The Randalls - Zach, Lauren, Ella Ann, & Holden

Ella's Preschool Graduation and First day of new Preschool

2011-09-29T10:20:00.004-06:00

Ella attended the Alta High School Preschool program last year. She loved it! She learned so much and loved her teachers. We were going to have her go back since it is an awesome preschool, but then we moved farther away so we decided to switch to a preschool closer to our house. That way she could make friends in the neighborhood. She has loved her new class and new teacher. We also do a carpool with a couple of her friends which I love! Here are some pictures of her graduation and then her first day:

So cute! She got to wear a real graduation hat with a tassle that said 2011.

Ella and her teacher Hillary!

First day of school! Posing of course!

Cute Ella bug!

Can't wait to go to school with her friends!

Busy Summer

2011-09-29T10:08:00.004-06:00

I haven't really had time to post for a while so here I go. We had a fun and busy summer visiting family, swimming, going to parades, going to see Little Mermaid, moving to a new house and neighborhood, etc.

Ella is so tricky climbing a tree.

Cute girl!

I love my little man. He is still mommy's best friend. Love it!

Holden and Grandma Keri. He has the funniest faces!

Holden, Grandma Keri, and Grandpa Sheldon. Wished we lived closer to them.

Busy Summer Continued

2011-09-29T09:58:00.005-06:00

Best brother and sister. They love playing together.

Ella posing once more, but this time I think she had to go potty.

Nothing better then swimming on a hot day!

Ella is quite the poser.

Holden thinks he's a dog with a ball in his mouth.

Family Pictures 2011

2011-09-29T09:47:00.004-06:00

Oh the adventures of getting family pictures of our little family. My wonderful friend Angela takes our pictures for us, but it comes with a task of getting Ella to cooperate! We kept talking to Ella about pictures a few days before we got them to get her prepared. She was all excited and told us she was going to be so good and smile. Then on the way to get them she of course fell asleep. She eventually got to be ok, but we couldn't watch her take the pictures of her by herself. Then she had to pick where we would take some family pictures. She is so funny about getting her pictures taken. I'm hoping she grows out of it soon and Holden doesn't do the same! Thanks again to my friend Angela for being patient with my little family. I know it is not easy.

Five Years!!!

2011-06-07T08:03:00.003-06:00

Five years ago today I married

my best friend.

The best husband in the world, and

the best daddy.

Zach and I truly were made for each other.

I love you more than anything babe, and

can't wait to spend many more

years with you.

Love you!

Happy 1st Birthday Holden!!!

2011-05-26T16:09:00.006-06:00

Happy Birthday to Holden!!! This year has flown by so fast. Holden is such a joy to our family and we are so grateful for him. I was kind of sad about him turning one since this might be my last time celebrating a first birthday. It is sad to think, but we are so excited to have this special day with him. Here are some facts about our little guy.

Loves to cuddle.

Loves to smile.

Loves to Jabber. He has a cute low voice.

Loves to bite.

Loves to play with his sister. They are best buds!

Loves to push toys and walk. He hasn't taken his first steps yet, but will stand without holding onto things.

Loves to make messes. He is a busy little boy. He is busy all day long.

Still loves to take two naps a day.

Has a favorite blanket will not sleep without it.

Loves to face forward in his big boy carseat. We just switched him and he is such a happy boy in the car now. Relief for mommy!

Still a Momma's boy. I will keep enjoying it while it lasts!

We love our little guy and can't wait to make more memories with him! Love you Holden!

* My wonderful friend Angela took his one year old pictures. They turned out so cute!!!

Nine months old

2011-03-03T11:04:00.003-07:00

Loves taking baths!

His first official haircut! We just trimmed around the ears and back.

Such a stud!

Love his hair. It sticks up all by itself. Even when I comb it down and put gel in it, it goes right back up.

Holden is already nine months old. Time sure does fly when you have more then one. He is the best little boy and we are so glad he is in our family. Here are some little things about our little guy:

Loves to smile. He gives big smiles to everyone all day long!
Loves to cuddle. He gives the best cuddles especially when he wakes up in the morning. I love it!
Loves to eat. He loves his bottles, baby food, table food, basically any food he can get his hands on.
Loves to be on the move. He has been crawling for a couple of months now, he also pulls up on everything and walks holding onto things. He also figured out how to go up the stairs. Definitely doesn't want to waste anytime getting mobile.
Loves his sister. She is still the only one that can get him laughing really hard. He also loves to give her hugs and kisses.
Loves his mommy. He is still a mommy's boy, which I will enjoy while it lasts.
Loves his daddy. He is looking more and more like Zach the bigger he gets. They are going to be the best of buds.
Hates to get dressed and have his diaper changed.
Babbles alot. His favorite word right now is dada.
Has 6 teeth. 4 on top and 2 on the bottom.

We took him to his nine month appointment yesterday. He weighs in at 17 lbs. 14 oz (10%) and his height is 28 in. (50%). He also has low iron so we have to keep him on iron-fortified formula for at least the next 3 months. Then we will get it retested to see if he can go to milk. He also has his first ear infection, but other than that he is healthy boy. He is such a joy to our family and we love him so much!

Just like my sister...

2011-02-13T22:06:00.004-07:00

The other night Holden decided he wanted to be just like his sister and see what she was looking at. So he crawled over to her and pulled himself up next to her. It was so precious. Love these two!

What are you looking at sister?

Caught Ya!

Crib Time

2011-02-13T21:47:00.004-07:00

Ella is loving Holden's crib lately, and has to climb in at least once a day. Today she climbed in with Holden and they played together for a little while. Now that he is getting bigger they like to play a little bit with each other. It is so much fun to watch your kids interact with each other. They truly love each other!

Having so much fun!

Time for silly faces.

Even more silly faces!

Holden and his little buddy Crew

2011-01-16T23:40:00.005-07:00

We finally got to go up and meet my new little nephew Crew. He was born nine and a half weeks early weighing in at 3 lbs. 9 oz. and 16 inches long. He was in the NICU for about four weeks or so. He got to come home right before Christmas, but since we have all had little colds we haven't been able to go see him. Crew will be 2 months old on Wednesday and is the size of a newborn. He is doing awesome and weighs over 6 pounds. Glad we finally got to meet you little buddy!

Cute little buddies!
Holden was so fascinated with Crew!

Holden was trying to figure out this little guy. I think he was fascinated

that someone was finally smaller then him.

Holden trying to get Crew. He wasn't happy that i wouldn't let him

grab him. He really wanted to figure this boy out.

*Oh yeah our little Holden is crawling. He does his own little crawl, but he is very mobile. He wants to get down and move around every where. You set him down in one spot and look away for a second then he will be across the room. I wasn't ready for him to be mobile yet since he is only seven months, but it is fun and Ella loves it. He also is getting a mouth full of teeth. He has his bottom two, and now four on top are coming in. I don't know what we are going to do with him! Love that little boy so much!

Sister and Brother Play Time

2011-01-16T23:17:00.003-07:00

Ella and Holden love, love, love each other. Holden gets so excited everytime he sees his sister. She loves playing with him, holding him, poking him in the head, giving him hugs, and lots more. Holden loves playing with Ella, pulling her hair, laughing at her, and eating all of her toys. Now that Holden is getting bigger and mobile they have a lot of fun together. I will cherish this time because I know they will be fighting before we know it!

Being so silly together!
Some more playing going on.

Ella loves being pulled around in the laundry hamper. Holden

didn't mind it either. They had so much fun!

Ella posing and Holden concentrating on how he can get that

belt in his mouth.

Once again Ella posing and Holden opening the mouth ready

to eat something.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-16T22:58:00.005-07:00

Mom and Dad's Christmas present!

Holden loving all his toys!

Ella with her Elmo slippers. She looks so pretty.

Ella and Holden in their new Christmas clothes. So stylin'!

Cute little kids!

Our attempt at getting a family picture on Christmas, but Ella

didn't want to do it of course. Oh well.

Finally a post about our Christmas. Santa was very nice to us this year, and the kids loved everything he dropped off for them. Ella wanted "everything" for Christmas this year. Any time you asked her what she wanted she would respond with, "everything." She is so funny! Ella got lots of toys, squinkies, movies, and lots of games. Holden got some new toys, treats, and lots of wrapping paper. He was in heaven! Zach and I just got a few little things since this year we got a new car!!! We sold our Subaru and bought a 2011 GMC Terrain. It is so nice to drive, not to mention all of the interior room we have. It is a great car and fits our little family perfect. We missed our family in St. George, but we are glad that we got to have a second Christmas with them over New Year's. Ella and Holden were definitely spoiled as always, and loved everything they got. Thank you everyone for everything you do for our little family. We love you!

Work

2010-12-20T23:45:00.002-07:00

I know it was months ago that I posted about getting a spot on the UHP DUI Squad, but believe it or not it's taken until this last week to get released from Salt Lake County! It's taking some getting used to. The one and only responsibility I have at work now from the time I check on until I check off is to find impaired drivers and take them off the road. I get to work with such a talented group of guys. To say it's motivating is such an understatement. This story is from one who I have the privilege of working alongside each night:

Today (Sept 4th, 2009) is the one year anniversary of my ex-wife’s tragic death. She, Rebecca, was killed traveling home late from Hurricane to St. George, a trip she had made a hundred times before. In an instant, she, her unborn child (9 mos) and her small daughter Bo, age 2, were killed in a flash by an impaired driver who had taken the prescription drug “Ambien” prior to making a quick trip to the store. The driver, now, completely asleep on drugs, crossed over the two way road without slowing and ran head-on into Rebecca and her VW Jetta with his pickup truck, killing her and her unborn child instantly. She was literally crushed. A senseless moment that should have never of happened. Emergency crews arrived 20 minutes later and Bo died at the hospital a short time later. I remember getting the phone call late that night, which my wife Kristyn answered. On the other end of the phone was Rebecca’s Mother. She explained in a matter of fact way, to Kristyn about the incident. I could instantly tell there was something wrong by the look on Kristyn’s face. She turned to me and said in shock “Rebecca and Bo were just killed in a car crash”. I could feel the blood run from my head and drain to my feet. The energy was sucked out of my body in an instant and I sank to the floor in a crumpled mass. Never have I felt that kind of grief or loss in my life. Thank goodness for my understanding and loving wife Kristyn as she tried to give comfort to my shock. She was there helping me as we both had difficulty trying to understand what this meant. The next morning I had to tell my two daughters that their mother and baby sister were no longer with us, and their unborn brother would never see a day of sunshine. I comforted them as best as a father could. We cried together. In a year from now, most people will not give much thought to her death. In 5 years, even less people will remember. However, she should have lived another 50 years or longer, not including the years her children should have lived. I will remember.
I am a Trooper for the Utah Highway Patrol. I take people to jail every night for impaired driving, and yet, I could do nothing to stop this incident. I felt helpless. I still don’t completely understand it all, but, she will be missed by many, including me. May she rest in comfort and happiness in the presence of God.

This is what I get to go out and try to stop from happening. I love my job :)

6 Months Old

2010-12-13T23:16:00.005-07:00

Our baby Holden is already 6 months old. I can't believe how much faster it goes by when you have 2 kids. I feel like he was just born and now he is half way to one. Crazy!!! Here are some facts about him right now:

- He rolls every where and scoots.

- He is going to be crawling anyday. He can push up onto his
knees and rocks back and forth.

- He still just has the 2 bottom teeth, but the dr. said the top
ones will be coming anytime.

-Loves playing with his sister. She is the only one that can
get him laughing really hard.

