Attridge Family

9 months

2012-01-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

Isla's stats:

Her new skill is giving high 5's. If you hold your hand up in front of her and say high 5, she'll slap it. I kinda love it. It's the first thing that we've actually taught her. She kinda loves doing it too.

She is really trying to wave. But doesn't quite have it down yet. She can wave with her hand down by her tummy....or she can put her hand up by her head and kinda move it. but she hasn't combined the bringing her hand up to her head and waving. It's been difficult to teach her to wave because whenever i start to show her she thinks i'm going to ask for a high 5 :)

She has thrown a ball a few times. Mostly she is just throwing it into the ground. But a few times she was trying to throw it to me because we were playing catch.

She is starting to get a little temper (not my favorite newest development). Literally the day she turned 9 months she started throwing little temper tantrums. They only last a minute - but I don't love them. They usually occur when I need to change her diaper or get her dressed. I'm really excited for them to get more intense in a few months (not!).

The sleep training we have been doing for 3 months has finally started to kick in a bit. She now usually only cries for less than 5 minutes before naps and bedtime. We were used to an hour of crying before!

She's down to two naps a day. She gets pretty tired in the evening but can't fall asleep for the third nap.

She loves her daddy. Her favorite time of the day is when dad comes home from work. It works out perfectly because it's right when she is starting to get a little crabby because she didn't take a third nap. So seeing her daddy calms and rejuvenates her.

My favorite time of the day is from about 6:30 to 7:30 pm. We do a bath and then we get in pj's and play for a little bit and then we read stories and I feed her and put her to bed. I love reading stories with her. And she loves them too. She loves mirror books and lift the flap books and short stories. She has loved lift the flap books since about 6 months and started lifting the flaps on her own right away and turning the pages. It's been more recent that she's liked story books too. We definitely try to liven them up with animal noises and really any noises we can. Her favorite story books are Are You My Mother and Goodnight Moon.

She loves music and likes to dance. She bops her head to the music and bounces up and down. I love it so much.

She is getting so great at standing on her own. I think she could do it forever....but she doesn't because I don't think she thinks she's capable. So after a minute she grabs onto me or onto something else.

She's the best. I love her little smooshy face.

8 months (2 weeks ago)

2012-01-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

Isla's stats:

She is now a crawler! She started crawling at 7 months 1 week and 1 day. She loves her new found freedom....and I do too. I love when I leave her in the family room with toys and go to my bedroom to change and I hear her little swoosh as she's coming down the hallway and I peek my head out and say "you found me" and she cracks up.

She is still pulling up on everything and trying to walk along them. She is getting better and better at standing on her own for a few seconds. And she still loves to walk while holding onto our fingers.

She is a serious babbler. Her babble of choice is mamama and I LOVE it! It makes me think she's thinking of me :) She says dada a lot too (but not as much as mama)!

She is still a friendly little thing and loves other kids. But is becoming a little more cautious with adults. If an adult comes up to her to say hi she buries her head into my or bryan's chest and gives a shy smile. It's the cutest thing. Usually she will go to the adult though after a few minutes of investigation.

She has no fear of other kids and babies though. She loves making friends and trying to keep up with other babies. Church is pretty funny when we are near other babies. She just tries to play with them the whole time.

Isla is becoming more fun every day. Her little personality is coming out and she is a blast.

7 months

2011-12-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

7 months

We had to try to take her 7 month pictures two days in a row because she rarely sits still anymore!

At 7 months Isla is becoming a real mover. She isn't quite crawling yet but is army crawling and maneuvering her way to whatever she wants to get to. She is getting really quite stable while standing. She pulls herself up to standing on just about everything. She really only needs one hand on something or someone while standing and she can play with the other hand.

We've been sleep training her for a month and a half. We've seen some improvement (especially at night) but we still have a lot of work to do.

She adores food. I love when it's time to feed her rice cereal or vegetables because she loves them. Well she tolerates rice cereal and loves vegetables. At 8 months i'm going to start mixing in fruit with the rice cereal instead of milk - I think she'll like it better that way.

She has her two bottom teeth already. She really loves biting with those things! She is constantly grabbing for mine or Bryan's finger to gnaw on.

She is becoming a little more shy. She'll still go to anyone (if she is well rested and fed) but it takes her a minute to warm up first.

She is a talker (well babbler)! She hasn't said mama or dada (bryan's hoping for papa instead of dada) yet but is talking all the time.

