 10 minutes. Then after dinner we had another episode ....

Picnic at the Park

I don't have anything really interesting to say I just keep getting asked to udpate (post pictures of Kaitlyn) so here goes... Today we went to the park, had a picnic and I took my camera with the intention of taking lots of pictures but I came home with only 2 so here they are....

We started to eat our picnic lunch at the tables but there was a HUGE bee that wouldn't leave us alone - I have never been stung by a bee and really don't want to get stung or have my daughter get stung either so they really freak me out (and so do most all bugs) - so we finshed our lunch at the bench (on the opposite side of where the spider was)



Kaitlyn was so excited to play at the park (we haven't been for awhile) but I feel bad because I have totally rubbed off on my daughter...she wouldn't go down the slides at first because they were "icky". But I eventually convinced her that one of the slides was clean enough for her to go down, then other kids showed up and she just followed them around.

Anyhow, nothing else interesting is going on in our lives...just Dan going to school, I get to play with Kaitlyn all day, and we were told our house should be finished on November 3rd (but we'll see)

Also if anyone is interested in the type of humor I grew up around click here. This is my totally my Dad's sense of humor, but will probably make everyone else in my family laugh too... and who knows maybe you too.

We're Back!

So we're back and have no more trips planned except for a possible Vegas trip in 2 weeks until we move into our house which will hopefully be the last move for at least a few more years 13 times in 4 years is enough for me .

We had such a fun time on our cruise! It's a little hard to adjust back to the reality of cooking, cleaning and having any sort of responsibility but I guess we can't be on vacation forever and we were really starting to miss Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn had so much fun playing with Grandma and Grandpa Liddle, beacme very fond of Jacob, terrorized poor Penny their dog , and was spoiled with lots of new toys!

Meanwhile Dan and I had a nice relaxing week. Our first stop was in Haiti where we just lounged on the beach. Then we stopped in Jamaica where we attempted to shop for cool stuff but all we found was a statue of Bob Marley so we returned to the mostly empty ship and got pampered at the spa. Next stop was Grand Cayman and we went snorkeling at some 7 mile reef didn't really come close to the snorkeling at Molokini and then went to a stingray city where we got to swim with, feed, pet, and kiss the stingrays supposedly Dan and I will now have 7 years good luck for the kissing part. The last stop was in Cozumel and we took a ferry to the mainland and went to Xel Ha which is a really pretty, huge, Disneylandish snorkeling 'paradise'. The days we were on the boat Dan spent most of the time at the Flowrider... basically a standing wave that pushes 30,000 tons of water a minute up a foamy slope he had so much fun on it that the last night he and Rich we went with our friends Rich and Shelley on the cruise rented it out for an hour. I wish I could have done it but that's something you just can't do when you're 6 months prego :( So I'm trying to convince Dan that we should just put one in our back yard - for only about $500K and operating costs...ok maybe in our dreams but if anyone else wants to do it let us know and we'll come over and use it!

We're not very good at taking pictures of ourselves so here's what we've got. I thought it was fun to get back to our room at night and see what animal the towel was folded into...I wasn't so sure about some of them so if you have better guesses let me know.

Here's some video of Dan on the Flowrider...

High School Coolness Test...

My mom sent me this test in an email, I thought it was pretty fun...what do you think?

This test is based on how cool you were in High School--what crowd you ran with, etc., it's pretty accurate. SEE IF YOU ARE STILL A COOL PERSON: Or if you have changed. Click Here

The past 2 weeks...

We FINALLY got our cable and internet hooked up and Kaitlyn is still napping so here's a quick udpate:

1. We moved back to Provo and Kaitlyn is so sad that we can't go to the "old mall" (aka Mall of America) to ride on the bus and the choo choo. But we did have such a fun time staying at my cousin Jen's house, or as Kaitlyn says "Jack's house", for a few days Jen, Kaitlyn keeps talking about wanting to play with Jack so I think we're gonna have to get together sometime soon:) until we could move into our "temporary house" where we will stay until we can move into our "new house" We've come up with all these names because poor Kaitlyn has no stability and is so confused about where home is.

This is how I let Kaitlyn pass the time away while I unpacked some of our stuff...jumping on the bed it was an airmatress so my reasoning for allowing it was that it wasn't that high off the ground and it was keeping her out of my way and playing dress ups

2. Dan made it back to Provo just in time for us to go to the first BYU football game...very hot, but still fun...Go COUGS!

3. We went and visited our friends Matt, Jaime, and Bentley this past weekend in California so Dan and Matt could go watch the BYU vs UCLA football game while Kaitlyn and I enjoyed just hanging out with Jaime and Bentley.

We're leaving this weekend to go to Florida to drop Kaitlyn off with Grandma and Grandpa Liddle while Dan and I go on a much anticipated cruise to the Carribean!!! So don't be expecting anymore updates until we get back...and pray that are plans don't get disrupted by a hurricane!

It's a Girl!!!

Today Dan, Kaitlyn and I went to go get the ultrasound. She was a little shy about exposing herself at first but after much nudging we finally saw what we wanted, and it looks like baby #2 is gonna be a girl! Kaitlyn is so excited to be a big sister and is ready to play with the baby now, but she's going to have to wait until sometime around Jan 10th.

Last trip to MOA

Today was mine and Kaitlyn's last trip to the Mall of America before we go back to UT :( We always have so much fun whenever we go, we sure will miss it. We made our usual rounds on Kaitlyn's favorite rides, but today the bus was broken so instead we went on the carousel twice (she got to choose between the carousel and the train). She really has come a long way from the beginning of the summer...no crying at all and I even got an occasional smile!

Here's Kaitlyn mid "choo choo". And yes Wendy was with Kaitlyn ALL day long!


A face I didn't get yesterday....the "evil glare"...


Being cute on the horse with the pink flowers and the baby!


Then when we got home she fell off the couch (I don't know how she was just sitting there watching Barbie)and instead of just getting up herself she was whining for me to come move her. But I thought she looked pretty funny so I had to take a pic before I helped her out.

Drama Queen, Dancing Queen

Kaitlyn has turned into quite the drama queen...sometimes she'll just walk around pretending that she's sad, tired, or happy. And now she will also make faces corresponding to the emotions if you ask her to....which I find to be pretty funny.

Happy/Pretty Smile...


Excited...


Surprised...


Sad...


Sleepy (accompanied with pretend snoring)...


Kaitlyn also LOVES to dance...she's learned most of her moves from watching all of the Barbie movies. I just love to watch her dance along with Barbie, it makes me excited to get her in dance classes. It's so fun to have a little girl!