- Loves, loves, loves his mommy. If I'm in the room he keeps
his eyes on me. If I am holding him and then hand him to Zach
he starts crying and gets mad. Sometimes he will hold onto me
tight if Zach comes up to talk to him. Doesn't want Daddy
to take him away. So funny!

- Loves putting everything in his mouth. Anything he grabs or
you give to him goes straight to the mouth.

- He is a catnapper. 20 minutes here, 20 minutes there.
Not a good thing.

- He is eating big boy food. Loves Rice cereal, green beans, applesauce,

mixed fruits, and oatmeal.

- Six month Stats:

Height: 26.8" 65%
Weight: 16.3 lbs 25%

He is following in the steps of Ella-taller then average and underweight. He is such a joy to our family and we love him more and more everyday. Can't wait to make many more memories with him!

He rolled over to our table then got stuck so he decided to take a nap!

Ella thinks the nutcracker is her brother also so he took a nap.

Such an imagination she has.

Not too sure what was going on.

Found mommy! Love these two sweet kids!

I think you can totally tell they are brother and sister.

So cute!!

Christmas Jammies

2010-11-14T09:12:00.003-07:00

The other day Ella asked if her and baby brother could have matching jammies. I went to Costco (since I love Costco Jammies) and found these Christmas ones with matching monkeys. Ella was so excited she wanted to wear them as soon as I bought them. We put them on and caught this cute picture of them.

So cute! They look so much alike.

(if you make this larger you can see Holden's 2 teeth)

These bottom pictures I just took last night. I was cleaning the house and walked in to see them both asleep holding hands. I thought it was so cute. It made me kind of tear up because of how precious they both are. I love these two sweet kids, and love that they love each other so much.

So precious!

Big boy food

2010-11-07T10:27:00.003-07:00

Holden is slowly starting to eat big boy food. At his four month checkup his doctor said he could start eating rice cereal and baby food. He at first didn't like anything, but now he likes rice cereal, and certain food. We are still trying to introduce different kids of food to him, but so far his favorites are green beans, bananas, apples, and peaches. I can't believe he is already big enough to start eating food. Here are some current things he is doing:

- He is rolling over, and wants so bad to be mobile

- He tries to scoot on the floor. He digs his head into the carpet and pushes his

butt into the air with his legs. He doesn't make it anywhere, but still tries hard.

- He loves to spit and blow bubbles with his tongue.

- He loves his sister. She can make him laugh harder then anyone.

- He loves his mommy and if I'm in the room not holding him, he watches

my every move. He makes sure I don't leave.

- He loves pulling hair, and grabbing everything. He has a very tight grip.

- He is a very busy baby already. He tries hard every day to not go to sleep

so he doesn't miss anything going on.

He is the best boy and we love him so much! Can't wait to make more memories with him!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-07T10:14:00.003-07:00

We had a such a fun halloween this year! Ella was a spider and Holden was a little dragon. During the day we went our ward's halloween party, and had fun at the trunk or treat! Then that night I went up to my sister's house with the kids so we could go trick or treating. Ella loved trick or treating this year, and got LOTS of candy (which she had a sugar overload the first day, since we don't have lots of candy around our house.) We missed Zach this year, he had to work this Halloween is a big holiday for them, but luckily he got to take her around the trunk or treat! Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

My little Spider Ella and dragon Holden!

Loved carving pumpkins!!!

These are our pumpkins we carved!

First Day of School and Dance

2010-11-07T09:55:00.004-07:00

Ella started Preschool in October she goes two days a week from 9:45 until 12:00. I was going to wait until next year to get her in, but every time she would see a school bus or see someone with a backpack she would tell me she needed to go to school. She would get so sad, so I found a preschool that didn't start until the middle of October. She learned how to write her name the first day. They gave her a piece of paper that she could trace the letters in her name, she sat right down and traced them, then she wrote her name on a paper without tracing. She is definitely too smart! She loves going and loves her teacher Brittney!

Ella also started dance in September. She loves, loves, loves it! She is doing a Ballet/Tap combo class. She is learning so much and can't wait to show us what she learns. For Halloween they did a little performance in class for their families, and she totally loved performing. I can' wait until the big recital. I love watching the little girls, I think they are by far the cutest!

Posing at school after her first day!

She is showing off her first painting!

She is so silly!

This is her class uniform for dance!

Ella's Birthday Party

2010-11-07T09:36:00.004-07:00

I know it has been almost two months since her birthday, but I am finally getting pictures from her little party up. We had a princess party and invited Ella's girl cousins. I didn't go all out this year like last year, but we still had fun. We first decorated Princess crowns, then we searched for Snow White's Poison Apple before she bit into it, then we played Cinderella's freeze dance, opened presents, and then had cake and ice cream. She of course was spoiled and loved every minute of it. Thanks to everyone that came to celebrate a special day for Ella. The list included: Grandma Keri, Grandpa Sheldon, Jade, Ryan, Grandpa Lonny, Grandma Sandy, McKaylee, Avery, Sadie, Jackson, Kayden, Kolton, Brittani, Alisa, and Misty!

Ella got a Princess bike for her birthday!

Of course can't end the party without a crown cupcake cake!

Pictures of the Kids

2010-10-10T19:17:00.003-06:00

My friend Angela took some pictures of the kids. They are so cute. I love them! I can't believe how blessed Zach and I are to have such perfect little angels in our life. I don't thank Heavenly Father enough for these sweet spirits. When I get discouraged about stuff or get a little down, I try to think about how blessed I am to have my kids. I would be so lost without my kids and wouldn't change anything about them!

My wonderful husband

2010-10-10T19:12:00.002-06:00

Just want to tell Zach thanks so much for my birthday! I was so shocked when I read that post he did about me. It was the sweetest thing, and I got teary-eyed when I read it. I have been depressed lately and broke down to him the other day, and he really knew how to make me feel better. I'm so greatful to have a husband that loves me and my kids. So thankful he took time to write a cute post about me. I fall more and more in love with him all the time. Thanks for being my best friend and always being there for me, especially when I am down. I love you babe!

Five Generations and Swinging with Great Grandpa

2010-10-10T19:03:00.003-06:00

So cute!! Poor Holden is glowing white for some reason!

Five Generations: Great-Great Grandpa Dale, Great-Grandpa Larry,

Grandma Keri, Zach, and Holden

While we were down in St. George for the marathon we got a five generation picture with Holden. We got one with Ella when she was a baby so I wanted one with Holden. It is so neat that they have so many grandmas, and grandpas. I grew up with only one Grandma, so I love that my kids have lots!

Then Zach and I ran an errand really quick so we left Holden and Ella with Zach's grandparents. Grandma-Great captured that cute picture of Holden, Ella, and Grandpa-Great swinging! They are lucky to have such sweet Great grandparents who love them so much!

Three Years Old

2010-10-10T18:40:00.004-06:00

Ella is getting to be quite the little girl! She is so much fun and so full of life. Here are some facts about her:

-She loves her little brother, and always wants to hold him.

-She talks like she is an adult, and is so smart. She loves to say, "how original."

"Is this really necessary?" etc.

-When she wants to be held she always tells us her leggies are tired, or

if you ask her to pick up something she will say her arms are tired.

-She loves dance and can't wait to go every week

-She is going to start preschool in a couple weeks, so everyday she tells us that

she needs to go to school after breakfast.

-She gets really mad if Zach and I play fight. She doesn't like Zach to get me.

-She has a hard time with being patient.

-She loves playing make believe. She has a lot of imaginary friends.

-She loves coloring, doing puzzles, playing babies, playing barbies, and reading books.

-She loves making messes.

-She loves dressing and undressing herself. She wants to show everyone.

-She tells us everyday that she is growing her hair to her bum like her cousin

Avery. She only has about 3 more inches and it will be to her bum.

-She has growing pains. If you tell her she has growing pains she gets really sad,

and starts crying. She will tell us, "I don't want to grow big. I just want to stay

little big, and turn 2 again." It is so cute!

-She knows her shapes, colors, counts things, and can spell her name.

-Ella weighs 32 lbs. 35%

-Ella's height 37.4 inches 60%

Those are only a few things about Ellabug. She is so much fun, and we are so proud of her. I told Zach she is going to be smarter then us before we know it! We love you our big 3 year old.

Four Months Old

2010-10-10T18:26:00.003-06:00

Our cute little Holden is four months old! I can't believe what a big boy he is becoming. Here are some fun facts about him:

-He loves to talk. He has a low, raspy voice. It is the cutest!

-He rolled over for a couple of days, but now he's over it.

-He tries really hard to sit up. If you lay him down he does little crunches.

-He is becoming more of a mommy's boy.

-He doesn't want to eat anything besides my milk. We just have to keep trying.

-He is already getting his first tooth! I was shocked when Zach felt it.

-He has clogged tear ducts. Poor boy always has gunk in his eyes, or when

he wakes up his eye will be stuck together. Hopefully by 6 months it will be

gone or we have to start thinking about getting them fixed.

-He weighs 15 lbs. and 1 oz. 65%

-He is 25.8 inches 75%

He is our big boy and we love him more and more everyday! He is such a happy baby now and loves to be held. He is more and more alert, and loves his toys. I'm so glad he is a part of our family. He truly is a blessing!

Happy Birthday Lauren!!!

2010-10-07T00:12:00.004-06:00

Happy 28th Birthday sweetie! Thanks so much for being the best wife and mom to me and your kiddos! We hope you have the best birthday ever! Since you're 28 today, here's 28 thrilling never-before-revealed facts about you for everyone else!

1- She's the baby of her family, the youngest of four girls.

2- She shares her birthday with her dad.

3- She was born and raised in Salt Lake, and gets mad when I even mention the idea of moving away from the Wasatch Front.

4- She's very talented at doing hair.

5-She's a backseat driver.

6- If she eats a hamburger, she won't eat all of the meat. She eats about half, then takes the meat out and finishes the bun and whatever else was on it.

7- She will never jump off a high dive or diving board, or go cliff jumping at Lake Powell because of an "incident" she had when she was in middle school.

8- She has the biggest, prettiest eyes. Luckily, she passed them on to Ella and Holden too.

9- She owns TONS of clothes. Too many actually. Her clothes take up our entire walk-in closet. I get the small closet in our guest bedroom.

10- She's so nice to share her hair with her kids on a nightly basis in bed. (See the picture above if you're wondering what i'm talking about.)

11- Her nieces and nephews call her "Lolo".

12-She hopes to get LASIK someday so she can stop having to wear contacts.

13- She has extra bones in each of her feet.

14- She likes watching some of the worst shows on TV (The Hills, Dr. Phil, Teen Mom, etc...)

15- She's the best mom in the world to her two kids. They love her to death.

16- She's deathly afraid of spiders.

17- She loves to eat bread. She would go to Texas Roadhouse for the rolls alone.

18- Luckily for her husband, she's very good and keeping track of money and handling finances.

19- She was in singing and dancing groups for years and years as a little girl.

20-She doesn't really like camping. Her idea of roughing it is staying in a cabin or fifth-wheel.

21- She knows how to play the piano.

22- She can be so funny without even trying.

23- She's worked at a credit union since before we met.

24- She loves shoes, and has lots of them. She could probably go months without wearing the same pair twice.

25- Only two more years until she's 30! :)

26- Even though she disagrees, she has such a pretty singing voice. You have to catch her singing along to the radio to be able to hear it though!

27- She has soooooo many people who love her so much!

28- Happy Birthdway sweetie. I love you!