She is really starting to like music. If she hears a song she like, she will start kicking her feet or bouncing up and down and smiling and laughing. She does the same thing when she's excited about anything. Like when her dad comes home from work or when she sees food. It's the best.

Isla is just the sweetest and most fun little thing. I am loving this stage of her life. It is so fun to see her excited to explore the world around her!

6 months

2011-11-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

My baby girl is 6 months old

It's hard to believe that we've had this little lady in our lives for half a year. It's amazing how the months fly by (the days not so fast). I don't think Isla loved turning 6 months so much. With it came some changes. We started sleep training. The poor thing has not adapted to it quite as quickly as we hoped. We're 3 weeks into it and still working at it!

She is becoming a very active thing. She is constantly moving and grabbing and trying to figure everything out. She is also giving the best kisses. I don't think she is actually trying to give kisses - but if I pucker up she'll lean in and I can kiss her.

She can also pull herself up to standing and stands like a champ. I am still a nervous first time mother and hover around her if she's standing.

This little girl loves to be outside and loves people watching. We are both sad to see the winter coming because it will limit our outside time. If she is fussy, we just need to walk outside and she'll calm down. There's a large grass area right outside our apartment that lots of women in the apartments gather to with their kids. Even though Isla can't really play with anyone - she loves just being outside with them and watching what they're doing.

Isla got a new toy this month, the jumperoo, and she is loving it. She is an expert jumper. She loves jumping in that thing.

We love having our sweet girl in our family!

and now for a million pictures (as if the hundred above weren't enough). Our happenings in September

Isla's blessing day

2011-10-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

We decided to bless Isla on the 4th of July weekend. It was perfect because Summer hadn't had Beckham yet and Cindy and John and the kiddos were in town. So, we were just missing Dane and Karen from my side. Bryan's mom and dad came and his sister Kim and brother Dave and his girls.

Heather was so nice to do a photo shoot for me a few weeks after the blessing.

5 months

2011-10-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

5 month photo shoot

This girl is a rollie pollie and scootches all over the place. Gone are the days where I can throw her in the jungle gym and try to get a few things done while she's playing. Because now she maneuvers herself completely out of the gym and starts doing double time rolls (going from stomach to back and then back to stomach in one roll) until she is all the way across the room. It is kinda hilarious to watch! She is a great sitter. I'm still nervous to leave her on her own while sitting because she does topple over fairly easily but she can sit for a long time. She is also great at standing while holding onto things and standing and moving her feet while I'm holding her fingers (like walking). She is beginning to love toys and to spend her time discovering new things. She must have something in each hand at all times. She also loves to use her awesome hands to feel people's faces. I cant leave out her feet though - because she loves those too! They are her favorite toy during diaper changes. She loves to put them in her mouth and suck away (the most adorable thing). She still loves to be in on the action and is beginning to notice other babies and little kids. She is always looking around and trying to figure things out. The world really is an exciting place to Isla (this is a great thing except when I'm trying to feed her and she gets distracted by something she needs to figure out). She loves people. She will make friends with anyone that wants to hold her and smile at her. I think I'm going to have an active social butterfly on my hands!

more photos from the month

4 months (almost 2 months late)

2011-10-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

4 month photo shoot

This month Isla deciced that lean was not for her. She's still long but ditched the lean part. She is becoming a great sitter. She's been able to sit folded over for awhile but is now starting to sit up straight (albeit while very wobbly). She is still sleeping through the night and has been tinkering with a morning nap. Every few days I can lay her down and she'll sleep between 1 hour and 2 1/2 hours. Real naps are bliss. She is still such a happy and smiley baby and loves to smile a anyone who will give her attention. She loves her hands right now and loves to explore everything with them. She really is just the cutest thing!

and just some more cute pictures from the month :)

baby shower

2011-08-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

My mom and sisters threw me the best baby shower......and bonus.....I got to share it with my sister Summer who was about 11 weeks behind me!

It was so fun to see friends and family I hadn't seen in awhile. Showers are always a great time to catch up.

Thank you to my mom and sisters for the shower.

3 months

2011-07-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

Someone is 3 months old

her 3 month photo

and the rest of the shoot

Isla is becoming such a big girl. She smiles and laughs and talks all the time. The other night we were at Elliot and Katie's house watching a movie and Isla decided that she needed to tell everyone a story pretty much through the whole movie.

She is definitely getting chunkier. I don't have the stats....but her thighs are filling in. She is already in the 3-6 month clothes. It took her forever to get to the 0-3 clothes so I wasn't expecting her to move up so quickly.

