a number of things

10.02.2009

Hooray for grandparents!

We had a great time with Mom and Dad last weekend, but no one enjoyed it as much as Paisley!

9.10.2009

Utah Vacation

We wanted to see Tanner before he went into the MTC, so we decided to stay in Utah through Labor day. I guess it was our first official family vacation.

Uncle meets niece.

Los Hermanos- We got some subway and had Tanner's last supper at a park before dropping him off at the MTC. We will miss him, but he was so prepared and excited to go that it really wasn't difficult to say goodbye.

Paisley meets Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Smith. She loved watching the hummingbirds on their back porch.

We wanted to go hiking in Zion's on Monday to break up the drive, but we decided it was too much money for just a couple hours. So we stopped at a place called Silver Reef and hiked up a stream and on some red rock. Paisley was almost as relieved to be out of her carseat as we were to have her stop crying.

8.30.2009

Peekaboo!

8.04.2009

Take Marriage Quiz--Get Potato Bird

Okay, you might not be as lucky as I was to get this 100% hand crafted baked potato bird, complete with cucumber wings and its very own spaghetti nest, but I do think this quiz will bless your marriage, as it has ours. Some of my answers helped us realize that the exciting and spontaneous nature of our marriage has been somewhat neglected since Paisley's birth. So we've started making a conscious effort to have fun (hence the potato bird). Other adventures the quiz inspired: Instead of having our dinner group eat at our house, we put our meals in homemade pinatas and went to the park--the sandwiches were only a little squished. And last weekend Brandon and I had a blast snorkeling at Lake Mead, despite our bikes falling off the car and skipping down the highway. Isn't marriage wonderful? We are grateful for moments of reflection that help us appreciate what we've got and work to make it better. So take the quiz and enjoy!

To assist in marital communication, try the following exercise together. Allow yourselves sufficient time when there will be no interruptions. You might wish to divide the exercise into several sessions, considering two or three statements at each session.

First, respond individually in writing to the statements. Then exchange papers and talk about what you’ve written. Don’t try to review your responses simultaneously. While one of you is reading or speaking, the other should listen or ask clarifying questions. Then switch roles.

Complete the following statements:
1. In our marriage, I feel loved when you …
2. In our marriage, I feel appreciated when you …
3. In our marriage, I am happiest when …
4. In our marriage, I am saddest when …
5. In our marriage, I am angriest when …
6. In our marriage, I would like more …
7. In our marriage, I would like less …
8. In our marriage, I feel awkward when …
9. In our marriage, I feel uneasy when …
10. In our marriage, I feel excited when …
11. In our marriage, I feel close to you when …
12. In our marriage, I feel distant from you when …
13. In our marriage, I feel most afraid when …
14. My greatest concern/fear about our marriage is …
15. What I like most about myself is …
16. What I dislike most about myself is …
17. The feelings that I have the most difficulty sharing with you are …
18. The feelings that I can share most easily with you are …
19. Our marriage could be greatly improved with just a little effort if we …
20. The one thing in our marriage that needs the most immediate attention is …
21. The best thing about our marriage is …

Brent A. Barlow, “Getting to Know You Better: A Marriage Quiz,” Ensign, Sep 1981, 43–45

7.30.2009

Giddy Up!

7.14.2009

Pretty on Pink

Babies always look cuter without their clothes on. It's hard to find an outfit that doesn't say "adorable" or "mommy's cutest" on it. As if we needed their clothes to tell us . . . Well Rosie, this post is for you. You said you wanted more pics of Paisley, so we did a little photo shoot. She still loves staring at her fist and she likes licking it too.

Here she is with Daddy doing their daily exercises. We don't know how she doesn't get tired with her arms and legs up in the air all day. But she'll always take a break for a smile.