St. George Marathon

2010-10-05T21:38:00.002-06:00

We went down to St. George last weekend so I could run my last marathon ever :) We had a great time getting away from home and spending time with family. The marathon on the other hand wasn't as great. I finished in 4 hours and 26 minutes, almost 25 minutes slower than last year. It was rediculously hot this year, which didn't help. I was just glad I actually finished it, becuase I felt like dying. I got a massage in the park right after I finished, and it really helped. My mom also got me an hour long massage that same evening, which was a miracle. Thanks Mom :) Lauren doesn't believe me, but I have no plans of running a marathon again anytime in the near future. Apparently I said the same thing after last years STG Marathon. I'm going to stick to half marathons now. I guess it was the feeling sick to my stomach and throwing up after this years race that sort of turned me off of it. Thanks to everyone who was there to cheer me on at the halfway point and finish line!

A small part of the greatest cheering section
at the marathon.

So glad to finally be done.

A 15 minute massage after the race. This was

without a doubt the best 15 minutes of my

entire life.

Rolling Over

2010-09-19T11:02:00.002-06:00

My cutest little boy rolled over for the first time a couple of days ago. He will do it from his tummy to his back, and will only do it 3 times in a row then he gets mad. He gets so happy when we clap and cheer for him it is so cute. Zach tried to get him to do it while I was at work, but said Holden wouldn't do it at all. Then I tried and he instantly does it. I guess Zach doesn't have the touch. Just kidding! Holden is just becoming more and more a little mommy's boy, which is ok with me! I have more pictures to post and will do it soon. Just wanted to make sure I posted about him rolling over so I remember.

Happy 3rd Birthday Princess Ella!

2010-09-11T10:21:00.002-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA ANN!!!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

THANKS FOR BEING THE CUTEST GIRL AND

SO FULL OF LIFE!

YOU ARE SUCH A BLESSING TO OUR FAMILY.

HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!

LOVE YOU!

Busy bees

2010-09-08T19:10:00.004-06:00

It was such a fun summer! I had the whole summer off and enjoyed every minute I was a stay at home mom. We went to Lake Powell, St. George, Park City, the pool (almost everyday), the park, shopping, etc. We took lots of naps, ate lots of food, and enjoyed our time together!

I sure got used to staying home, but sadly had to go back to work in the middle of August. It is still as hard as the first time leaving your kids to go back to work. I am thankful though this time Zach is able to stay home with them when I am working, and I only work 2 full days a week. Then half day on Fridays. Its not bad, and it helps that my manager works with me. He is flexible with me and understands that me being a mom is number one. I am also trying to start running. Believe me I hate running with a passion, but I have gone a few times and its not as bad as I thought. I told Zach that I would love to run the Ogden Half Marathon next May with him. So I am going to try and keep up with running so I can do that. I know its not a full marathon, but for now starting out I am going to stick to "trying" the half! Other than that I am just busy being a mom to the cutest kids!

Zach is still busy working hard. He still works weekend graves, which he will be doing for at least a couple more years. He is still working out everyday and keeping fit. He is going to run the St. George Marathon for the second time in a month. He says that it is his last marathon, but he said that last year after the St. George marathon so we will see. He is also busy playing Mr. Mom on his days off while I am at work. I am thankful that I have such a great husband who loves his kids more than anything, and loves being with them. He really is an equal partner when it comes to the kids, and I love it. Helps me out so much.

Ella is always busy doing something. She is still sassy and too smart for her own good. She is full of life and makes us laugh everyday! Ella has an opinion about everything, and well let you know. She is the biggest helper with Holden and loves making him smile. She is also into picking out her own clothes now, and will tell you if it matches or not. She is growing to fast. The other night in bed she started crying because she didn't want to grow up anymore, she wanted to stay little, and be with mom and dad forever. It was the most precious thing. We love her so much!

Holden is busy being the cutest baby ever! He has grown out of the colic stage, which I am very thankful for. He also is taking a bottle while I am at work. He wouldn't take one until my mom found one that has a nipple like a breast and the flow is more natural. It is actually really cool and so glad that we found it or Zach would have been coming into my work 3 times a day so Holden could eat. Holden is busy smiling, being chubby, cooing, and trying to laugh. He loves his mommy and loves cuddling. He loves his daddy to, but is already becoming a mommy's boy. He is changing everyday and is the highlight of the house!

So sweet!!

All the adventures can wear a little girl out!

Kind of a sleepy smile.

Holden loves my hair just like Ella. There are a lot of times when Holden is holding one side and Ella has the other. Instead of a security blanket they have my hair!!

They both love taking a bath together.

Holden's Blessing

2010-09-08T19:02:00.002-06:00

We blessed Holden on Sunday August 8th. Zach did such an awesome job and gave Holden a wonderful blessing. Holden woke up right before and I was so nervous he was going to cry. I told Zach to be ready to yell over the crying, but Holden did great and didn't cry. My brother-in-law told me he looked at him at one point in the blessing and Holden was smiling and happy as can be. We had a lot of family come and support us for this special day. Thank you to all that came and showed us how much our little family is loved. We love you all!

Discovery at Gateway and Park City

2010-09-08T18:43:00.004-06:00

We have been busy this summer spending lots of time together, and having lots of fun. We took Ella to Discovery at Gateway for the first time. She loved doing everything. Her favorite by far was the life flight helicopter you could sit in. She also loved dressing up like Snow White and playing the stage. It was a lot of fun and we want to take her back maybe when Holden gets bigger and can play with her.

Then we took another adventure to Park City. We took Ella on the Alpine Slide which she loved, and also on the new Alpine Coaster. My mom and dad went up with us so we could take turns watching Holden. We enjoyed every minute we were up there. Thanks mom and dad for a fun day!

Cowgirl Ella riding her horse!
Grandpa-great would be so proud!

Ella and Holden riding in the car

The helicopter... Ella's favorite!

Ella and Zach Randall reporting to you live!!

So natural!!!

Loving the Alpine slide with daddy!

Zach's New Assignment With UHP!

2010-08-03T22:17:00.004-06:00

Zach has accepted a new position on the Utah Highway Patrol's DUI Squad! Zach submitted his resume and interviewed for the position over a month ago and yesterday he got the phone call to let him know he had made it. Zach couldn't be more excited to get started. The DUI Squad is generally a two year assignment. Ever since Zach has been out on his own he's become so passionate about DUI enforcement. It's been the biggest reason Zach has chosen to work nights for over a year now. In the past year alone he's taken over 110 impaired drivers off the road. Now that he's on the DUI Squad Zach's only responsibility will be enforcing DUI laws and taking more impaired drivers off the road. He's pretty excited about no more snow days filled with handling crash after crash for the next couple of years! The DUI Squad is based out of Salt Lake and works primarily along the Wasatch Front, but they also travel around the state pretty often to work different areas. We just wanted to let everyone know the good news!!!

Two Months Old

2010-07-27T22:34:00.004-06:00

One week

Two months old

I can't believe our little Holden is already two months old. The time is already going by way to fast for me. We took him to his two month check up today. Here are his stats:

Weight: 12 lbs. 6 oz. 75%

Height: 24 inches 90%

So he is tall like his sister and chubby! He is smiling lots and talks evey once in a while. He is still colic, but my doctor said he should hopefully grow out of it by 3 or 4 months. So let's keep our fingers cross for that. All in all we love our little man, and are glad he is in our family!

Trip to Lake Powell!

2010-07-27T21:45:00.005-06:00

We took a trip to Lake Powell from July 16-23. Lauren's sister Brittani and her husband Trent are awesome enough to let everyone come down every year and stay on their house boat. It was rediculously hot down there. It's always nice sweating your butt off on top of the covers while you're trying to sleep at night. I think the heat caused Holden to sleep a little more than normal. Ella had so much fun with all of her cousins. She's getting so good at swimming. She would swim around the lake all by herself in her life jacket. We did alot of tubing, skiing, wakeboarding, eating, napping, swimming, etc. Here's a few pictures from the trip.

The best big sister in the world.

Holden usually fell right asleep anytime we

went on a boat ride.

Zach backflipping off a cliff.

Such a good little swimmer!

Randomness...

2010-07-09T14:27:00.004-06:00

We have been staying busy and trying to adjust to life with 2. Ella is getting smarter, cuter, and definitely sassier as the days go by. She loves Holden and gives him lots of kisses. I am so glad she loves him so much! Holden is such a good baby. He does cry a lot more then Ella ever did, but my doctor said we just have a normal baby this time. He has a lot of gas which makes him so unhappy. We have had a few nights (always the nights that Zach is working) that nothing will make him stop crying. The other night he cried from 8:00 PM to 12:30 AM. I felt so bad for him, but I couldn't do anything. Poor Ella had baby brother crying, and then mommy crying. She was sweet and kept telling us, "its ok mommy and brother." Then would give us kisses. I love my kids and feel so blessed to have both of them!

So Sad :(

I love how babies sleep. He has a pink blanket because Ella

was sweet and wanted to share with him.

We straightened Ella's hair, so we had to take pictures. She loves posing!

Ella is a big helper feeding brother. I am nursing, but have to go back to work so Holden will have to take bottles.

Holden loves his baths!

Lagoon

2010-07-09T14:15:00.007-06:00

My work did a Lagoon day so we decided to take Ella and she loved it! I was so proud of her going on all the rides and not being scared. Her favorite was Bulgy the Whale. Ella went on it 4 times in a row. She would have gone more,but Zach and I were ready to go home. We will definitely have to go again when Holden is bigger and they can go on rides together.

She even did the Dino Drop which is like the Rocket, but for kids. So brave!

Not too sure at first!

Then realized how much fun it really was!!

Continued...

2010-07-09T14:03:00.003-06:00

Had to capture the grumpy face. He also loves to be held like this. Shoulders past the chin!!!! Cute little feet!

Love this picture! So cute and innocent!

Holden's 1st Photo Shoot

2010-07-09T13:19:00.004-06:00

My wonderful friend Angela came to my house to take Holden's pictures. The first time we tried he just cried, and didn't want anything to do with it. So we tried another day and were successful for the first part, then the tears came. I'm just glad Holden let us finally take them. Here are just a few.

Had to capture the silly faces too!!!

So Sweet!

Love his big dark blue eyes!

Two little ones!

2010-06-06T20:51:00.004-06:00

Holden ready to come home from the hospital!

Ella loves her baby brother!

Love my Ellabug!

Love it when we get to see his big eyes open!

Such a great big sister!

So cute!!!

We are adjusting to life with two little ones. We brought Holden home a couple days later from the hospital. The first night home was a little rough, but we made it through it. Holden is a really good baby. He has a had a couple of bad nights because he gets really gassy, along with hiccups, and has a little reflex, but he does well for the most part. It is a change from having a girl, but a lot of fun! Ella loves having baby brother home; she loves talking to him, singing to him, giving him kisses, holding him, etc. When he cries she will come over and say, "its ok baby brother, Ella's here." So sweet. She is so much better then I thought she was going to be, she just loves him and can't get enough of him. Zach and I love having the little guy home. He is so sweet and just loves to cuddle like every newborn. He definitely is a great addition to our little family.

Introducing Holden Wade Randall...

2010-05-27T21:00:00.003-06:00

This little guy was supposed to come on Tuesday. My parents came into town Monday night so they could be here for all of it. We woke up early Tuesday morning because Lauren was supposed to call the hospital at 7:00 AM to see what time she should come in. They told her there were no open rooms and to call back the next morning. Needless to say we were all bummed after getting our hopes up and planning on Tuesday. We made the best of it and had a fun day taking Ella to Hogle Zoo, and spending time with Grandpa Sheldon and Grandma Keri.

Wednesday morning we woke up early again to call the hospital, and had better luck than the day before. We showed up and the hospital at 9:00 AM and Lauren got started on her inducement. It went slow at first, but sped up fast at the end, dilating from a 6 to a 10 within about an hour and a half. She only had to push about 5 times. He was born at 5:26 PM, and was 6 pounds 11 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long. He has a little head full of light brown hair, and really dark eyes. Everyone has said he looks alot like Daddy.