She is not rolling over yet but is getting really close (I think I need to increase her tummy time). She is sort of starting to grab for things and she is swatting at the mobile on her bouncer. I'm not sure if it is intentional or if she is just moving her hands.

She is in love with her hands.....especially when she maneuvers them into her mouth and can suck on them. Really she's happy when anything is in her mouth. I fear we're going to have a binky issue in a few months.

She is still such a sweet little girl. But has her moments too! We are not on a set schedule yet and daytime naps have not really materialized yet. She would still much prefer to sleep in my arms than on her own. I am trying to be diligent in at least trying to lay her down to take her naps.

She loves her dad. I'm pretty sure her favorite part of the day is when her dad comes home from work....well that and every time she gets to eat :)

Other photos to sum up the last month (I really need to be better at posting the details of our life)

2 months

2011-06-26T11:42:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Isla is already two months! She's getting big so fast.

Here's her 2 month photo shoot:

Isla's stats:

she is still long - 89%

but she's a little less lean - 60%

I was surprised when they said 60% because she still looks pretty small to me.

She is still a great night sleeper. She has been sleeping through the night since the last post I did about a month ago. We're working on daytime naps though. She'd rather hang out with mom than close her eyes.

She is also getting really great at smiling. She smiles and coos and laughs all the time for mom and dad. She makes pretty much everyone else work for a smile though (just like she used to make mom and dad work a couple weeks ago. She does not like to smile or talk for the camera though. She'll be having a conversation with herself and smiling away and then as soon as the camera gets in her face she just stares.

She still loves the bath. She will calm right down if we put her in the water. She still doesn't love to have her head washed though. It's a good thing she likes the water because she's spent many an afternoon at seven peaks or the pool (mom desperately wants to be tan!)

Here are a few more pics of our happenings (and when I say few....I mean a ton)

Best 24 hrs ever

2011-05-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

We had the best 24 hrs with Isla!

I'll start with the best part and then go into details. Isla slept from about 10:30pm until 7am.

Bryan had to work all day Saturday because it was the Girls State Cup for soccer. So, Isla and I decided to join him at the soccer fields. Isla was so sweet the whole time. She slept in the car seat most of the time and only woke up to feed.

Then we decided to go out to dinner after our long day in the sun. Isla slept through all of dinner. Because she was sleeping so good - we decided to run a few errands that were way past due. She slept through all of our errands too!

As soon as we got home from our errands she woke up. I fed her and then we decided to give her a bath. She loves the bath.....until we get to cleaning her head. She then took a little nap while we waited for Elliot and Katie to come over with a movie.

(isn't that bathrobe and booties the cutest thing?)

After they got to our place I fed Isla again and then handed her over to Aunt Katie for a snuggle. Isla snuggled Aunt Katie for awhile and then fell fast asleep. We put Isla to bed at about 11pm and I went to bed about 11:30. Isla slept until 7am!

I couldn't believe how long she slept - and I couldn't believe how rested I felt.

We then got ready and went to church. This was my first week back to church! It was so nice to be back. And Isla was a hit. I think her darling outfit helped a bit.

(I just wish my sister-in-law was here to capture how cute she looked. Because this picture does not do justice.)

And bonus - Isla seems to be feeling a little better. She still has a runny nose and sounds stuffed up. But is coughing and sneezing much less.

Seriously - the best 24 hrs ever

I realize that yesterday was probably a fluke - but it was incredible. Here's to hoping she does something similar tonight.

Isla's 1 Month

2011-05-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby girl is already a month old! Time is really flying. It seems like just yesterday Bryan and I were headed to the hospital to meet our little lady.

Isla's 1 month picture

Our poor baby girl is sick with a cold. It is the worst feeling in the world to hear her coughing and sneezing and not being able to breath. I can't wait until our sweet baby girl is feeling better.

Isla's 1 month highlights:

She has just started saying a goo

She is so great at making eye contact

She enjoys tummy time (for just a few minutes anyway)

Her neck is getting really strong

Mother's Day

2011-05-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

I love that Isla came in time for us to celebrate our first Mother's Day. She's the best present ever.

Bryan did a pretty good job competing with Isla for the best gift. He gave me:

>>>a book for when I need some adult time

>>>a movie for when I need some down time

>>>and a massage gift certificate for when I need some me time

He and his mom also made a delicious Mother's Day dinner!

I have been so lucky to have the most amazing mom. She came and stayed with us for 2 weeks after Isla was born and she took care of everything. She made me breakfast, lunch, dinner everyday, did our laundry, cleaned and picked up after us. It was so nice to have that time to bond with and get to know Isla while my mom did everything else. I couldn't ask for a more incredible mother.

