Reno Adventures

2011-11-01T12:28:00.002-07:00

The other day the girls were playing so I ran in to use the bathroom. Less than a minute later, here they come. They think they need to keep me company while I do my business.

Me: Can't mommy go to the bathroom by herself?

Brisa: But mommy, we missed you.

Now what am I supposed to say to that?

This and That

2011-10-17T11:32:00.002-07:00

We just got back from Arizona and it is nice to be home. However, by the time we got here, Irving and Brisa were sick and Annie was so tired she didn't really know what to do. She doesn't sleep much in the car. I guess she takes after her mother.
When we got here, Brisa ran through the house, pointing out things that she had missed. Annie was just excited to be out of that car seat.

Today I was telling Brisa where her cousin James would be moving to. I told her it was really far away. She got a very worried looked on her face and said, "Mom, he has to go on a scary airplane to get there!" She loves airplanes but lately she gets worried when one flies over our house.

Annie has decided that she likes to shake her head "no" at me when I ask her things. I wonder where she might have learned that from.

The Move

2011-08-15T13:41:00.004-07:00

We made it! Yes we made it here to our new home here in Fernley, Nevada. It has been a whirlwind of a month. We went from a vacation in Colorado to a move to Nevada. Who would have thought. People think we are crazy, but in the end we feel like we are making the move we are supposed to be making. Here is a recap of how this whole thing came about.

I have to admit that I have always wanted to live somewhere besides Arizona. I have thought about moving more than once and it never happened. I was always frustrated about it because I am not a fan of the heat but I am also one who is willing to do what Heavenly Father wants me to do. I now know that I was supposed to stay in Arizona so I could meet Irving. If I had moved long ago, I wouldn’t have found him.

So anyway, we were on our trip in Colorado and it was beautiful. Every time we travel somewhere cooler I tell Irving we should move somewhere cooler. He always tells me no because he hates the snow and the cold. This time he said that we couldn’t move until he had been at his job for at least a year. I accepted that answer. I didn’t think we would ever actually move because we never did before. However, when we got home, I did include a little extra in my prayers. I just said that if we were supposed to move somewhere then would He please provide a job or an offer for Irving so that he would have a way to provide for our family. I left it at that and I thought that was the end of that. Less than a week later, all that changed.

I was driving around running errands and Irving sent me a message. It said Do you want to move to Reno? I said what? And he sent me the message again. I went home and looked up everything I could about Reno on the internet as fast as I could. Then I sent a message back to Irving that said ok. Let’s go. Obviously we were only going to do it if it was right. We went out of town that weekend for the fourth of July and talked a lot about it. Irving got some advice from his dad. We fasted. We told Heavenly Father that if everything worked out, then we knew we should go. And it did work out. At times, we weren’t sure if it all would, but it did. For the most part, everything went smoothly. Irving got to keep his same job, same salary, same team and boss. He just does it from a different location. We found renters quickly. Everything just came together. We packed up our house and got ready for renters in just under two weeks and off we went.

Packing

It was quite a challenge packing our lives into a moving van. We got rid of a lot of things. It was nice to clean things out. I had a lot of people willing to help and watch the girls. Irving was worried that we wouldn’t have much help packing up the truck but we ended up have a lot of help. It was all packed up in under an hour and a half and I even had help cleaning up the house. It was really weird seeing the house completely empty because I don’t think it has ever been that empty. Thank you to everyone who helped with packing and moving.

Good byes

The goodbyes were the hardest. I think the hardest goodbye for Irving was saying goodbye to the house he has always lived in. I had a hard time saying goodbye to people. I teared up a few times. It was the hardest to say goodbye to my mom because other than Irving, she is my best friend. I know she is only a phone call away, but that isn’t the same.

Driving

The drive to Reno (Fernley) was the hardest. We drove both cars and we each had a girl in our car. The first day we made it to Las Vegas. We stayed at Santa Fe Station. The bad thing was we couldn’t get to our suitcases because the car was too full and so we didn’t have a change of clothes. The next day we drove the rest of the way to Fernley. The last few hours seemed to drag on FOREVER. We finally made it to Fernley in the early afternoon.

Our New Home

When we arrived in Fernley, we went straight to the realtor’s office. It took a little while but we signed our lease and got the keys to our new home. Our house is just right for us. It has an open floor plan and for some reason Annie really loves it. She crawls all over. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The backyard is dirt but we are planting grass. We bought a swing set for the girls and they LOVE it.

We made it!

2011-08-06T19:38:00.002-07:00

We are here in Fernley now. It is a nice place and we are adjusting to life here. I am working on documenting the move, but for now, here is some of the funny things Brisa said yesterday.

After going potty on the toilet-
Mom: Brisa, do you want to wear underwear?
Brisa: Mom, you know I poop in my underwear.

Before bedtime Brisa picks up a screwdriver and starts to poke it at Annie. Dad says: Brisa, stop that. Brisa says: But dad, I want to play doctor.

It's days like this that make you stop and think.

2011-05-07T21:17:00.002-07:00

Today I went to a funeral for a sweet friend. It was beautiful and I was very grateful I took the time to do it. It made me stop and think about all the really important things in life and just how precious they really are. It is kind of sad that it takes a funeral to do that to me. I should just do that on a regular basis. I guess the day to day activities sometimes make us forget about those important things. And yet I think that all those day to day activities make those things seem more important. I came home today and just watched my little girls. It amazes me how fast they grow and how sweet and innocent they are. I enjoy watching them learn and grow and explore. Their sweet spirits give my life a meaning I never knew I could have. I admit that there are days when my patience runs thin and I wonder what I am doing. But there are many other days when I am just grateful to be where I am doing what I am doing. If there is something I can take from today and remember is that life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured. Moments are precious and we need to cherish them. Have faith, have hope, be positive. Love this life and be prepared for what comes next. Don't take anything for granted.

Oh and I love you mom! All that I am, I learned from you. Thank you for teaching me and loving me. I appreciate it more than you know.