Holden is such a perfect little boy. Ella has been such a big helper already, and loves him so much. Holden "brought" Ella a little present, which she was so excited about. We'll be taking him home Friday. We're so happy to finally have you here with us Holden!

Ella opening her present from Holden

Poor little guy hates it when I take pictures,

he doesn't like the flash from the camera.

Mom, Dad, Ella, and Holden

OuR LiTtLe PrInCeSs

2010-05-20T13:19:00.005-06:00

OuR LiTtLe PrInCeSs!

She has some silly faces sometimes!

She is a little gymnast and likes to do tricks!

I thought I would try something new with Ella's hair since she let me do it for

once. It looked so cute on her! We are going through a phase where she likes

her hair down all the time, but she finally let me do it like a princess. I loved it!

I wanted to do a special post to our little princess before we have the baby. Ella is so special to us and will always remain our little girl! I am so glad that she was our first, and has taught us so much. She definitely came at a time that Zach and I both needed her to. She is going to be such a great sister and help take good care of her baby brother. Thanks for being our princess, and showing us so much love and joy. We love you!

Here are a few funny and cute things she has said lately:

-I was having really bad contractions last weekend to the point I couldn't walk. Ella sat next to me, and played with my hair and told me, "Its ok Mommy, I will take care of you."

-Later that same night Ella grabbed her belly and started saying, "ow, ow mommy I am having tractions. You need to rub my belly." She told everyone the next couple of days about her "tractions" she had. So funny!

-I had her help me pack baby brother's bag for the hospital, and asked her what outfits we should pack. She told me, "Maybe he will like a dress."

-She has also packed her Princess Halloween bucket with some clothes, play food, and a couple toys that she needs to take to the hospital. Everyday she asks me if we can go to the hospital, and we have to take her Halloween bucket with us whenever we leave.

That is just a few of the silly things she does. She definitely says a lot more and makes us laugh everyday!

37 weeks

2010-05-13T12:19:00.005-06:00

Had to add a cute picture of my Ella!

37 and a 1/2 weeks

I can't believe I am getting to the end of the pregnancy. This one definitely went by faster then the first one. I have been "nesting" a lot the last couple of weeks and continue to do so. When I told Zach that I am "nesting" he laughed and said, "is that some new thing you just made up?" I told him that it really was something that pregnant women tend to do before the baby comes. I clean the house every single day, which usually I try to pick up, but if our house is slightly dirty it drives me nuts. I can't stand any clutter any where, and constantly cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting, doing lots of wash, etc. . I am driving Zach crazy with the constant need to clean, but I just want to make sure the house is clean when I get home from the hospital so I don't have to deal with that. I know I will settle down once we have the baby, but for now Zach will just have to deal with me being a total clean freak. Sorry babe!

I only have one more weekly appointment then my inducement date will be here. I went to the doctor and am still dilated to a 1+ and now I am 70% effaced. I also lost a pound, don't ask me how I did that, but I am not going to complain! So we are definitely counting on the 25th for this little guy to join us.

A post about the baby...

2010-05-01T16:17:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to quickly post about the baby. I started my weekly appointments last Thursday, and they started checking me to see if I am going to ever have the baby. I am dilated to a 1 and a 1/2 and 50% effaced. I also got to schedule my inducement for May 25th, unless he comes before which is fine by me. Hopefully when I go to our appointment this Thursday I have progressed even a little more. I can't believe in 3 weeks that we are going to have 2 little kiddos. We are all getting so excited, and can't wait to meet baby brother!

An Update...

2010-04-24T17:37:00.005-06:00

Ella decorating eggies! She likes to be silly!

A better look at her face!

Ella with her Easter Basket and goodies!

Ella showing us she got a Barbie Movie!

Daddy and Ella blowing out the candles on his brownie dessert!

I know, I know I have been such a slacker, but I will finally post what we have been up to.

We had a great Easter this year. Ella woke up early to find eggies and her basket. She had told us for about a month before that the Easter bunny was going to bring her Barbie in a Mermaid Tale movie. She was very excited when she found that in there, and also some Tinkerbell bubble bath. She loves taking baths especially when she has lots, and lots of bubbles. Then we went to my parents and had a big easter egg hunt with all the cousins and ate lots of food. We didn't do much but it is always nice to relax and hang out with family. We missed our other family down in St. George this year, but we will for sure be there next year!

We took one last quick trip down to St. George to visit everyone. Zach had training from Monday to Thursday so he finally got a weekend off. The drive was a little too long for me this time, but we definitely had a lot of fun seeing everyone. Ella always loves going to Grandma Keri's house. She knows that there is going to be lots of toys, books, and all the attention on her. Can't wait to see everyone again when the baby gets here.

Zach celebrated his 25th birthday last Wednesday! I told him that it is down hill from there, since I would know because I am so old according to him. Ella and I woke up and made him some French Toast. Then we went to go do something fun, but instead got stuck in a huge hail and rain storm. So we went to In-n-Out and ate lunch. Then that night we went to Lonestar Steakhouse so Zach could get a steak. It was a great day even though all we really did was eat, but let's be honest who doesn't love to eat! I got Zach some tickets to the AMA Supercross at Rice Eccles for Saturday, so that is when we will be doing our big birthday date/last date before the baby comes.

Ella has been busy growing up and being such a big girl. She sometimes acts like she is 16, but is reminded quickly that she is not in charge. She knows lots of songs, loves to read books, can spell her name, tries to write her name, talks about going to dance and school everyday, comes up with new sayings everyday. Her latest one was to Zach she said, "Daddy is this really necessary?" She is definitely a really smart girl and full of energy sometimes I don't know how to keep up with her. We love her more and more everyday and can't wait to see her as a big sister. I know she will be so good with her baby brother, and help him so much!

I have just been working and trying to last until next month. I am now to the uncomfortable, can't sleep, breath, sit, bend over, nothing fits, etc. stage. I have also had a lot of Braxton-hicks contractions, some are worse then others, but nothing consistent. I also start my weekly appointments this week which means I am going to start getting checked (the fun part.) Let's hope all the contractions, and walking I have been doing are helping me progress. I am excited for this little guy to join us, but also get nervous about having two kids. Zach is really excited for him to come, he asks Ella everyday if she is excited for baby brother. Ella is excited, but also thinks baby sister is coming, I am a little scared what is going to happen when it is just baby brother and not baby sister.

Other than working and preparing for this little guy to join our family we haven't been up too much. I will try to be better about posting.

Ella's Easter Dress

2010-03-28T22:30:00.004-06:00

Since next week is General Conference Ella got to wear her new Easter dress to church today. She picked out her new dress all by herself and was so excited to wear it. We did her hair like a princess, and put on her new jelly shoes. Ella also decided to put on some of my colorstay lip gloss so it was stained around her mouth, but she still looked beautiful! She was definitely the cutest little girl at church today!

Ella's First Sleepover

2010-03-28T22:09:00.006-06:00

Ella had her first sleepover at our house with her cousin McKaylee. She was so excited and they had so much fun. They watched Strawberry Shortcake and ate lots of treats. Then we made a big bed for them in the living room, and watched Dora as they fell asleep. They both had purple Dora pajamas that they had to wear so they could match. Then the next day they went up to my sister's house to play, and then had another sleepover over there. Ella did really well and I was so glad she got to have some fun with her cousins. All my sisters live in the same Stake so their kids get to play together a lot. I am glad to see Ella finally getting to have some fun with them also. Thanks McKaylee for coming over and playing!

Ella's surgery

2010-03-12T16:35:00.003-07:00

Today Ella had to go in and get an out patient surgery done at Primary Children's. Her four back molars had really deep pits. So they had to go in and get them taken care of before they went to the root, and caused even more problems for her. We had to be there at 6:00 AM so we could check in and they could check all of her vitals and everything to make sure she was ok. Then they gave her some medicine in a syringe to make her tired before taking her in for the procedure. They took her about 7:30, and it only took about an hour. They had to put in a breathing tube in her nose. So they had to wait until she woke up to take it out, and then I could see her. As soon as I got back to see her she sat up, took the blankets off, wanted to take off all of the monitors and her little IV and said lets go. But we had to wait until she would drink some water or eat a popsicle to make sure she was ok to go home. She threw up a little blood one time at the hospital (which they say is normal from having the breathing tube in), but ate a popsicle right after. Then they released us, and she got to ride in a little wagon to the doors. As soon as we got home we cuddled on the couch and took a nap. She has been doing well since she got home. She gets really happy and wants to play then gets tired again, and just wants to watch Cartoons. She did such a great job for not having a clue what was about to happen to her. I am so proud of my little Ella bug for being so brave! Love you bug!

I did take some pictures on my phone, but wiil post them later.

Ride Along

2010-02-28T21:49:00.002-07:00

Salt Lake County Weekend Grave Crew

Three weeks ago I got to finally go out with Zach on a ride along. It was a lot of fun! I meet up with him at his office about 5:30 to start his shift. First off he had to do a blood draw for another Trooper. The guy whose blood he drew was just arrested for leading the trooper on a pursuit and DUI among other things. The guy wasn't very cooperative so I got to see Zach let him know who was in charge. I thought it was great. After that we got to go out and stop some cars. For the first part of the night we stayed on the freeways. We didn't have any crashes happen that night. Then after going to eat with Zach's crew we went out and got to do Zach's favorite thing, looking for DUIs. We had some bad luck at first and had to stop a few cars before we found something. Finally we found one and it was definitely worth the wait. It was a transvestite(a guy wearing a mini skirt and high heels.) He/she/it was about 1 and 1/2 times the legal limit for alcohol. We booked he/she/it into jail and that was about it for the night. I stayed out with him for his whole shift so we got home about 5:15 AM. It was a lot of fun, and I was so happy to finally go with him. All of these guys are such hard workers, and put their lives on the line everyday for all of us. Thanks babe for taking me! Can't wait to go with you again!

27 weeks and a Valentine

2010-02-28T21:31:00.004-07:00

I am finally posting a picture of me. I can't believe that I am already 27 weeks. Only 13 weeks left. Hopefully he comes 10 days early like Ella did. This pregnancy has been a lot easier then my first one with Ella. The only real problem I have had is my Sciatic Nerve. Sometimes it will get so bad that I can barely walk, lay down, or move. But I would take it over being sick for 6 months all day long.

Ella is so excited for baby brother to come. She tells us how he is going to come out and play with her toys, and talk to her. It is so cute. She is going to be such a big helper.

This other picture is from Valentine's Day. She wanted to make daddy a Valentine's and give it to him. She was so excited and woke him up with the Valentine on her face. She also helped me make daddy some french toast for breakfast. She definitely made his day! We are so lucky to have her. I love my little family and can't wait for the new baby to join us. I love you Zach and my Ella Bug!

Mexican Riviera Cruise

2010-02-10T23:31:00.004-07:00

We had such a great time on our cruise. We stopped in 3 cities and then we were at sea for 3 full days.

First stop was Cabo San Lucas. Zach, Chanlie, and Keri went on a 2 bay snorkeling excursion. While Ella, Jade, and me went to a resort and got to lay out on the beach all day. We took Ella to the ocean and a wave came and knocked her over. She started crying so I went and picked her up, then a big wave came and knocked us both over. That ruined her wanting to be in the water. She was content playing in the sand the rest of the time.

Second stop was Mazatlan. All of us went on an excursion to Stone Island. They first took us around the Island on a boat to see different sites. Then they took us to a really pretty beach where we ate lunch and hung out. You could choose to do a couple of different things like snorkeling, kayaking, etc. It was nice to that we were all able to go together.

