Tag

My incredible friend, Cami, tagged me and reading hers brought back tons of memories together! We are all unique in so many ways - these silly tags make me appreciate all of my friends and what makes them special in my life! Enjoy!

8 Favorite TV Shows:

1. The Biggest Loser

2. 24 (Miss our 24 buddies...)

3. The Hills

4. House Hunters

5. Food Network Challenge

6. Property Virgins

7. Bringing Home Baby

8. American Idol

8 Things I did Yesterday:

1. Played with Alina (this includes A LOT!)

2. Went for a walk

3. Cooked Dinner

4. Folded laundry

5. Cleaned up

6. Took a shower

7. AND blew my hair dry (a huge accomplishment some days!)

8. found out Prop 8 passed!

8 Things I look forward to:

1. Christian being done with school

2. Buying our first house

3. Alina learning how to talk

4. Running a half marathon

5. Thanksgiving in FL!

6. Christmas Shopping

7. Meeting Jess and Christopher's baby boy

8. Getting enough sleep - someday!

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. Bern's Steakhouse

2. Brio Tuscan Grill

3. Amura

4. Tijuana Flats

5. PF Changs

6. Five Guys

7. Chipotle

8. Papa Joe's

8 Things on My Wish List:

1. A Trip to Hawaii

2. A Highlander Hybrid (graphite color)

3. A House

4. No more dirty dishes

5. A self-folding laundry room

6. warm winter in Utah - right!

7. Alina not falling and hurting herself anymore

8. Christian knowing how much he REALLY means to me...

4th Picture in my 4th File:

It's a picture in a series where Alina was learning to pick up Cheerios and transfer them successfully from highchair to mouth! It was a monumentous occasion (She did it too!)

8 People I tag:

Whoever wants to be tagged! I know, kind of a cop-out, but I recommend it... It was hard for me to come up with some of these... I had to really think (and Christian helped too!)

Our Incredible October!

Christian and I cannot believe that October is already over! With Alina's first year quickly coming to an end, we enjoyed celebrating several occasions this month including her 10 month birthday. Our little 10 month old is currently walking! She has taken MANY steps this month. She also has started saying more things (aka making more sounds that sound like words). Along with Ma-ma, and Da-da, she has been known to say "hi", "bye", "baby", "uh-oh", and making the mwah kissing sound. So fun!
My brother Christopher's wife, Jessica, came out for about a week. Alina and I were able to attend a surprise baby shower with Lauren in Jessica's honor. It was so fun to be with her family - they are some of the most loving people EVER! Melissa, her little sister, brought the cake from St. George... isn't it absolutely adorable! Cynthia was so busy that day - her daughter, Makelle, had her birthday party and then she deftly change all of the decorations for the shower by pulling them out of hiding (Jessica hadn't noticed them despite that she was staying at Cynthia's house!) I'm so glad that I was included in this fun celebration.

For Halloween we started the celebration a week early with Christian's family. We had a Halloween Party at his parents' house. It was a fun night filled with yummy food, laughs, and crazy costumes! We also got to attend a baptism for Hailey and Mackay's blessing.

Last Wednesday my mother and grandma came into town to help us gear up for Halloween. Grandma worked tediously on Alina's Thumbelina costume which turned out to be the most beautiful little costume I have ever seen! Mom, Grandma, and I made some delectible food including egg rolls, wontons, rolls, cinnamon rolls, punch, and I'm sure many other things I can't remember. We took Alina Trick-or-Treating around the house. We were so happy to celebrate with friends and family. Ashley and Brandon came over for a bit and Cynthia came over with her husband, Dave, and daughters, Makelle and Audrey. Dave was hysterical as Nacho Libre and even showed off his authentic poses.

Our Little Princess - Thumbelina

Dave, Cynthia, Audrey, and Makelle

Audrey and Makelle

Nacho Libre - Dave has a relative that is a famous Matador in Mexico... he's the real thing!

Halloween came and went incredibly fast - on the first day of November we drove up to Bountiful and had a little surprise dinner in Mom's honor (Happy Birthday next week, Mom!) We're so glad Mom and Grandma came out - it was the BEST Halloween... perfect for Alina's first!