March

2011-03-29T20:33:00.003-07:00

I typed this in March but I am posting it now.
March has seemed to fly by here in our part of the world. Irving’s sister, Camilla, got married. The highlight of our month was our Spring Break trip to Oceanside, California. Irving stayed at home for this trip. Kelle and Wendi came with us. We drove over on Monday and came home Friday. There were no big plans. We simply relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. Tuesday and Wednesday we walked around and spent time at the beach. Brisa and Annie love the sand. They did not love the water. Thursday we went to the aquarium. Both girls enjoyed it. Brisa loves fish. We also drove down to the beach in La Jolla. It was beautiful. We had a great time and we are so glad Kelle and Wendi were willing to join us.

February Fun!

2011-02-28T19:43:00.002-07:00

We have had a wonderful February. A lot has happened. Here are a few updates.

Irving is enjoying his new job. He likes being back at the hospital and the hospital REALLY likes having him back.

Preschool is going really well and I am having a lot of fun doing it. On a side note, I am starting to take registrations for next year. I will be doing two classes. They will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One will be from 9-11:30 am and the other will be from 12:00-2:30 pm. The cost will be $60 a month. Go to www.tryonfarmpreschool.com.

Brisa turned two this month. We had a fishy birthday party for her with some of her friends and family. (Pictures to come.) We rented a bounce house for the day and Brisa had a great time in it (especially because it was a Nemo bounce house.) She is growing up so much. She got her first real haircut. She is talking more and more. It is funny to listen to the things she says. Her newest favorite phrase is "I can do it." She also helps a lot, espaecially with her sister. She loves to help mommy water the plants.

Annie is such a sweetheart. We love having her sweet little spirit in our home. She is starting to realize when her mom and dad are holding her and when they are not. She is growing faster than her sister did. She is turning into "tons of fun" as my brothers and sisters would call her. She HATES rice cereal. We can't even disguise it in her other food. She just starts gagging on it. She does like her other food though. We love listening to her laugh. We can get her laughing pretty hard.

Overall, we are doing wonderful Our lives are busy but we feel so blessed.

A New Year!

2011-01-31T21:09:00.001-07:00

So time and time again I say that I am going to keep up on my blog. It would be a good thing to do, I know, but it just doesn’t happen. One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to update it at least once a month. I barely made it this month. I really do want to record memories and stuff and so this is my goal. Now the question is, where do I start? I have so many things I haven’t blogged about that I think I will start with the present and when I have time, I might work my way backwards.
Irving’s last day at US Airways was last week. He is working back at his old job which is now Dell. He is making the pay he should have made before and he has more opportunity for growth. The flight benefits were nice, but this will be nice too.
Brisa is growing more and more each day. She loves Nemo and Toy Story 3. She would probably like the other ones if we had them. She frequently asks us to do “rosies” with her (Ring Around the Rosies). She is a big helper. Her jobs are to set the table and clean her bedroom. I have to say that she does a really good job with both. She loves to swing. When she is swing, she likes everyone else to be swinging too. She always says, “mommy” and points to the swing next to her so I can swing too. Annie likes to sit in her swing too.
The other day, Irving had the girls in the morning and he was letting me sleep in a little. It was about 7 and Brisa came in to tell me it was time for breakfast. At first she came in and very nicely said, “mommy, eat”. I said ok and she left. I didn’t get up right away and so she came back and said “Eat!” I was slowly working my way out of bed a few seconds later when she stood in my doorway with a very annoyed voice and said very loudly, “GO!!!” I jumped out of bed then. It was so funny and I laughed really hard. What a demanding girl. 
Annie is a smiley little girl. She has such a sweet personality. She is doing so much better now and we are grateful for her pulmonologist who has helped her so much. She is very vocal and keeps us up some nights just talking in her bed in the middle of the night. And then she smiles so sweetly that it is hard to be annoyed at her. She wants so bad to be big like her sister and do the things Brisa does.
We love our girls so much and are so grateful to have them.

The Clean-up

2010-08-06T05:47:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago, I planned a clean-up for our yard. Irving has been working very hard on getting things done outside. There have been so many projects that needed attention that he just hasn't has time to do them all and has fallen behind. Because his 30th birthday is August 23rd and because he does so many things for so many people, I decided to have his family and friends help him out. I was concerned because it was going to be hot. I was also afraid it was going to rain and ruin the whole event. The day came and there was no rain. It was also nicely overcast and so the heat wasn't too bad. Heavenly Father loves Irving. A lot of his family and even some of his friends came and helped him get his yard together. I heard someone say to Irving that everyone loves him. Then another person said that it is because he has done so much for so many people. Irving says I called in all the favors anyone has ever owed him. (I am pretty sure there are still some out there.) Whatever the reason is, we want to thank everyone who helped. It was a good morning and our yard is looking so much better.

Here we are!

2010-07-29T19:10:00.002-07:00

This had been an eventful few months. We are anxiously awaiting the birth of our baby Annie. She due sometime in the next four weeks. I have a list of things that have to get done before she comes and I am getting closer to finishing all of them. Once they are done, she is welcome to make her debut anytime.
This pregnancy has gone by fast. I guess Brisa keeps me occupied and makes the time go by. It also hasn't been too bad. The first trimester was easier than it was with Brisa. I wasn't as nauseous, but I did actually throw up for the first time. I had a little trouble during the second trimester. They tested me for appendicitis but there wasn't anything. I had a horrible pain in my side, but they decided it was just scar tissue from the C-section. What fun. I also started out with placenta previa but my uterus moved up. Now everything looks great. The summer has been hot but July (at least the last few weeks) hasn't been too bad. I even went out and mowed the lawn one morning this week and I didn't die of heat. Usually I can't spend more than a few minutes outside. I have been able to spend more time outside with Brisa in the morning. It is great.

Overall, I can't complain. My pregnancies are easier than many others. I am grateful that everything goes so well and that I am blessed to have such a beautiful little family.