Third stop was Puerto Vallarta. Zach, Jade, Chanlie, Grandpa-great, and Grandma-great went and did the zipline. Since Ella was too young and I am pregnant we couldn't go. So Keri was nice enough to hang out with us. We went downtown and did some shopping. That day while we were out and about they someone called in a bomb threat to the ship. They took all the precautions and had to evacuate some floors, but nothing was found. They just searched us a little better when we got back on the boat.

We enjoyed our time with the Randall family. It was nice to relax, eat, enjoy the 80 degree temperatures, and eat. We all gained at least 5 pounds, but that is what you are supposed to do when you are on vacation right? Thanks Jade and Keri for hanging out with me since Ella and I couldn't do anything really.

Thanks so much Sheldon and Keri for the great Christmas present. We really enjoyed ourselves and glad that we could make these memories with you. We love you guys so much!

Mexican Riviera Cruise

2010-02-10T22:24:00.005-07:00

Potty Trained Ella

2010-02-07T21:51:00.002-07:00

Our sweet little Ellabug is Potty Trained!!!!

She has been ready for a couple of weeks, but since we were on a cruise for 7 days we had to put potty training on hold for a week. But as soon as we got home and all organized again we started. She loves wearing big girl underwear and seeing how happy we are when she goes. I am glad we got it done because I did not want 2 kids in diapers. Plus she is such a big girl it was time.

Good Job Ella Ann!!

Trooper of the Month

2010-01-16T14:24:00.003-07:00

Zach was named as Trooper of the Month for December. Zach's Sgt. wrote the following to nominate him:
"Trooper Randall continually shows his willingness to be a team player, assisting his fellow troopers on crashes and arrests, as well as by performing blood draws and using his photogrammetry training and skills. Trooper Randall has proven himself to be both self-motivated and task oriented. In the month of December, Trooper Randall stopped 148 cars, arrested 7 impaired drivers, wrote 22 speed contacts, investigated 17 crashes, had 3 drug arrests, and assisted 48 motorists. As a young trooper, Trooper Randall is exhibiting both the drive and mindset to be well on his way to a successful career with the Utah Highway Patrol."

Ella and I are so proud of Zach. If you ask Zach, he'll tell you he has the best job in the world (except on snow days). Haha. Zach is one of the top performers in Salt Lake for DUI arrests, which is why he loves working nights. After we get back from our cruise I'll finally be able to go on a ride-along with him, which I can't wait to do!

It's A...

2010-01-07T22:56:00.005-07:00

We are having a baby BOY!!! We can't wait for him to join our little family. He is very healthy and everything is going well so far. They moved my due date by one day so instead of May 30 it is May 31st. We found out first thing that the baby had "outdoor plumbing" but Ella kept saying, "No it's baby sister." She is getting it, but every once in a while she tells us baby sister. Zach can't wait to have a little boy around the house. We are all so excited and already love this little guy so much!

Tired Ella

2010-01-04T15:58:00.004-07:00

Ella and I were watching Madagascar, and she wanted to go grab something out of her room. I just went to check on her because she was being quiet so I wanted to make sure she wasn't getting into anything. I found her sleeping on her blankets by her closet. She was so tired, but usually fights it. I guess she had to finally give in. She is so cute!

Also little update on the baby. It has been moving so much the last couple of days. I have been able to feel it for a couple of weeks, but the last two days it won't stop. It is definitely active. Also we have our big ultrasound this Thursday. We can't wait! We are not sure what it could be, but will be happy with whatever. I will post and let everyone know what it is!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T15:12:00.004-07:00

Christmas morning, Ella was mad.

Ella after finding her present from Santa!

We had a great Christmas and were definitely spoiled by both of our families. We spent Christmas in St. George this year with Zach's family. We start out with a big family dinner on Christmas Eve, then played some fun games, then Santa drops off all of the kids pajamas outside on the grass. He wraps presents and puts balloons around them since he is in such a hurry. Then Zach's parents decided for Christmas this year that they would surprise us with a trip. We were all anxious to find out where we were going, and woke up early to find out. Of course Keri had a crafty way for us to find out, so she sent us on a little scavenger hunt. We were way excited to find out we are going on a cruise to the MEXICAN RIVERIA for seven nights. We leave in a couple of weeks, and are so excited to go!

We had to get back to Salt Lake so Zach could work, and Keri talked us into leaving Ella until New Year's Eve. It definitely was a boring week without Ellabug around, but we were glad she could enjoy some time with her grandma, grandpa, and aunts. She definitely had lots of fun, and was spoiled the whole time. We were ready for her to get home, and she was excited to see us.

Then on New Year's Day we celebrated Christmas with my parents. Every year my parents give us money, and always do a little scavenger hunt. This year they were kind and gave all of us a lot of money. We were so greatful, and couldn't have asked for a better Christmas from both of our parents. The best thing about the whole season was spending time with family. We are so thankful to both of our families for everything they do for us. We love you guys!

(Had more pictures, but the computer is having some issues.)

Christmas Princess Ella

2009-12-20T15:28:00.004-07:00

I can't believe how grown up she looks!

My mom got all the girls in the family the same dress for Christmas. I asked my mom if Ella could get it before so she could wear it to church today. Ella was so excited and kept telling me to do her hair like Princess Belle. So we curled her hair in wringlets and put on her sparkly black dancing shoes. She was so excited to go to church and show all of her friends in nursery her new Christmas dress. The only way we got her to take a picture with her actually smiling we had to tell her that we were sending the picture to Belle. She couldn't wait to smile, and show Belle how pretty she was. I hope everyone has a wonderful week this week, and enjoys Christmas!

First Time Sledding

2009-12-20T15:08:00.007-07:00

Enjoying the snow with no glovers!

Daddy pushing her down all by herself!

Look no hands! So brave!

Snow tastes so much better when you are playing in it!

We took Ella sledding for her first time a couple of Saturdays ago. We have a little park by our house, and they have the perfect little hills for her to go on. She went with Zach and me the first couple of times, but then got brave enough to go by herself. She even went down without holding on. She took her glovers off (in the words of Ella they are glovers not gloves) then put her hands in her pocket and went down the hill. She even ate the snow and thought it was so good. She had so much fun, and can't wait to go back!

2009-12-08T09:51:00.002-07:00

I am finally posting again. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We spent Thanksgiving with my family here in Salt Lake, and will be in St. George for Christmas with our other family. We haven't been up too much just working and getting ready for the holidays. I love this time of year, amd everything that goes along with it. Zach's mom and Chanlie came up one weekend and we ate lots of food, went and saw the lights at Temple Square, and watched lots of movies. It was a fun and relaxing weekend. I had my second appointment last week, and we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. It was strong, and Ella was so excited. I think she got excited because we were excited. She keeps telling me that she is pregnant with baby sister and I am pregnant with baby brother. We will find out if she is right on January 7th. We are so excited! It is amazing how much faster the second one has been. I swear with Ella we were waiting forever for that big ultrasound, and with this one it is almost here. I can't wait to find out so we can get everything prepared. I hope everyone is doing well, and I will post soon with some more pictures of Ella bug!

3 + 1 = 4

2009-11-07T17:09:00.002-07:00

That is right! We are excited to announce that baby #2 is going to join our family May 30, 2010. We were a little surprised, but couldn't be happier about it. Ella is way excited to have a baby brother or sister. She keeps practicing taking care of her babies, by feeding them, changing their clothes, and making sure they have blanklies (that is what Ella calls blankets) on them to keep them warm. We can't wait to have this new addition join our family!

Ella's binkies went bye, bye...

2009-10-16T10:10:00.004-06:00

Now we get to see this cute smile all the time!

Ella with her favorite thing... Binky!

Ella's binkies are officially gone. I decided on Monday that we needed to get rid of her binkies. I told Zach to be ready for a week of hell since she is so attached to them, but I should have known that Ella adapts better then I think she will. The first day she was sad and was trying to think of every place her binky could be. She would tell us to look in Mommy's bed, Ella's room, Mommy's bag, and the car. She got to the point where she was so sad that I wanted to cry and give in because her little face was so sad. We took one of her binkies and cut the end off and said Dog, Dog bit it off. So the rest of the day all she would talk about is how her binky was broken. That night she woke up a couple times crying and eventually ended up in bed with us. Then the next day she was good, and only asked for it once but then remembered it was broken so she would tell us about it. She has been doing well during the day, but night time is when she has a hard time. Wednesday night she woke up and wouldn't calm down that I almost gave in and gave her, her binky. I was thinking I know we just need to stick it out, but maybe if I give it to her at night we can all get good sleep. Well last night I think she was so tired that she slept the whole night without waking up or crying. She did have a little break down last night before bed, but calmed down eventually. I am so proud of my little Ella and how well she is doing without her binky.

St. George Marathon

2009-10-07T17:14:00.002-06:00

We took a trip to St. George last weekend for Zach to run the St. George Marathon. He ran it in 3:53:47. When he ran the Ogden Marathon he ran 4:06 so he was happy with the improvement. Zach was also excited to go down so we could eat at In-N-Out, which he made us do twice! Other than that we just hung out with Zach's family and relaxed. Ella was Mamma Keri's best friend all weekend, and rarely let anyone else hold her. She was so sad when Mamma Keri couldn't come home with us. Zach's parents took Mowgli for us when we went to Lake Powell a few weeks ago and have had her ever since, so Ella was so excited to see her dog-dog again. We are planning on going back down in a few weeks for Halloween. We're looking forward to going back to the warmer weather!

Happy Birthday Lauren!!!

2009-10-07T17:04:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Babe! I can't belive you're already 31! Just kidding. (She's 27) Ella and me love you so much and hope you enjoy your big day!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2009-09-29T21:12:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful mom! She is such a great person and I love her so much! Thanks for always being such a great mom and a wonderful Grandma! We love you and hope you have a wonderful day!

My 2 year old...

2009-09-22T18:27:00.004-06:00

Our little Ella Ann is 2 years old. I can't believe she is getting to be so big. Every day she gets smarter and sassier (as most 2 year olds do.) She is so much fun and I love talking with her. Her are some fun things she does:

- Counts from 1-13

-Counts in Spanish

- Knows a lot of Spanish words, sometimes she will call something by the spanish word instead of english. For example: She calls her crown Corona.

- Knows her colors

- If you ask her, her name she will tell you, "Ella Randall" if you ask for her full name she will say, "Ellabella Randall."

-Can tell you the color of her eyes and hair.

- She is almost potty train. I have been working on it. She will tell us or bring us a pull-up when she wants her bum bum changed.

-She speaks in third person. Everything starts with Ella. It is so cute!

-Loves to tickle daddy to get him to wake up.

- Loves singing songs. She has a new song that she calls "Ella's Song" it is "You belong to me" by Taylor Swift. It is cute she will sing the song and knows most of the chorus.

Her current stats at age 2:

- Weight: 25 lbs.; 25%

- Height: 34.5 in.; 70%

So she is still tall and skinny! Plus her feet are growing super fast right now. I starterd buying her size 7 in toddler so she can wear them all fall and winter.

Ella is at such a fun age. Yeah she has her moments and she is stubborn, but most of the time she is happy and full of fun. We wouldn't know what to do without her in our life. We love you our big two year old!

Lake Powell

2009-09-22T18:00:00.006-06:00

We finally got to go to Lake Powell. My family goes every year, but Zach and I haven't been able to go for the last 3 years. We had so much fun! We got to spend a whole week down there to enjoy the warm water and nice weather. We went on lots of boat rides, did lots of swimming, water-skiing, wake-boarding, eating, playing with cousins, and hanging out with the family. We really enjoyed our trip and can't wait to go back next year. Thanks to my brother-in-law Trent for letting us come and enjoy the houseboat!