A Long Overdue Update

Obviously, I have fallen a bit behind on the whole "blogging" endeavor; however, this will be my attempt to catch up on all of the most important experiences of the last few months! (I appreciate all of the friendly reminders - I hope to do better in the future!)

Christian has been incredibly busy diving into work after passing all of his exams - we are both extremely happy to have those tests behind us! He loves his job and really prioritizes his time well - I still get to see him more than most wives even though he is attending BYU too! I am indescribably grateful for his hard work which allows me to stay at home with little Alina!

Alina is a firecracker! She is a professional crawler and clapper now. She also climbs the stairs if you turn your back and has further developed her sense of humor. Now in a forward-facing carseat, you can hear her randomly laughing as you drive around town. She also points at anything of interest and can out-cheer even the best BYU fans - it's true Doug!

Back in August Shannon and Dave had their newest - Mackay Rasband Norton. Alina now has 15 cousins on Daddy's side.
We also took a family trip this past month to Washington to visit my extended family - my grandmother, uncles, aunts, and cousins. While in the Seattle area, we were able to see four football games in which four of my cousins played. It was at these games that Alina learned to clap! Soon we hope to see her making the touchdown sign!



Phillip, one of my cousins, plays for the University of Puget Sound. Alina is a die-hard Logger now... we're trying to help her remember her cougar heritage after she fell in love with the cozy school and cheered her heart out! She even has more Logger garb than BYU (we seriously need to correct this!).

Gayle, Phillip, Alina, Mo, Christian

The two other teams we followed had Jordan, Jeremy, and Brandon on their rosters. Can I just say that it is unbelievable how old I am getting! I have one cousin that's a senior and two that are juniors - I better start looking for gray hair!

Jeremy

Bridgette and Ray with Alina (Bridgette has another niece named Alina Marie!!)

Jordan Dylan

My parents were also in Washington with us - SO FUN! We got to go to Leavenworth for a couple of days and enjoy the Bavarian town. It was gorgeous and I'm excited to go back someday.


Alina dedicated new landmarks in her Great-Grandma's house - the most notable being the "Wailing Wall" so named because of a crying episode that lasted for approximately an hour. As always, it ended with victorious Grandpa and Alina passed out, fast asleep!


Grandma as well as Aunt Gayle and Sheila have to be thanked for all of their kindness! Grandma (I can't believe I'm admitting this) slept on the couch so Alina, Christian, and I could use the bedroom! She also got up every morning and made us yummy breakfasts. As if that wasn't enough, she also survived an almost sleepless night and then walked around the Puyallup Fair for half of the following day. Gayle made sure that Alina had plenty of toys to slobber on and that we all had seats in the Logger Stands. Sheila made sure we had a car seat and Pack-And-Play for Alina to sleep in as well as opened her house for noisy dinner and games. We'll have to play Hand-and-Foot again soon... I hope to win a second game! Ha! There's a fridge in the room!


Now that we're back in Utah we've been trying to get everything organized! We spent about four days in Highland watching four nieces and one nephew. Six children... I'm so grateful that they come one at a time! I can't even imagine having two right now so six is totally unfathomable at this point! They were good helpers though and it was fun to "play house" for a few days!



Mom, Dad, and Tanya came out for Conference Weekend and we fit as much as possible into those few days. Mom, Tanya, Alina, and I visited Temple Square and took out a bunch of girls for shoppping during the Priesthood session - WHAT A GREAT TRADITION! I've missed it the last couple of years! Christian and Dad fixed ALL of the drawers in the kitchen that broke due to excessive weight! What a HUGE job! I'm so appreciative that my fingers aren't getting smashed when I try to open and close them now!

After my family left we went for a visit with Great-Grandma Rasband. She held Alina and gave her kisses. It was a priceless experience - captured in pictures of course.

On Monday we got to go take some pictures at a place Shannnon found. It was... different, but we got a few good shots. Alina got to play a bit with little Jaxon!

On Tuesday, October 7th we celebrated our TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY! It was so fun to reminisce about the past two years and all our most memorable times together. Christian planned a romantic night and our friends, Doug and Heather, babysat. I believe in Date Night - do it!