Memorial Day

2010-07-29T18:58:00.002-07:00

I am still catching up on the blog thing. This is from Memorial Day at the cabin in Heber. It was just Irving, Brisa, and I. We had a fun a time. We went to the park and Brisa enjoyed all the toys. She loves the outside and since we were up there, she could spend a lot of time outside.

Here are daddy and Brisa on the swing at the cabin. As you can see, she really likes this.

Here is Brisa already trying to fill mommy's shoes.

Lehi Days!

2010-07-08T19:46:00.002-07:00

In March, we went to Lehi Days. Irving always does the petting zoo. Brisa and I spent the day there with him. She enjoyed looking at, and petting, all the animals. She loves horses. Doesn't she look like a natural riding the pony? She loves seeing the horses when people ride them past our house.

Phoenix Children's Museum

2010-07-08T19:36:00.004-07:00

The week after Brisa's birthday, we took her to the Phoenix Children's Museum. She had a great time. She loved touching everything.

Of course the stairs and the slide might have been her favorite part.

She enjoyed anything that played music.

The noodle forest was a lot of fun (except when crazy kids went through and crashed into her.)

Our Little Fish!

2010-07-08T19:25:00.002-07:00

Brisa has been enjoying her summer. She loves swimming in her big pool and her little pool. When she sees her swimming suit, all she wants to do is go outside and jump in the water. She likes to jump off the side of the pool. She is learning to kick and blow bubbles. It is fun watching her swim. When she is in the big pool, she usually wants to swim with her daddy.

Cloth diapers

2010-06-24T20:28:00.004-07:00

So I decided I would do something I never thought I would. We started using cloth diapers. The thought of buying diapers for 2 kids makes me want to vomit. So cloth diapers now don't sound so bad. I didn't want to buy those expensive cloth diapers off the internet so I found a free pattern online that I liked and made some. They are a fitted pocket diaper that I can use on both girls. We bought a diaper sprayer that attaches to the back of the toilet to spray off poopy diapers. I bought some used covers so I can copy them and make some covers since right now Brisa just wears plastic pants over them. Overall, it really hasn't been too bad so far and I am thinking we made a good choice. Did I mention that Irving is 100% on board with it and also helps with them?

This is the diaper I made with the free pattern from online.

Here is Brisa wearing them. It is really hard to get a 1 year old to sit still to take a picture of her diaper. These were the best I could get.

Las Vegas

2010-06-24T19:50:00.003-07:00

So I realize that I have not updated our blog since Brisa turned 1. I decided I will update it from the most recent events and then work our way back as I have time.
This last weekend we were going to go to Omaha to visit Irving's family for Father's day. We couldn't get a flight so I decided to find a place close by and inexpensive to take a quick vacation to so Irving could actually use his flight benefits. We picked Las Vegas, found a cheap hotel, and off we went. We had a fun time. We swam, walked up and down the strip and went to all the free things they have to do. Brisa saw lions, birds, flamingos, and flowers. She loved watching everyting that was going on. She also liked the swimming pool and LOVED the little water slide they had there. She went down it with her daddy many times.

Here she is a M&M World. She had to hug every stuffed toy she could get her hands on.

Big, small...it didn't matter.

She wasn't to excited to meet the BIG m&m.

This is mom and Brisa in front of our hotel the Excaliber.

Daddy having fun with the camera.

Brisa and daddy in front of the New York, New York hotel.

Brisa and daddy after a long day of walking.

Brisa's favorite this was the flower garden at the Bellagio. She had a great time walking around and looking at the flowers.

I really like this picture. It actually turned out.

1 Year Old

2010-02-17T21:45:00.006-07:00

So here are some pictures from Brisa's 1st birthday party. I can't believe she is already a 1 year old. We invited some family and friends over. We ate lunch and then Brisa opened her birthday presents. She liked it at first. She helped unwrap the first gifts.

And she really liked them, especially the toys.

Modeling her new clothes.

And opening more toys.

She even helped read the cards.

Then after we kept taking away her toys after she opened them, she decided it wasn't so fun anymore.

Then she got on her new scooter and all was forgotten.

I made her a farm birthday cake. Isn't she so cute.

She enjoyed her cake but she started to get tired. Usually she doesn't hold back and her cake is everywhere.

She looks a little evil in this picture but the she is really just getting excited because she knows she is on her way to take a nap. She left her party a few minutes early.

Here are some of her latest updates.

She is working on walking. She has taken a few steps on her own. She will now walk if we are holding one of her hands. She acts like she wants to walk, but when it comes right down to it she chooses to sit down and crawls instead.
She is crawling everywhere now. I can find her in all kinds of places. We have to make sure the basement door is shut so she won't crawl down the stairs.
She has figured out how to climb up the stairs. She can climb all the way to the top. We let her practice going down by blocking the stairs a few steps from the bottom. She has tumbled down a few times but she is getting better. We do put blankets at the bottom.
She loves the outside. If we open the door, she crawls straight for it. She would be perfectly content if I let her play outside all day.
She loves animals. Shi thinks Sassy the goat is great. She loves to pet her. She also likes to imitate her. When Sassy is doing her babababa. Brisa mimicks her. It is really funny. Today she decided to copy her when Irving gave Sassy her water bucket. Sassy was drinking out of it and Brisa crawled over on all for to drink out of it too. Gross, yes. But is was really funny.
She is too fast for me. I can never keep my camera close enough to catch her doing all of her new stuff. I have to keep trying.
She is very loving. She loves to give hugs.
She is also a tease. She is so much fun to play with.
She is pretty much like a garbage disposal and will eat whatever we put on her tray. It is pretty nice and I will enjoy it while it lasts.
She loves to play with other kids, and adults, and anyone who will pay attention to her.
She knows how to say baby and will acknowledge when one is around.
She likes to help daddy outside with whatever he is doing.
She definantly has a strong personality. I'm not sure where she got that from. :)

I could go on but I won't. We are just so blessed to have her. She is such a joy and she will make a great big sister.