Our little family on a boat ride!

Ella and her daddy swimming!

Ella on her floatie lounging! She loves to relax all by herself!

Ella and mommy playing in the sand on the beach!

Ella and me with my sister Brittani and her little boy

Christopher on a tube ride. Don't worry we didn't go

too fast.

You can't go to Lake Powell without finding a lollygag hill!

This is the coolest place. My sister's family calls it the Scooby Doo

mystery cave! It is on the edge of a big rock and you climb

up and walk in between. It was really neat and really cold!

Ella's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-09-22T17:31:00.006-06:00

Ella's Dora Birthday Cake!!!

Enjoying that Pizza!!!!

Ella's new Princess scooter from her Grandma-great

and Grandpa-great!

Ella opening up all of her presents!

Some of my family there to celebrate.

Some of Zach's family that drove up to celebrate!!!

Our little Ellabella is 2 years old. She turned 2 on Friday September 11th, and we had a big Dora party for her. We invited our family and friends to come celebrate such a special day with us. We went on a Dora adventure to find Ella's pinata that swiper swiped and locked up. I am glad that all of my hard work paid off. Ella had a lot of fun and everything was a success. Thank you to all that came and made special trips to celebrate with us. We love all of you!

Ella's 2 year old pictures...

2009-09-03T10:13:00.007-06:00

So sweet!

I love this picture. Even though you can't see her face.

Ella started posing on her own. She is so cute!

We even caught a temper tantrum in action. She wasn't too happy with us!

I love everything about this picture.

My cute friend Angela aka "Rella" (Ella thinks she is Cinderella, I think because she has long blonde hair like her) offered to take Ella's 2 year old pictures. We went downtown on a Saturday night and took about 300 pictures. She did such a wonderful job in capturing Ella's cute personality even the hard times. Ella threw a full on temper tantrum for the first 20 minutes so I thought for sure Angela was going to run away, and never offer to take her pictures again. But we stuck it out and got a lot of good pictures of her. These are only a few of my favorite. We also got our family pictures taken, but had a hard time loading them. My good friend Dave took them for us. I will try to load them later. Thanks so much Angela!

Ellabella bug!

2009-08-09T17:19:00.004-06:00

My little Ellabella bug is going to be two next month. I can't believe she is not a baby anymore, and such a little girly-girl. She makes us laugh everyday, and surprises us with all the things she says. Ella is getting smarter and smarter everyday, she is going to pass up Zach and me in no time. She also is hitting her terrible twos, let's hope she is at the worst she is going to get. She has learned how to talk back and goes to time out at least a couple times a day. She is still really good, just has her moments. If you do something Ella doesn't want you to do she will tell you to quit it, or tells you to listen. She gets a mean voice, and says it. She will also tell us No way if we tell her she has to go in timeout. What can we say she is independent and a little sassy, but what toddler isn't. Now let's focus on the positive, here is new things Ella does:

- Sings her ABCs including the end, "now I know my ABCs next time won't you sing with me."

- Counts all the way up to 13 by herself.

- Copies everything you say.

- Speaks in full sentences and can put sentences together herself. (She shocks us with stuff she says sometimes.)

- Loves to dance. She would dance all day if she could.

- Somersaults. She figured it out and now does them all the time. So funny!

- She is starting to want to dress herself, and pick out her own outfits. Last night she wore a tu-tu and t-shirt to bed. Today she wore her dress up shoes with one of her purses to church.

- She knows some spanish words thanks to Dora. She loves to say Adios!

- Loves to say,"look" and show you everything.

- She knows her colors and loves to point at everything and tell us the color. So smart.

- Loves firetrucks, Dora, and Cinderella. She made up a song about her birthday and firetrucks. She also told me last night she wants a Dora, firetrucks, Cinderella party. I never thought I would be buying a firetruck for my little girl, but she loves them.

I can't believe how fast they change, and grow up. Everyday is a new thing and new adventure with her. I love you Ellabella! You are the best!

Trip to St. George

2009-08-09T16:54:00.006-06:00

All done swimming ready to take a nap!

Zach blew this up so he could go lay out on the water,

but Ella threw a fit as soon as he tried to sit on it. She

wanted it all to herself.

Ella and Aunt Chanlie lounging. She is so goofy!

Aunt Jadey throwing Ella in the air her favorite thing in the pool!

Ella and Grandma Keri. She loves her Grandma, and was a Grandma's girl, which

Keri loves!

Ella giving Chanlie one of her many looks.

We finally got time to go down to St. George again, and visit our family. We of course didn't take a lof of pictures. We are always having so much fun, and forget to take pictures. We took Ella to the Roadrunners game, then after they had a big cash drop. Zach, Ella, and I ended up with a big grand total of $4.00. Chanlie's friend Emily ended up with $19.00, we were definetly disappointed in our winnings. Oh well it was still a lot of fun. Zach was a little upset that Paula's was closed for the week, so we went to In-n-Out. Then we went swimming at Green Valley, Ella loves swimming there because they have a little kid pool, and she can walk around all by herself. Then on our way out of town we stopped at In-n-Out once again. I got Subway since two hamburgers in one day is a little too much for me. Don't worry Zach doesn't always eat like that he just has to get his In-n-Out since they aren't up here yet. We had a lot of fun, and can't wait to see you guys soon. Love ya!

Zach's new ride...

2009-07-21T23:12:00.004-06:00

Zach got a new patrol car Monday. It's a 2009 Dodge Charger. He found out he was getting it almost two months ago and has been anxious for it ever since. After he found out he was getting a new car, a girl he had arrested for DUI peed in the front seat of his old car. Since then, you could say that the new car couldn't come fast enough. Now that he has a brand new car, he's going to get a big plastic garbage bag to put the drunks in, if he thinks there's even the slightest chance of that happening again!

Hyrum Lake

2009-07-17T08:56:00.005-06:00

My nephew Christopher and Ella playing drums together.
They are only 6 weeks apart so I love when they play together.

My cute niece Sadie and Ella on the boat

Zach, Ella, and me lounging out on the boat.

Ella didn't want to look at the camera she was upset.

Zach doing a nosegrab and clearing the wake on the wakeboard.

Ella eating ice cream with her cousins

The gang eating cake and ice cream for my sister's birthday!

Ella loved pushing my nephew's bike around

Cute little Ella playing at the campground.

Mommy, Ella, and Daddy.

Ellabug wearing her lifejacket

Every year my family goes to Hyrum Lake (which is up by Logan) to go boating and camping. It is a lot of fun. The lake is smaller and not really known so the water is usually always good. This is the first year that Zach has been able to go up there with us. He really liked it and improved his moves on the wakeboard. Ella had a lot of fun too being outside all the time, and playing with her cousins nonstop. She even went behind the boat with mommy on the kneeboard. She was kind of nervous at first, but then she was okay. She loved her lifejacket and never wanted to take it off. She kept saying, "lifejacket so we can be safe." Of course she learned that saying from Dora. Eventually we got it off sometimes it was a fight, but that's okay. We hung out on the boat a lot, ate a lot of junk food, and just relaxed. Thanks mom and dad can't wait to go back next year!

4th of July with My Fam...

2009-07-05T17:15:00.006-06:00

Ella watching the parade waiting for Avery

My cute nephew Preston watching the parade

Ella and my niece Avery. They look so cute together!

Ella driving the little car... she now thinks she can drive mommy's car

and freaks out if I put her in her carseat. She screams, "I drive, I

drive." She is so funny.

Loving that Ice Cream

Sadie, Ella, And Avery hanging out!

Mommy and Ella wishing Daddy was there.

My sister Brittani her daughter Sadie and son Christopher, My sister

Alisa and her daughter Avery, and Me with Ella bug!

We had such a fun 4th this year. We would have had more fun if Zach didn't have to work, but Ella and I made the most of it without him. We first woke up early in the morning to head up to Layton to watch the parade with my parents, sister Alisa and her family. My cute little niece Avery was in the parade with her little tumbling group. She was so cute doing round-offs, kart-wheels, back walkovers, and back handsprings. Of course when I was going to take a picture the batteries died on my camera so I didn't get a picture of her. Then we went home and took Zach out to lunch at Texas Roadhouse since he had to go back to work that night we wanted to see him for some little celebration. Then Ella and I headed back up to Layton with my parents to go to a BBQ with my sisters and their families. We ate lots of yummy food, jumped on the tramp, played a baseball game, feed horses, did a little bit of fireworks, and then went and watched the Kaysville city fireworks. Ella and I had such a fun day together; we missed Zach, but hopefully next year we can watch fireworks together. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!!!!

Big girl Ella...

2009-07-03T10:12:00.002-06:00

I just had to post this picture of Ella. She has been helping me pull off and on her pants. This was her first time pulling them up all by herself, and she was so proud. She pulled them up a little high, but she still looked so cute. Don't mind her messy hair, she had just woke up and started playing.

The potty training has come to a little halt. She was doing so good, then changed her mind and refused to go on the potty for a few days. So we are starting again, and going to be better this time. I don't want to push her too much so she completely refuses to altogether. My sister pushed a little too much with my niece so she didn't get potty trained until she was 3 1/2 and her little brother was getting potty trained. I would like her to be potty trained by the time she is 2 which is a couple of months, but it will happen when it happens.

Warning: Keep out of Reach of Children

2009-07-03T09:41:00.006-06:00

When you see that warning on stuff you usually keep it out of reach of children. Well about a week ago Ella and Zach had gone swimming during the day while I was at work. We have a swim bag where we keep all of our lotion and other stuff for the pool. Well when I wasn't looking Ella got the bag and grabbed the lotion out. She loves to put lotion on because Mommy puts it on everyday so she has to do it too. I was in the other room for a minute, and came out to find her covered in sunscreen. She was starting to cry because she got some in her eye, then she used her sunscreen covered hands to rub her eyes and got more in them. So I ran and put her in the bath, and just let the water run into her eyes so we could get it out. Also I had to wash her hair 3 times and the sunscreen still wouldn't come out. Her eyes were getting worse to the point that she could barely open them. So we eventually had to call the poison control to see if there was anything else we could do or need to be worried about. They told us to rinse water not rub in her eyes, and then just let her go to sleep so they can rest. We did just that and in the morning her eyes were all better. It was the saddest thing ever, and now we make sure that the lotion is really out of her reach. We are so lucky it wasn't worse then it was and she is okay. Let's consider this lesson learned for me.

Not too sure what is happening

I think it is starting to sting

Ella's Gift

2009-06-19T11:37:00.004-06:00

I was getting ready this morning, and Ella was watching Diego. She had just gone to the bathroom so I thought she was okay. When I was all finished I came out of the bathroom, and could smell something. I thought maybe Mowgli had pooped, but it didn't smell like her poop it smelt like Ella's. Sure enough she climbed on the coffee table and took a little poop. Luckily it wasn't on the carpet and got everywhere. She is good about running to the bathroom when she has to go pee, but it looks like we need to work on the poo a little more. Ha! Ha! Sorry I hope I didn't gross anyone out just thought it was funny!

Ella'a Gift

Potty Training...

2009-06-18T17:11:00.003-06:00

So proud of our big girl Ella

Had to post this picture. Last night we went to check on her before we went to bed, and that is how we found her. Ella's head was hanging off and her feet stuck between the poles on her bed. She is so funny and won't sleep the long way on her bed. Even if she sleeps with us she has to sleep sideways. We might have to get her a bigger bed soon so she can sprawl out. The other night she also fell out of bed again, but didn't even wake up. She is so funny.