Last night we had a New Member Activity at our house and it was really fun! Every couple made their own Halloween themed pizzas and we got to mingle quite a bit. I was so impressed with everyone's creativity! I mean - you've got to see these pizzas!

We just found out today that Jenessa and James are expecting their sixth - Congrats!

Well, I think that's it for this maraton post. Hopefully next time it will be a little less long-winded!

Family Vacations

With school finally out and retirement finally setting in, we left the first week of June for summer vacations. Our first stop was a three-week trip to Florida to visit my family. While there are countless memories that we should write of, we will only mention a few.

First of all, on Father's Day we were able to be with my parents, my maternal grandparents, and my brother Christopher and his wife, Jessica. I had made Christian a book for Father's Day with pictures of him and Alina. My dad and Grandpa also got their little brag books that day. The highlight of Father's Day, however, came when my dad opened the Father's Day gift from Christopher and Jess. It was a bib, embroidered with "I love Grandpa" and a card. After dad read the card we noticed excitement in his face and soon found out that --- Jessica and Christopher will be having a baby in January! (Alina's going to be a cousin!!!) We were all so excited and we can't wait to meet the first "Ingalls" grandchild.

With school finally out and retirement finally setting in, we left the first week of June for summer vacations. Our first stop was a three-week trip to Florida to visit my family. While there are countless memories that we should write of, we will only mention a few.




While in Florida we also discovered Alina's love of water. We spent time nearly everyday in the pool and she loved every minute. Mom and Dad also got a Wave Runner that we got to help break in by tubing - so fun! Their neighbor Frank and his wife Christine were so nice to us throughout the trip and made some of the lake experiences very memorable!!!




For part of our trip we ventured up to the panhandle to visit my grandparents. Recovering from a recent surgery, my grandma seemed to enjoy the company of her only great-grandchild, her only granddaughter, her only daughter, and her only grandson-in-law (and, I suppose, her only Leila dog!!) Grandma and I even broke out the craft stuff as I attempted to make fun wipe cases and some Fourth of July cards. It was probably our last trek up there as they are planning on relocating to be closer to my parents within the next year (hopefully).





Mom and I got in a few long walks and several talks - a must! It's so good to spend time with her - she genuinely cares for all of us and I hope she's rubbed off on me! Alina's so lucky to have her as a grandma!
Dad was busy - as usual - yet we got in some fun with him. Boy, does Alina love Grandpa! He helped her attempt to guzzle down a few sips of water and was always ready to cheer her up when she was the slightest bit upset. Christian and Dad even started car shopping for our "wish" of a new car - a new Highlander Limited... even Christian drools over it now!





A HUGE accomplishment, we traveled about two hours up to Gainesville so that Christian could take the Series 7 exam - one required before he can start up as a Financial Planner. Despite the six hour, grueling testing window, Christian emerged victorious! We are so proud of him and excited for the adventure of him starting at Heritage in August. Now on to exams two and three. (During the exam, Mom, Alina, Jessica, and I went to the University of Florida butterfly exhibit - it was amazing! Alina loved watching all of the butterflies as we tried to identify them. We are already planning to return.)





While we were in Florida, we also got to celebrate Alina's 1/2 birthday. On June 27, 2008 she was officially six months old. Time is flying and she's already sitting up and on the verge of crawling.



Time flew by too fast in Florida and before we knew it we were back aboard a direct flight to SLC. We spent less than 12 hours at home and then were on the road to Lake Powell for a fun filled four days with Christian's family.

Christian's mom planned an "Olympic" themed extravaganza complete with competitions for the older grandchildren and ethnic meals. We were in charge of the first day's food - ham and cheese english muffins, rice and beans, and chicken teriyaki. We also had fun giving a spiritual thought and extending a service challenge to the kids.

Obviously, we were the yellow family.

Thanks to Great-Grandma, Alina had the perfect 4th of July outfit!

Alina got to spend time with her 14 cousins! One of them, Jaxon, is only about a month younger than Alina - Robyn and I couldn't help having a little Photo Shoot.

Alina continued with her days of fun in the sun and water at Lake Powell. After we doused her in sunscreen, we'd all jump in the water and play for an hour or so a day. Alina struggled to sleep at night - but we had such a good time nonetheless.