Our newest addition!

2010-02-15T20:20:00.004-07:00

This is Sassy the goat. She is the newest addition to our little farm here. I think she is really cute and I fell in love with her the minute I saw her. She is really pretty calm. She sat between Irving and Brisa in the back seat on the way home and hardly moved. Brisa was trying to imitate her. So cute!

First steps alone

2010-02-04T22:20:00.002-07:00

Brisa took her first steps, without help, today. She is getting so big. Yes we tempted her with the bottle. She was really tired and it was past bedtime.

Preschool for Fall

2010-02-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of you out there. I just wanted to let as many people as I could know that I am going to teach preschool in my home in the Fall. I am trying to make it affordable. I realize that most of you are not looking for a preschool. Others of you may not live on my side of town. I am hoping that you will forward this off to people you know who may or may not be interested. The best way for this to get passed along is by word of mouth. I really appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

3 year old class: M/W from 9-11 a.m. $50.00 a month (must be 3 by September 1, 2010)
4 year old class: T/W/Th from 12:00-2:30 p.m. $75.00 a month (must be 4 by September 1, 2010)
Class sizes will be small with no more than 8 students per class.
The registration fee is $25.O0. A non-refundable deposit of $15.00 is required to hold your child’s space. (This will be deducted from the registration fee.)
Teachers: Emilie Tryon- 2+ years experience in a daycare/preschool, BA in elementary education, taught first grade for 2 years and substituted for one year, fingerprint clearance card and current AZ teaching certificate
Kaylene Jones (occasional help) – mother of 9, many years preschool experience
(**Mrs. Tryon will be having a baby in August and so Mrs. Jones will be assisting her for a few weeks.)
Location: 521 E. Lehi Rd., Mesa (near Mesa Dr. and McKellips)
Classes begin the Tuesday or Wednesday after Labor Day and will follow the Mesa Public Schools calendar for vacations and holidays.
To help keep it affordable, we will have a snack bag that will be sent home on a rotation with a different student each night.
Email with questions: emmysue1980@yahoo.com

Does anyone else need a break?

2010-01-28T12:32:00.002-07:00

Since Irving has started working nights, there are some nights when I just get bored. (No I am not complaining about his schedule because we both like it.) There are also some days when I feel like I need to get out of the house. This is hard sometimes since we only have one car. So I was wondering if there was anyone out there who would be interested in doing a ladies night once a month or so. It could be just a movie or games. It could be doing something crafty or cooking. Just something to do for a night off. If you are interested, let me know.

Thanks to my wonderful sister!

2010-01-24T19:54:00.004-07:00

This is just a quick post but I wanted to say thanks to my sister, Jennifer. Yesterday I was not feeling good and she drove over to my house and took Brisa for a few hours so I could get some sleep. She is also always so willing to take care of her and Brisa just loves her. Thanks Jennifer! We love you.

Brisa - 11 months (and some days)

2010-01-22T21:07:00.003-07:00

So I decided that since Brisa is doing so much more these days, I should really make an update.

We went to the doctor for shots yesterday and she weighed 19 lbs 1 oz.
She finally decided to start crawling on Christmas. She just started getting faster at it.
She likes to stand. Sometimes she wants to hold on to your hands and sometimes she just lets go and stands there. (Today I had to movie BOLT going on the laptop while I was folding laundry. She stood next to the couch and watched it off and on. She was playing with a ribbon and so she would let go of the couch for quite a while and balance so she could use both hands to play with it. Then she would hold on for a few seconds and then do it again. She entertained herself with this game for quite a while.)
She only walks if you are holding onto BOTH her hands, not just one.
She is talking more, although I have no idea what she is saying.
She finally decided to start saying mama.
She wants to help me with everything I am doing. Today she helped with the laundry by standing in front of the washer so I couldn't put anything in. Then she helped with the dishwasher by pulling out all the dirty silverware as I put it in. Then she helped with the laundry by unfolding the laundry as I folded it. She was so proud of herself.
She tries to stand up when she is sitting in the middle of the floor but all she can get is her little bum in the air. It is so funny to watch.
Yes she is into everything. I knew this day would come. And I really do love this stage.
She eats anything as long as you will let her feed herself.
She loves to be around other people. I told her she shouldn't have come first if she liked having other kids around so much.
She was so pround of herself the first time she pulled herself up to standing in her crib.

She yelled at me for the first time on Wednesday. It wasn't a whine or a cry. It was definantly a very loud yell because I was peeling an orange for her and I wasn't picking her up. The nerve of some kids.

I love her so much. She is such a joy and she makes every day great. I can't believe she is growing up so fast. Her are some pictures from the last month.

Looking for a doctor

2010-01-09T22:07:00.001-07:00

I am looking for a new doctor for this next baby. I want to know if any of you have a doctor you really like. I am considering a VBAC so they need to be willing to do that. Let me know. Thanks.

Picture of the day!

2010-01-03T20:43:00.002-07:00

What are people thinking?

2009-12-09T09:40:00.002-07:00

So I was sitting in the front room with Brisa today getting some things done. I start to hear a car honking. I thought it was at a neighbor's house. Then it keeps honking, and honking, and honking. Finally I get up to see what it was because I wasn't expecting anyone. It turns out the honking was coming from my driveway. I was thinking that somebody had just come to the wrong house. I opened the door and stepped out so they could see that they had the wrong person. But guess what! They were honking for me to come out. I had never seen this person before in my life and he had the nerve to sit and honk at me (while he is sitting like a lazy bump on a log, smoking a cigarette in his car). All he wanted was to ask me if I was interested in selling something in our yard, which I wasn't. He could have come to the door and rang the doorbell to ask me that. Why would someone think that is okay? If I was meaner I might have made a comment, but I didn't. But I did give him a very annoyed look. I mean really, has society gotten so bad that people think they don't even need to be polite anymore. And just a a sidenote: If I had been looking to sell that item, I most certainly would not have sold it to him.