We have been potty training Ella for the last couple of days. So far so good. She has been running around naked while we train her. She is doing really well and getting the hang of it. I wasn't sure if it was to early, but she has really been interested in the potty lately so I thought why not try. We just ask her about every twenty minutes if she has to go, and she will go and try. We have only had two accidents so far. One we put her big girl underwear on and she started peeing, then yelling,"oh, man." She is doing better about running to the potty when she really has to go and saying, "hurry mommy, potty." She is so silly. Now we just have to work on keeping the clothes on while she goes. If she has a shirt on and needs to go potty she thinks she needs all of her clothes off. Let's hope we can break that. We went and got her a little chart so she can put stickers on after she goes then in the end she will get to pick out a prize. I can't believe my little girl is getting to be such a big girl!

If anyone who has potty trained has any other ideas to help out I would love to hear!

Las Vegas

2009-06-18T16:58:00.003-06:00

George and me

Zach and Snoop Dog

Ready for a night on the town

Trying to get a tan

We had so much fun in Las Vegas. We went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory (which is our new favorite place. So good!) We layed out everyday by the pool, went shopping, walked around, and saw Phantom of the Opera. We stayed at the Trump Hotel which is super nice. They upgraded our room to the 48th floor and we had a view of the strip. The hotel doesn't have a casino in it so it was actually nice not getting all ready, and then walking through a casino and smell like smoke. We went to the Phantom at the Venetian. It was such a good play. Zach now loves the Phantom, he downloaded the music onto our Ipods and has listened to it everyday since. We also went to Maddam Tussoad's Wax Museum. It was a lot of fun. Our camera died half way through so the rest of the time we used our phones to take pictures. We finally got some tans, but came home to rain so now they are fading. I had so much fun and was glad to take a much needed vacation with my wonderful hubby!

My sweet little Ella

2009-06-15T22:30:00.004-06:00

I just love my little Ella bug so much! I wanted to post how much my sweet little girl means to me, and I don't know what I would do without her in my life. She is so sweet, loving, funny, spontaneous, joyful, and full of life. She makes me want to live life to the fullest. I thank Heavenly Father more and more each day for letting me be a mom to such a wonderful little spirit. I love when I get home from work she is so happy to see me. She is always doing something new to make us laugh. Don't worry there are definitely hard days, but the good ones out weigh them. I just had to post about my how much I love my sweet little buggy!!!

3 Years

2009-06-07T08:56:00.005-06:00

Happy Anniversary to my babe! I can't believe it has been 3 years. I am so greatful that I married Zach and couldn't ask for a better husband or dad for our kids. He just loves his girls so much and does so much for us. We are finally spending some money and going on a trip since we haven't been on one since our honeymoon. We are leaving today and flying to Vegas and staying at the Trump Tower Hotel. I know it is only Vegas, but we need this trip so bad. The first year of marriage I was 7 months pregnant so we couldn't go or do anything too exciting. Then last year Zach was getting ready to enter Police Academy. So we decided it was a good time to go. I am so excited to go do something just Zach and I. I am nervous to leave Ella since it is the first time we have ever left her, but I know she will be okay. Zach and I are going to have fun and just enjoy each other's company. I will post pictures when we get back. I love you babe and can't wait for many more years together!!!!

Smarty Pants...

2009-06-04T00:01:00.005-06:00

Ella bug is becoming our little smarty pants. In just the last month she has learned and changed so much. She can now count from one to ten not only in English but also in Spanish. Thanks to Dora and Diego, Ella will be fluent in Spanish and English. Haha. Zach and I will have to learn some Spanish so we know what she is saying to us. She also likes to say every word we say, knows lots of animal sounds, sings lots of songs, dances, and now we are working on her colors. She picks up things really fast and remembers them. She is also getting better at throwing temper tantrums. Her new thing is if I tell her not to do something or put her in time out she will say, "Mommy do it." If Zach does it then it will be, "Dada do it." The other day she fell and scraped her knee then came to me and said, "Mommy, Grandma do it." My mom wasn't even by her. I thought it was pretty funny. She is still funny and keeps us entertained, but if she throws a fit watch out. I think the terrible twos are coming faster then we want. Ella also showed interest in going potty a little over a month ago. I went and bought her a potty, but she wouldn't use it she had to go on the big girl potty. She went a couple times then stopped showing interest. I also didn't want to force it on her because then she won't do it. But now she will take off her diaper and want to go potty. I haven't had a couple of days to stay home and do it. Zach and I are going on a trip next week, and I think after that I am going to try and potty train her. Wish me luck!!!

Feeding ducks, ready to swim, etc.

2009-06-03T23:36:00.004-06:00

Ella wakes up every morning this past week and puts on her
floaty and says, "swimming, water."

She also has her phone. Can't go anywhere without her phones!

Ella feeding the duckies!

We are trying to do family night or family day every Monday. We always have something fun planned to do. A couple of weeks ago we went to dinner at our favorite Cafe Rio (seriously we go there once a week.) Then we went and fed the ducks by the Jordan river parkway. It was so much fun. Ella loves the ducks, she would follow them around saying, "quack, quack." Some of the ducks will walk right up to you and eat the bread out of your hand. Ella wasn't to sure of that, but she loved throwing the bread down to them. We only got one picture and then the battery on our camera died. We planned to go again this past Monday, but it was raining. So we will get more pictures the next time we go.

Our pool opened finally a month late. So this week we have been going every day. Ella loves it and thinks she is big enough to do it herself. We have a lot of little temper tantrums in the pool because she wants us to let go and take her out of her floatie. She is so brave sometimes a little too brave. She figured out she can stand on the stairs and jump by herself. So most of the time we are sitting on the stairs and she holds on to the railing and jumps. She is such a little fishy!!!

Zach's First Marathon...

2009-05-18T21:01:00.003-06:00

Zach ran his first marathon on Saturday. He did it in 4 hours and 6 minutes. He was hoping to do it a little faster, but was okay with the time he got. He is going to do the St. George marathon in October, and hopes to get a better time. Ella and I are so proud of Zach and can't wait to cheer him on in the next marathon!

Zach and his Aunt Kelli who ran with him.

Jade, Ella, Keri, and Carolyn waiting in the crowd.

Ella and me waiting for Daddy to come.

We forgot to get a picture of Zach, Ella, and me. Oh well, next time we won't forget. We love you Zach and are so proud of you!

Happy Birthday Jade!!!

2009-05-11T20:17:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday! We love you! Can't wait to see you this weekend!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

2009-05-10T10:11:00.009-06:00

My cute little family who I love so much!!

My wonderful mom and me!

Zach and his beautiful mom!

Zach's wonderful Grandma!

My sisters and me... from left to right Misty, Alisa, Me, and Brittani. I know I look funny, but my sister Brittani thought it would be funny to pinch my bum during the picture.

I am so greatful to be a mom. I remember when I had Ella, and got to hold her for the first time. I just felt like I had a purpose in my life and that I was called down here to be a mom. There is nothing more rewarding then being mom. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday to be a mom, and to have such a wonderful little spirit to take care of down here on Earth. I couldn't ask for a better little girl. She may keep me busy and throw fits in public, but I still can't imagine my life without her. Zach and I always try to think of what we did before we had her, and we have no idea. I love being a mom and wife. I couldn't ask for a better family!

I also am so greatful for my mom. She is so caring, and loving. She is always willing to help out with Ella and whatever we may need. I could never thank my mom enough for everything she has done for me throughout my whole life. Without her I don't know where I would be today. She has helped turn me into the mom I am today. Thank you mom! I love you!

I also am so greatful for my mother-in-law Keri. I couldn't ask for a better family to marry into. I hear stories about mother-in-laws being mean or crazy and think to myself how lucky I am to have my mother-in-law. She is such a great person and always thinking about the little things. I look up to her so much, and think Ella is so lucky to have her as a Grandma. She does so much for us and we are truly thankful for everything. Thank you Keri and we love you!

I am also greatful for Zach's Grandma Carolyn, she is such a wonderful lady. She is always looking at the positive in people. Her and Keri have always welcomed me into the family since the first time I met them. She is such a wonderful mom, Grandma, and now Great-Grandma. Ella sometimes is a little shy around her, but I know Ella loves her so much. I am also thankful for everything she does for us. We love you!

I also need to tell my sisters what great moms they are. They are such great examples to me. They have always been my back up moms since I was little. I guess that is what you get when you our the youngest of four girls. Our joke used to be when I was younger that I really had four moms not one. I am greatful that I have such wonderful sisters who are good influences on me. I love all of you so much!

We are so lucky to have all of these ladies in our lives. They have helped both Zach and I with who we are today. We owe them so much! We love you guys!

Sorry I know all of these are from our wedding, but I realized I don't have any recent ones. That is going to be one of my MANY projects!!!

Straight hair and big girl bed...

2009-05-10T09:54:00.007-06:00

We turned Ella's crib into a toddler bed a month ago. She is doing so well in it. I was nervous the first night we did it because I thought for sure she would run to the door and try to get out, but she didn't. She has only come into our a room a few times during the night, but that is okay. One night she didn't want to go to bed so I brought her in our room hoping she would fall asleep then I would put her in her bed. Instead she wanted to play, jump, and sing. So I put her in her bed and shut the door. The next thing Zach and I hear is Ella banging on the door yelling, "Mom" then "Dada." Then she would hit the door and keep doing it. Zach and I were laughing so hard, it was the funniest thing. She is growing up way too fast. She also uses third person now. Everything she wants she will say it then Ella after. Example she just told me she wanted to go outside, so she said, "Outside, Ella." She is so much fun!

I decided to try and straighten Ella's hair yesterday. I didn't think she would sit still long enough for me to do it, but she did. She looked like such a big girl! I loved doing it straight, and it only took me maybe ten minutes. It was a lot easier than I thought. It didn't last the whole day though, as soon as she fell asleep and took her nap it kind of went back to curly. I knew it would, but that is okay it was still cute. I love my big girl! She wouldn't hold still to take pictures so I took them while she was jumping around on our bed.

Someone got a good night's sleep...

2009-05-10T09:43:00.006-06:00

The other morning I woke up and went and got Ella out of bed. This is what I found... I think she tops all bed heads. Seriously her hair was crazy, the back was so tangled and a big rats nest that I didn't even attempt to brush it out. I just put her in the tub and washed it then used lots and lots of detangling solution. I was laughing so hard I think that is why she is looking at me in the picture like, "what are you laughing at?" I think the longer her hair and curlier it gets the more mornings I am going to find this! What do you think?

Happy Birthday to My babe!

2009-04-20T12:11:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Zach! Technically his birthday is not until tomorrow, but I don't think I will have time to post tomorrow so I am going to do it today. Zach is going to be the big "24" tomorrow. I always tease him because he always makes fun of me, and how old I am getting to be. Here are a few things I love about him:

He is such a great husband! He always keeps me laughing and entertained with his cool dance moves.

He is a great daddy! Zach loves Ella so much, and works so hard for her so she can have the things she needs. Ella loves dada, every morning she wakes up and yells,"dada, where are you?" Pretty soon he will be there every morning. (Zach is changing his shift for work from Wed. - Sat. 5:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. to Wed. - Sat. 2:00 P.M. until 12:00 A.M.)

He is a hard worker. Zach has been working so hard at his job, he has been signing up to do so many different trainings. Also his Sargeant is sad to see him go from his crew. He told Zach if he had the choice he would keep him. I think that is such a great compliment to him, and I am so proud of him and his accomplishments so far.

I love that he is getting so fit. He is running the Ogden marathon in May and then the St. George marathon in October. Maybe someday I will get enough motivation to do one with him.