We drove back to Provo for the 4th and got to spend it with Mom and Dad as well as Lauren and Jonathan. Mom and I ran in the 4th of July 5k and then we met up with Cynthia and Dave for Stadium of Fire. It was a blast! Alina loved all of it - except the earth-shaking fireworks (the others were great) and MILEY CYRUS (although we can't blame her --- none of us cared for that performance!) Dad left on Sunday but Mom stayed through Tuesday - enough time for some incredible food and fun times playing games and spending valuable time together!

Just the girls - Mom, Alina, Me, and Lauren

Mom, Alina, and Me

On Wednesday we went up to Sandy to visit Mike, Alyse, and Jack (now three months old). Mike is one of Christian's cousins. We ate lunch at a park and went for a VERY brief walk since Alina was exhausted and ready for a nap.

That night, we attended a celebration in honor of Christian's grandmother's 94th birthday. It was great to see her out and about - enjoying time with her family.

It has been a fabulous summer so far and we're excited for all that's coming up for our little family!

A Sunny Sunday...

Yesterday we were able to hit the outlets for a shop-a-thon! As Christian looked through store after store to spend some of his birthday money, Alina and I found a few cute outfits that we just couldn't pass up. To add to the day, we met up with a few friends and their daughters.

Today we put Alina in a new outfit and couldn't resist a few photos by the trees in front of the condo! (We're a little obsessed with taking pictures now that we have a Super-Camera!) She has quite the personality and just barely learned how to say the "mmmmma" sound (Does that mean "mama" is her official first word? I think so!).

Today was a big day also because Alina made it through the sacrament without being too "distracting." Right after the sacrament was passed, however, she decided to show off her screaming skills - she's gifted, what can I say? Regardless, apparently she wasn't as reverent as can be and we took a tour of the halls until she fell asleep. Baby steps...

Christian took Alina during Relief Society so that I could focus on teaching the lesson. I love Elder Ballard's talk!

After church, the three of us grabbed a blanket and Christian and I read as Alina entertained herself by attempting to sit up on her own. It appears this is the next hurdle she will jump! Alina loves being outdoors and, if she knew we were heading to Florida in a couple of weeks, she would be incredibly excited. She loves Grandma and Grandpa's "Little House on the Lake!"

Alina has also started to grab both of her feet and kick rather ferociously... it's rather comical! She is changing so fast - it's hard to believe that she'll be five months old this TUESDAY! Overall, she is still an incredibly happy child and, obviously, absolutely and undeniably beautiful! We count our blessing every day... she's our Little "Principessa"

Working with the Provo "Pro-Bow"

Friday night Christian had the chance of a lifetime - to go watch the Jazz take on the Lakers. While he was nervously pacing and suffering the agony of a true nail-biter, I was with my friend Amanda making Alina some new headbands... her head just keeps getting bigger - hmmm.

Needless to say, Amanda is incredibly skilled in this area, as well as any other you can think of! She is even an entrepreneur - Look for "Itsy Bitsy Bling"! Fortunately, Amanda is also VERY patient and she taught me the ins and outs of headband-making... until 11:00 that night! Oops!

Admittedly these were my first attempts. Nevertheless, I am incredibly pleased with the results - and Alina doesn't know the difference!

Our First Ramblings...

With the end of my work career approaching, I decided the time had come to start our family blog. Regardless of the miles separating us from many of those we love, we hope that this will make the distance a little shorter and help keep all up to date with our triumphs... no matter how small.

As my days of formally teaching draw to a close, the beginning of Christian's testing approaches. He is currently a full-time studier (of manuals for his Series 7 Exam) as well as a stay-at-home daddy. Somehow between feedings, diaper changes, and naps he manages to squeeze in some study time - hopefully he will be ready come June for his first exam.

Our incredible four-month-old, Alina, never ceases to amaze us. She continually learns new skills and currently spends hours of the day excitedly rolling across rooms, happily firing spit at her parents, and determinedly attempting to sit and or stand. Undeniably, she is the greatest blessing we have!

Stay tuned for future ramblings... after all, this is just the first of many!