Pumpkins!

2009-10-21T08:52:00.002-07:00

It seemed like there were pumpkins everywhere in Utah. These are some pumpkins Brian and Shelly grew in their garden. We took some pictures of Brisa with them. Here are some of them.

Being sick!

2009-10-21T08:27:00.002-07:00

Brisa hasn't been feeling good the last couple of days. We went to the doctor and she put us on breathing treatments. She is getting better at handling them. Poor baby. It is so sad to watch babies be sick.

Utah

2009-10-21T08:08:00.003-07:00

Brisa and I went to Utah with my family last week for Travis' baby blessing. We had a good time and saw some people we don't get to see very often.

We went to Pumpkinland and my cousin Heidi, her husband Lance, and baby Maggie came too. It was a fun outing. Brisa enjoyed the swing.

These are some pictures we tried to take of Brisa and Maggie. It is always fun trying to take pictures of babies.

Brisa with grandpa and grandma Jones in the corn maze.

Brisa, grandpa, Maggie and Lance

Brisa, Maggie, and Hazel

Temple Square

8 months old!

2009-10-21T06:47:00.003-07:00

Brisa turned 8 months old while we were on our vacation last week. Here's some updates on her.

She is always such a sweet and happy baby, even when she is sick.

She loves her daddy. If he comes home and says hi to her without picking her up, she gets pretty upset at him. She missed him a lot when we were gone for a week.

She is starting to try to scoot a little bit but really only goes backwards some. Up until now, she has had no interest in it. She was just content to sit and play where she was at or see how far she could stretch to try and reach something.

She weighs 17 lbs 2 oz as of 2 days ago. We had to go to the doctor because she isn't feeling very good

She loves to swing.

She says dadada! I think I have heard her at least try the mama sounds a few times, but nothing really there. That's ok though. I'm just glad she loves her daddy.

She likes to wear her shoes. We have gotten some from people for free and she sits and stares and them and smiles when I put them on. She thinks they are another toy and of course she tries to eat them.

She loves other kids. I starting watching another little girl and she thinks that is just the greatest thing.

She is eating a lot more solid foods and loves that she can eat a few things off of our plates (peas, green beans, squash, rolls).

She really likes to go for walks. I am so glad it is cooling down enough that we can take them without melting.

We just love our little Brisa. She is such a joy to have in our home!

Create It Cute!

2009-09-30T14:51:00.002-07:00

Check out our newest blog http://www.createitcute.blogspot.com/. I decided to start selling my hairbows, headbands, and other things. I have been toying with the idea since Brisa was born. I started making them when she was born and I decided I really liked doing it. I realize that there are a lot of other people who do this, but I decided to take a shot at it. Just take a look. If you aren't interested, will you please share it with someone who might be. I try to keep all of my things affordable. Let me know what you think. Thanks a bunch!

A Stake in the Spain Bilbao Mission- FINALLY!

2009-09-27T18:55:00.002-07:00

Many people may already know but I just found out today that at the beginning of September, the first stake in the Spain Bilbao Mission was formed: The Vitoria Stake. This news brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't be happier. The people there have waited so long for this day and to know that it finally happened is so exciting. It brought back so many memories. The time I spent there as a missionary were some of the best days of my life. Just thinking about my time there forms a lump in my throat. I will always look back at that time with the warmest of memories. It is a beautiful place with beautiful people who I love so very much.

Canning with daddy

2009-09-22T16:37:00.005-07:00

Yesterday we were canning peaches and pears. I was in one room cutting pears and Brisa and daddy were in the kitchen canning the fruit. They were in there almost an hour. I heard Brisa laughing and talking the whole time. I told Irving he could feed her some peaches and pears because she has already had them. When I came into the kitchen, I found Brisa like this and I could tell she was having a great time.

Take Down!

2009-09-22T16:22:00.004-07:00

I better post these pictures before Cameron beats me up. He has been asking me to do it for weeks.

This is what we call babysitting gone bad.

Everything is going really well.
Brisa is happily eating.

Still Smiling.

Then they decided to read.

At first she seems interested.

She starts to get a little bored. And then...

She decides to take him down instead.

First she gives him a kick.

Cameron tries to fight back but Brisa is too strong.

She gives him a punch and then a hair pull.

And then a kick in the face to go with it.

And Brisa wins the fight.

*(Actually Cameron is a very good babysitter, especially when he lets her do this to him. She loves to play with him.)

Oh what do we do in the summer time?

2009-08-04T20:37:00.009-07:00

We have been doing a lot this summer. We went to San Diego in May but I don't have pictures of it yet. Here are some pictures of our other adventures. They are a little out of order but are still just as good. Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Tryon for letting us come and visit you. We had a good time.

Brisa is waiting to hear where her uncle Ethan is going on his mission.

And he is going to Uruguay.

Kissing cousins! Wesson really likes babies and giving kisses.

Brisa had a really good time playing with Wesson.

At the Omaha zoo, watching the monkeys.

Brisa really liked the aquarium. Her eyes got really big when we walked through the glass tunnel where the fish swim over your head.

Just sitting around waiting for the gorillas to come by.

Playing with grandpa.

and Dasha.

I think these pictures are so cute. She is so smiley.

Playing with Wesson some more.

Hiking in South Dakota. The Blackhills.

Yes that is a buffalo on the trail in front of us.

Hiking some more.

Mount Rushmore

Hanging out with grandma.

We were trying to get Wesson to give Brisa a kiss but instead he decided to share his carrot with her. She enjoyed chewing on it since she was teething at the time.

Modeling Grandpa Tryon's hat.

Enjoying the outdoors.

More Mount Rushmore.

Brisa's first airplane ride.

So happy it is over.