I can't get enough of his hugs and kisses!

I could go on and on about how much I love and am thankful for Zach. I fall in love more and more with him everyday. Thanks babe for everything you do! Happy Birthday babe!

Decorating Easter Eggs...

2009-04-20T11:55:00.004-06:00

Being such a big helper!

Such a silly girl!

She wanted to play with the eggs so bad,

but daddy wouldn't let her.

Mommy and Ella taking our eggs out of the dye!

Last weekend before we headed down to St. George for Easter we decorated eggs with Ella bug. She had fun at first, but then got bored because daddy was taking over and showing us his artistic abilities. She would drop the eggs in the dye and then say, "Woah" she is so funny. After a while she started throwing fits and wanted to throw everything so we stopped. We did all the work and then forgot to take them to St. George. I have to write a list of things I need to take or else I will forget. I didn't write down the eggs, so of course I forgot them. Oh well, Grandma Keri had lots of eggs for Ella to find and she had so much fun!

Condo For Sale...

2009-04-09T14:51:00.003-06:00

We are putting our condo up for sale so if you know anyone interested or looking let us know. We are going to try and sale it by ourselves first so we don't have to deal with realtor fees and all that. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo on the top floor. One car under ground parking, vaulted ceilings. It is 1492 square feet total. Tons of storage areas. If you know anyone interested let us know and we will give our contact information and more information. Thanks!

So sneaky...

2009-04-09T14:39:00.002-06:00

All of our clean laundry thrown all over the floor!

So tricky on the laundry basket!

She knew she was caught in the act!!!

Ella really wanted to turn the light switch on and off. So she pushed the laundry basket over and pulled out all of the laundry. Then she moved right where she needed it, and climbed up on top of it. I didn't realize what she was doing, and then I saw the light start flickering on and off. I ran over because I knew she couldn't reach it, and there she was being so tricky!!!

What would we do without Ella Ann???

2009-04-09T14:05:00.006-06:00

We were getting Ella ready for bed and she had to
have her shoes on! She also wanted to wear her
shirt and pants. Let's just say you pick and choose
your battles sometimes!

Ella being so cute!

She loves saying Cheese for the camera!

Ella wanted to wear her summer clothes,

but she was mad because it was raining outside so we wouldn't let her go out.

Ella the makeup artist! Isn't she so good at doing her own makeup?

It is official... Ella has hit the "fun" stage. The last couple of weeks Ella's new favorite word is NO! She is still are sweet little girl, but when she wants something she will let you know. She is getting to be very independent. We had our first episode in a store a couple of days ago. I was by myself and she found a Dora garbage can. I went to take it to put it back, and she threw it across the store. Then started screaming as loud as she could, and arched her back. We left the store because I didn't have a binky so I couldn't get her to calm down. We were going to try to do the binky only for nap time and bed time, but after a few tantrums we have experienced I am not ready yet. Don't worry she doesn't have it often just when we are in public and she is kicking, screaming, and arching her back. One mom just walked by me laughing, she said her little girl was the same age and acted the same way. She still makes us laugh everyday, and is still quite the show off! Zach and I would be very bored if we didn't have Ella Ann to keep us on our toes!

Disney On Ice and Stomach Flu

2009-03-29T18:45:00.002-06:00

My niece McKaylee and little Ella. That is how she layed pretty much the whole time. Poor girl!

Mickey and Minnie, Ella's favorite part of the whole show!

Donald and Daisy Duck
All of my sisters, their daughters, my mom, Ella, and me went to Disney on ice a couple of weekends ago. It was a lot of fun, but would have be more fun if Ella wasn't sick with the stomach flu. Don't think I am a bad mom for taking her, but I thought she was getting better until that night. On Friday she woke up being her normal self except for she wouldn't eat, which is not like Ella at all. She would eat all day long if she could. So we were sitting on the couch, and all of a sudden patruding throw up all over the couch, floor, and my right leg. I have never experienced throwing up so it was all new for me. She started to cry because she didn't know what was happening. So I change, get everything cleaned up, call my work and tell them I am not coming in. Start putting laundry in like her PJs, my pants, etc. when I go to leave the laundry room, and step in more throw up. So I changed my pants again, changed Ella's PJs again, put more laundry in, and went to lay down. She finally woke up, and threw up again, luckily this time I had a big blanket on us so she threw up all over that, which is a lot easier to clean. So the rest of the day she just slept. Then on Saturday she woke up ate a little, and drank lots of pedialyte, then pretty much just slept the rest of the day. So that night we went to Disney on ice. It was so sad she just laid in my lap, and wouldn't move. She got a fever, and stopped eating and drinking earlier that day. But she still enjoyed the show. She would clap here and there, and do a little, "Woo" cuz her cousins were doing it. Then at the end she fell asleep, but she woke up all of a sudden with a big grin and started clapping, then crashed asleep again. It was pretty funny. Let's just say we did have a fun time even though Ella didn't feel the best.

18 Months...

2009-03-29T18:27:00.002-06:00

I know these are baby pictures of Ella, but I can't believe it has been a year and a half since she was born and two years since I was first pregnant! It has been such a wonderful 18 months since she joined our lives. Ella is growing bigger and bigger everyday. Her hair is growing thicker and longer! When you wash her hair and it goes straight for a moment it is down past her shoulder blades, but since it is so curly it hangs to her shoulders. She talks more, copies everything we say already (so we have to watch what we say.) She loves to run, play with her babies, Dora, sing, nod her head, dance, count from 2 to 8,and stay busy 24/7. She can now sing Happy Birthday, and in the car if the radio is on she will sing. If you turn up the radio louder she will get louder, it is pretty funny. She will also sing during Sacrament and try to sing louder then everyone. She also says, "Amen" so during church anytime anyone would say, "amen" Ella will say it louder so everyone can hear her. She loves to show off especially if you come to our house. She will show you everything, and keep the attention on her the whole time. She is so funny! She is also getting to be very independent, if she doesn't want or like something she will let you know. Let's just say we already do time out, and it is working out great. My doctor told me that you tell them to not do something one time and if they do it again put them in time out so they learn not to do it. She of course doesn't comprehend everything, but you would be amazed what she does know. Ella also loves to fold her arms, and say prayers. We say family prayers every night so she will fold her arms and listen. Sometimes she just stare at us like we are crazy! She is getting to be so much fun, she is getting busier and busier everyday, but she definitely keeps us entertained. I do admit I sometimes miss the baby stage where they just cuddle and sleep in your arms, but I love this stage where she talks, sings, and answers questions. I love my big girl and can't wait for more fun times. Here are her current stats:

Height: 32.5 inches which is the 65%
Weight: 22 pounds which is the 20%

Ella goes to Nursery...

2009-02-22T20:50:00.003-07:00

My little Ella bug is growing up too fast. Today I took her to nursery for her first time. At first she just stood by me not knowing what to do or what was going on. Then she found a ball, and was okay. She had of course her binky in her mouth, and with in the first minute two of the little boys came up to grab it. I took it out and thought for sure she would have a hard time without it, but she didn't which is really good. I was happy, she may not be as dependent on it like I thought. Ella is the only girl in the nursery with 7 boys. So she definitly is going to like the boys!! They said she did really good, but was super quiet which my Ella around us can not stop chattering away. I went to sneak at her to make sure she was doing okay, and they were having snack time. She was sitting at the end of the table so I could see her face straight on, and she looked like she was about to pass out from being tired. Then I walked by again a couple of minutes later, and she was just eating her snacks with a big smile on her face. She did make eye contact with me, which made her realize I wasn't by her so she started to cry, but luckily it was time to go to Sacrament. I know some of you think that this is silly, but this is a big milestone. It makes me realize how fast time goes by with her. I try to enjoy every minute I have with her, sometimes they are hard, but most of the time we are laughing and having lots of fun! Okay sorry about the long post, but I had to share this experience. Also I tried to upload a picture on Zach's computer, and once again it did not work. So I promise more pictures are coming soon!

Ear Infections Continued

2009-02-06T14:41:00.002-07:00

This week Ella has been sick. She has a bad cough, runny nose, consistent fever, and just not feeling good overall. I took her to the doctor today and guess what she has massive ear infections in both ears again. Poor baby! My sister's baby has RSV and they said it is extremely contagious, and Ella was around him and showing the same symptoms he had. I thought I better be safe and take her in since she has had a fever since Tuesday. Good news is she doesn't have RSV just a really bad cold. Bad news is her ear infections. This is her second one in her right ear, but her left ear has been consistent since she turned one. So we go back in a month to get them checked again. If she keeps having them then I think tubes will be in the near future. Hopefully she will get better and her ear infections will clear up for good. It makes me so sad when she doesn't feel good. I love you Ellabug!

Having fun with Cousins!

2009-02-06T14:33:00.003-07:00

This week my sister and her husband went out of town. So Ella, me, and Mowglie headed up to Layton to play with cousins and their dog. Zach had to work so he can't make it up until this weekend. We have been busy playing, taking Avery to dance and gymnastics, playing with friends, and of course going to McDonalds. My nephews and neice are really good so they are easy to take care of. We have had so much fun, and love to spend this special time with them!

Ella and Avery playing the piano, they love each other so much

Jackson, Preston, Ella, and Avery taking a bath they were fighting over who got to take a bath with Ella so they all got in.

Ella didn't want the picture taken can you tell?

Even Mowglie has a friend Nash. They are out of control and run around nonstop.

Ella being a little mom and Avery following behind.

Crazy hair

2009-02-06T14:27:00.002-07:00

Ella has curly hair and whenever she sleeps she wakes up with a big rats nest. So we thought we would take some pictures because it is so funny and her hair gets so big. We love her wild, crazy hair!

Look at that wild hair

Hiding the back of her head from us

Zach thinking he is funny! He is going to hate me for posting this picture!

So shy!

Ella the Model

2009-02-06T14:06:00.002-07:00

I entered Ella into a little contest for a baby boutique in Gardner village. They choose four different kids one for ages 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 1-2 years old, and 2-3 years old. You get a free photography session and a big custom frame and picture for your house. Then she would be in the little magazine and pictures for the store. I thought Ella is definitely one of the cutest kids ever. I thought it would be fun and wasn't sure what picture to use, but she made the decision kind of easy. She will give us the biggest cheeesiest smiles ever, until we pull out the camera then she puts her head down and doesn't want to look at you. She just started this new stage, she gets so mad and just runs away crying. So luckily we had a really cute picture of her from when we got family pictures done with Zach's family. We used that because she was smiling and you could see her big beautiful blue eyes which I was trying to capture. Cross your fingers she wins!

Zach and me trying so hard to get her to smile

Such a sad little girl

Didn't want to look at mommy

Just so cute

I love my beautiful Ella bug!

Ear Infections Again

2009-01-08T20:04:00.002-07:00

Poor Ella bug has ear infections again. Ever since she turned one she has had continous ear infections in her left ear. We finally took her into the doctor on Wednesday since she has been so fussy, and sensitive. She has a little one in her right ear (which is a first), and her left ear is really, really bad. Her doctor was shocked that she has been sleeping and eating well since her ear was bad. She was so sad and didn't feel good that she layed down on Mowglie and went right to sleep. She just loves her dog, and sometimes when she is sad she cuddles with her. It is the cutest thing. We hope that her ear will get better with her new medicine, if not then the doctor said we might have to start thinking about tubes. I hope she doesn't have to go through that, but if it will make her better then I am okay with that.

Ella and her best friend Mowglie. So Tired!

Aren't they so cute together?

Ella loves to look at herself in the mirror. The other night she was practicing her cry, and then she would say Hi to herself, then cry again. She is so silly!