Teeth

2009-07-19T11:18:00.002-07:00

Brisa now has her two bottom middle teeth growing in. We noticed them trying to break through on Tuesday as we were packing to go out of town. Then on Thursday while we were camping in South Dakota, the first one broke through. Then this morning, here in Nebraska, we could feel that the other one had broken through. She hasn't even been very fussy. She is getting so big.

Do you know someone who needs a car?

2009-07-08T10:39:00.003-07:00

We are trying to sell our car. We are going to cut down to one car for now so we can pay off some bills and save some money. If you know anyone who is looking for a car, please let us know. It is a 2003 Ford Taurus. It has 79500 miles. It is in good condition. We are trying to sell it for around $4000. Thank you in advance for your help.

Updates!

2009-07-06T12:54:00.008-07:00

Yes, I know these updates are long overdue but I am just not as on top of things as some people. We are enjoying our summer. We went to San Diego at the end of May. We just got back from our cabin yesterday. We spent the 4th of July up there and had a great time. Next week we are going to South Dakota with Irving's family and then driving to Omaha to spend some more time with them. We are staying busy.

I decided to try canning lately. Last week I canned 21 jars of chicken. I have a lot of ground beef to do soon. We have also done apricots. We should be doing applesauce this week.

Last week, we broke down and got a window AC unit for our bedroom. Our house only has swamp cooler (we are saving for AC for our house) and it works great, except in July and August. Having a window unit makes it much more bearable. We have one room to escape to when it just gets too hot. Thank you to Irving for getting it for us.

Here are some updates on Brisa.

Two weeks ago she weighed 12 pounds at the doctor. She seems to have grown a lot the last couple of weeks so I wouldn't be surprised if she weighs almost 13 pounds now. She is also a long little girl. She is in the 25th percentile for her weight and the 50-70th percentile for her height.
She is a very happy little girl. She only gets upset for the usual things (hungry, tired, poopy). Her smiles are getting bigger and bigger.
This last week she decided to start going down for naps and bed by herself. Wednesday I was packing to go out of town and she was acting tired. I decided to try laying her in her bed, just to see what would happen. I went back a few minutes later and she was asleep. She slept for almost an hour. I thought it was a fluke but when we were at the cabin, she went to bed on her own for most of her naps and bedtimes. I hope this trend continues. It is nice.
She loves her exersaucer now. When we first got it, she hated it. She would scream when we put her in it. She would also get a look of panic on her face any time we took her near it. It was really funny, but so sad for her. Eventually she let us put her in it with a blanket stuffed down the center to keep her from moving. Now she will sit in it without any extra support and she loves it. I can actually get something done.
She likes to try and grab anything she can get her hands on. She is getting so much better at it. She has pulled her bow off her head a few times, argghh! But she will continue to wear bows in her hair, whether or not she likes it. :)
She loves to kick. Right now she is trying to kick the laptop while I am typing on it.
She really likes to stare at the computer screen.
She is really good at focusing on what she wants. She gets pretty ticked off at her toys, or anything else for that matter, when she has tried to get it or hold it a certain way and it just doesn't work.
She eats rice cereal now. I think more comes out than goes in but she is learning. Daddy can get her to eat it better than mom does.
She has started to play with her tongue more and make more faces with it. She has also started sucking on her bottom lip. She also does something with her tongue in her mouth that makes me think she has something in her mouth all the time. Nope, just her tongue.
She loves to go on walks outside in her stroller. She also likes to swing outside too.
She loves the water. She enjoys splashing in the bathtub. She also likes the pool.
She really likes to cuddle with a blanket next to her face to go to sleep but she hates being covered. I can't cover her up until I know she is asleep.

I guess that is all for now. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

We're trying something new!

2009-06-24T09:25:00.002-07:00

Since I quit my job, I have been trying to find a way to supplement our income since it has been cut down dramatically. Who doesn't want to find something to help? I have been looking for a while and I found a company that I really like. My sister-in-law introduced me to it and I really like it. They have health, wellness, beauty, and cleaning products. The products are safer, in more natural, and in most cases, cheaper. I have yet to find a product that I don't like. The cleaning products are my favorite. If you want to know more, just ask. You can email me too. emmysue1980@yahoo.com. If you live out of town, no problem. You can still get the products too if you are interested. If you know me, you know that I am not a salesman but I like these products enough that I don't mind sharing them with other people.

Cameron to the rescue!

2009-05-21T13:34:00.002-07:00

Brisa's uncle Cameron really likes to help take care of her. He is learning to be a very good babysitter. He entertains Brisa for me when I need a little extra help. Thanks Cameron! As you can see, the computer helps babysit both of them. :)

What happens when dad dresses the baby?

2009-05-11T21:45:00.002-07:00

So a few weeks ago I sent Irving in to dress Brisa. I hadn't set out Brisa's clothes first and so when I went in to see how things were, this is what I found. All I could do was laugh and he thought he was pretty funny. He said it was hanging in the closet and so he was allowed to put it on her. She was not very happy about it. Apparently she didn't like looking like a giraffe.

Just a side note. Irving is really good at taking care of Brisa and I really can't complain. He just struggles with dressing and undressing her.

Swimming

2009-05-11T21:37:00.002-07:00

Brisa went swimming for the first time on Saturday.
She was a little unsure about it, but that only lasted about a minute. Then she was happy and really seemed to like it.

Other random pictures

2009-04-21T10:10:00.005-07:00

St. Patrick's Day

Brisa with Grandma Tryon and her cousins.

Easter, Blessing Day, Family Visits...part 3

2009-04-21T09:53:00.003-07:00

Brisa got her first Easter dress from her aunt, Jennifer. It's really cute. She also got her first Easter basket.

This is a 4 generation picture with Brisa, Irving, Grandma Tryon, and Great-Grandma Lamoreaux( I still don't know how to spell their last name).

Easter, Blessing Day, Family Visits...part 2

2009-04-21T09:10:00.004-07:00

Brisa went on her first hike. It didn't last very long because it was raining but she stayed nice and warm in her carrier on her daddy's belly. It's a good thing his jacket was waterproof.

We went to the Tryon Easter Party. With th help of others, Brisa got her first easter eggs. Her cousin, Wesson, had fun too.

Easter, Blessing Day, Family Visits...part 1

2009-04-21T08:34:00.007-07:00

There were a lot of things that happened the week of Easter. Irving's family came to visit, Brisa was blessed , and it was Easter, so there is a lot to write about. Brisa was blessed at our ward on Easter, April 12th. It was a nice experience. Brisa's Grandma Tryon made her blessing dress and it was beautiful. Thank you grandma! Here are some pictures of her in her blessing dress.

Smiles!

2009-03-29T16:26:00.002-07:00

Brisa has started smiling. Charisse and I tried and tried to get pictures of her smiling and this is the best we could get.

Then Irving came home and it took him no time to get her to do this.

Needless to say, she is smiling some now and it is so much fun. We can't wait to share her smiles with her family when they come to visit.

The sad tale of a washer...

2009-03-29T16:06:00.004-07:00

So two weeks ago this washer

used to be here.

We found out it was leaking water downstairs when we were washing. Irving went to move it to see what was wrong with it. The outside of the washer moved and the center did not. The back of the washer had rusted out. Needless to say our washer has seen its last load of laundry. It was a good washer and it lived a long life. But like so many good things, it must come to an end. We will miss our good friend the old washer.

And say hello to our new friend the even better washer.

I mean no disrespect to the old washer but this new one is way better and (to be honest) I have been secretly waiting for that old piece of junk to die so I could get a new one. It works so much better and does so much more laundry. Doing laundry is so much nicer now.

Just for fun!

2009-03-18T12:15:00.002-07:00

Here are some more pictures we've taken.

She loves to sit on her belly with her arms like this.

Mom tried putting a ribbon in her hair for the first time.

The first day of church. All dressed cute and ready to go.

Just sleeping

Just sleeping again.

My eyes were actually open for this one.

Still sleeping.

Picture with Grandma Tryon. Apparently we never got a picture with grandpa on our camera.

Practicing for the future

2009-03-18T12:02:00.004-07:00

We were going through some things the other day and Brisa was in a very good mood so we thought we would teach her some important things.

Make sure you keep your cell phone handy for emergencies or any other time you want to use it.

Always have those important cards handy.
"Let's go shopping mom!"

When you need to relax, curl up with a good book.

This one appears to be a real page turner.

Bath Time

2009-03-18T11:29:00.002-07:00

Here are some pictures of Brisa's first official bath after her cord fell off. They are only about 2 1/2 weeks late, but as everyone is going to have to get used to with me and updating our blog, better late then never.
Brisa actually likes her baths and hasn't really ever had a problem with taking them. The first time it took her a minute to decide if she liked it and then after that she is fine. She does not like them when she is hungary and she lets you know it. She does not like getting out of the bath either. She doesn't like to be cold, but I don't blame her. I don't like to be cold after a bath either. After she gets out of the bath, she poops in her towel. I think she has only kept her towel clean once. It doesn't matter how fast we try to get her diaper on. I just plan for it now. It's a good thing we have a lot of towels.

Daddy gave her the first bath while mom took pictures. As you can see, he was excited to do it. We try to do baths when he is home.

This was when she was trying to decide if she liked the bath.

She was happy after dad covered her up with the extra wash cloth (and kept it warm).

Dad is trying to figure out what he is doing.

All clean. I love this picture because she is looking right at Irving. Brisa loves her daddy.

So here is a funny story. I don't understand how babies can be so smart. Brisa has always responded well to Irving. Even when she was still in the belly, Irving would start talking and she would start moving like crazy. She loves to sit and stare at him. When he calls on the phone, I will usually put it on speaker phone and if she is awake, her eyes get wide and she just stares at the phone until he gets off.

So here's the story. Irving leaves for work at 6:30 a.m. and Brisa is always asleep. Last week, she woke up before he left and so he was playing with her. Ever since then, she has woken up in the mornings before Irving leaves and then goes back to sleep after he is gone. I guess she wants her play time. It's amazing how fast they catch on to things. It amazes me.

Taking pictures with Abby!

2009-03-16T17:53:00.002-07:00

Today we went and took pictures with my cousin's baby, Abby. Long story short, we are two weeks apart and have pretty much been doing things together for most of our lives (even if it wasn't on purpose). We both found out we were pregnant on Father's Day and we were due on the same day. Abby decided to come a lot earlier, bu they did leave the hospital a day apart. They are pretty much the same size. We thought it would be fun to take some pictures of them in matching outfits. As you can see it is really hard to get two babies happy at the same time. These are some of the shots we took. Abigail is the happier of the two. Brisa was not interested in picture taking today.

The one picture where they are the happiest and without their pacifiers ended up blurry (of course).

They were both happy and sleeping when we got there. That didn't last long.

Time flies!

2009-02-22T17:50:00.003-07:00

So I can't believe how fast a week (and 2 days) goes by. It amazes me. I have really enjoyed being home and having Brisa in our family. We are adjusting to all the fun things that come with being parents. I am slowly recovering from the c-section. I think I am most frustrated with the fact that there aren't many things I can without help. I guess it is teaching me to accept help from other people. Hopefully I will start feeling like myself again soon. Here are some more pictures, since I know that is the reason most people look at the blog anyway.

She's thinking hard about something.

Daddy likes to make sure I have my turtle close by.

Daddy is getting really good at napping, or doing other stuff, with Brisa on his belly.

One week (and one day) old

We thought dad needed a haircut. How does it look?

We're home!

2009-02-17T20:33:00.004-07:00

We finally came home and it is great to be able to sleep without people bothering us constantly. I will post more of a complete story of what happened a little later but here is a few quick details. Brisa was born by C-section at 8:30 p.m. on Friday night, Feb. 13th. She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. We are all doing really well. We had a doctor's appointment today and Brisa is good and healthy. We are very greatful for that. Here are some more pictures for you to enjoy.

She's Here Brisa Lanae Tryon !!!

2009-02-14T09:35:00.011-07:00

Brisa Lanae Tryon was born on Feb 13 she was 7 lbs 9 oz. 20 1/4 long and a 14" mom and baby are good.

Still waiting

2009-02-04T21:53:00.002-07:00

Here is an update. Sorry there aren't any pictures to go with it. We are now at 38 weeks. Everyone who has had a baby knows how we feel right now. This waiting game is no fun and I feel like a walking time bomb. We did have a doctor's appointment today and he said we were dilated between 1 and 2, 80% effaced, and she is at 0 station. Now we just get to wait. She could come tomorrow or in three weeks. I don't like this waiting game. I know I haven't reached 40 weeks yet but hopefully we won't have to go that long.

Being pregnant really hasn't been that bad. I haven't had too many problems and I really can't complain. I have been pretty lucky. I am excited about becoming a mom. It is a little scary, especially since it is so close now. But I have been waiting a long time for this so I am more excited than anything.

I hope we get to post again soon with some exciting news.

2009-01-13T16:24:00.001-07:00

Just an FYE. Irving made the last post, pretending to be me, because apparently I don't do it enough.

It has happend !!!!!!

2009-01-13T10:28:00.006-07:00

My Belly in now bigger then Irving.

Things here are going good the babys room is almost done!!!! I am still Teaching though I dont walk around to the kids as much. Don't I looks so Cute!!! The Twins are doing good it is fun to watch them run around and play tag with Irving.

Twins Girls !!!!!!

2008-12-11T06:13:00.004-07:00

It is official now after 9 long months we have twin girls i am writing this because emilie is occupied right now. But there is two litte girls ( name and Pic to come soon) there was a black one and a black and white one. one is walking and the other is trying to walk!!!!

irving

2008-10-27T09:09:00.006-07:00

This is an update from the last month or so.

I think this picture is so funny. We were celebrating my birthday at my parents' house and Blaine was taking pictures. Irving is concentrating so hard on figuring out how to light the candles.

Irving made this cake for me for my birthday. Isn't it pretty? It tasted really good too. He also took me out to a nice Italian restraunt. It was really good and the best part was his work paid for it so we enjoyed it even more. Irving was very sweet and tried very hard to make it a nice day.

And finally, here is the picture I have been promising to put up. This is me at 23 weeks. Now everyone that wanted to see can. It's not the best but at least it is something.

We decided to start selling the herbal drink Zrii. If you want to know what it is, let me know. This is Irving after we got our first check. He's not going to be happy that I put his picture up here instead of mine.

Things are going well for us. Only a few more days until the Halloween maze. I will try to post pictures.

Birthdays and surprises!

2008-09-02T17:52:00.009-07:00

We have celebrated a few birthdays since I posted last. Irving turned 28. I let him do whatever he wanted to around the house for his birthday. We went out to dinner. We also had a birthday dinner at my parents' house the following Monday with Irving's favorite foods, Mexican mix-up and texas sheet cake.

We also celebrated my mom's birthday. They came over to our house for dinner. As you can see from the pictures, there were a lot of candles and some of them melted quite a bit before we could get the rest of them lit.

And now for the most exciting news. We found out today that we are having a girl. The due date is still February 19th. Everything looks good. She's not too big or too small. We are very excited.

Belly shots

2008-08-25T16:33:00.005-07:00

Many people have been accusing me of not posting on my blog very much, which is probably true, so I decided to try and do it more frequently. I am posting some belly shots because some people don't live close by and they wanted to see some. The first one is at about 11 weeks. Irving tries to be funny when he is taking pictures so I can't say they always turn out very good. The second picture is at about 14 weeks. I do have to say that it is exciting to finally be showing some. It makes this pregnancy thing seem a bit more real.

11 weeks

14 weeks (Kim and I posing for our moms. They wanted us to take a picture to compare our bellies.)

I got a great deal!

2008-08-19T09:28:00.002-07:00

So this is going to be a bit of useless information for all of you but I am really excited about it. Yesterday I got on Craig's List because every once in a while I look to see if they have any cribs. I decided to look and see if there was any maternity clothes since my clothes just aren't fitting these days. There was a lady who was selling 2 sets of clothes for $30 a set. I called and they were available so I drove out to her house. I was originally only going to get one of the sets but after getting there, I got them both. Now $60 might sound like a lot but maternity clothes are not cheap and I would have spent that really fast if I had gone to the store. I didn't really look at them there but they were supposed to be my size so we bagged them up and I took them home. Actually, I drove to my mom's house so she could look through them with me. After going through them, we found out there were 8 pairs of pants, 10 pairs of capris, 3 workout outfits, 2 dresses (too short for me though), a skirt, and 23 shirts. They are all good brands and in very good condition. They are also different sizes so I can wear them at different times during my pregnancy. There are only a few things I can't wear so overall, I would say I got a great deal.

Where has the summer gone?

2008-07-28T17:07:00.002-07:00

So Irving keeps asking me when I am going to make another post. So here it is. The summer has flown by. We've been on some fun trips and just got back from whitewater rafting with Irving's family. I did not participate because the doctor advised against it. Why you might ask? Well a lot of you already know but yes we are expecting a baby in February. It's just taken me a while to get it on here. I have been pretty nauseous but I haven't thrown up. I am very thankful for that. Not being able to do much really isn't all that fun though. The couch and I have become great friends. I am starting to get some energy back. I can actually get a few things done around the house.

Nebraska

2008-07-10T23:50:00.007-07:00

At the beginning of June, we had the opportunty to visit Irving's family in Nebraska. We had a really good time. We attended his sister's graduation and the blessing of our nephew. He's so cute! We also went to Nauvoo and saw some church history sites in Missouri. In our travels home we ran into a crazy storm. Luckily we saw no tornados and I am more than willing to say that I never want to live somewhere where they do have them.