Bryan also has a wonderful mother. And she also stayed with us for 2 weeks. And took care of us like my mom did. She is such a great mother-in-law. I am so lucky to have married into a great family.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers. I'm so happy to be part of your club!

Life with Isla

2011-04-30T13:35:00.001-07:00

I can't believe we've had little Isla for two weeks already.

It has been such an incredible experience. I can't help myself from going into her room 20 times while she's sleeping just to look at her cute little expressions.

What we've been up to:

lots and lots of sleeping

She always has her hands up by her face - especially when she's sleeping. I've learned that she would prefer to sleep with someone holding her.....but she's a pretty good sleeper in the bassinet too.

a bath

Isla sorta likes the bath. She likes just sitting in the warm water (she also likes pooping in the warm water) but she doesn't like it when we start scrubbing her. As soon as we put her in the bath the first time she put her right leg over the mesh holder and right into the bath. It was too cute. It looked like she was just lounging at the pool.

two visits to the doctor

Short Bryan and I have a long and skinny daughter. She was in the 90th percentile for length and 38th percentile for weight. This will probably be the last time she'll be considered tall.....so, i'm trying to explain to her that she needs to appreciate it while it lasts. I don't think she gets it.

cuddling with family

She's had a lot more visitors but taking pictures has been the last thing on my mind. I really need to start doing better!

My mom and dad came for Isla's first two weeks and just left Friday. It was so nice to have my mom take care of me and Isla. I pretty much didn't do anything but feed Isla and put her to bed. Mom took care of everything else.

First two weeks have been pretty amazing!

she's here

2011-04-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

baby books

2011-04-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

where is the best place to buy books for babies for cheap?

I realize I could go to Barnes & Noble - but couldn't I get them cheaper?

I have so many books I love from my childhood and I want to get those same books for my little girl!

what are your favorite kid books?

baby question 2

2011-03-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

Diapers

Which diapers did you like better for your newborn?

Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers, Newborn

or

Pampers Swaddlers Dry Max Diapers, Size N

I realize that every little baby bum is different and I'm probably going to try both brands. But - I just wanted to hear what the majority of you expert moms liked for your brand new babies!

Supplemental Question

How long was your baby in Newborn before you switched to Size 1?

baby question

2011-02-07T11:37:00.001-08:00

I am looking for all the advice you mothers have :)

What is the deal with baby bath tubs?

What makes them better or worse?

For example: I'm looking at the bath tub pictured below and it's $35

And then I see this tub for $20

Is the tub above really worth $15 more? Why? What makes a tub a good one?

What are your thoughts moms??

me and the husband

2011-02-03T16:03:00.001-08:00

My desktop background on my work computer rotates every day to a new picture from my "my pics" folder.

I just minimized my windows and saw this picture from our wedding day:

I love this picture!
I love that everyone around us is running around figuring things out and we're still just smiling at each other. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband. I am still as infatuated with him after being together for over 6 years as I was when we first met.

I just can't wait to make our little family even bigger. She's going to adore her daddy!

Christmas

2011-01-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was so fun. For the last couple of years my parents have come to Utah to spend Christmas instead of each of their kids heading to California. It has been so nice to not have to travel during the holidays. But, it's not quite the same Christmas feeling when each of us are in a different house through the break and we all just get together randomly. This year Elliot found a great cabin in Sundance to rent. So, we all got to stay in the cabin. It really was so fun. John and Cindy and the kiddos even flew out for the break.

Outside the cabin

Our little tree with many presents

Because we were all in the same house we did a lot of just lounging around and hanging out. Along with a lot of Ms. Pacman (the cabin had an old school arcade game) and wii and Minute to Win It games and lets just be honest....eating.

We decorated sugar cookies the first night. I think me, Katie, and Heather decorated the most (it felt like we were decorating for hours). No one in our family particularly likes sugar cookies so Katie was so kind to eat pretty much all of them. Well, I guess JJ helped a little by licking the frosting off of them and then leaving the cookies behind.

Our best creations

Dad's best creation

The next day we decided we couldn't be up at Sundance without taking advantage of the snow by sledding. JJ and Calli didn't love sledding and I wasn't allowed to sled....but Bryan and John and Katie and even Mom had a pretty good time. The rest of us were freezing and wanted to head in but we couldn't pull the four of them away.

Cindy and Calli

Bryan - after one of his many tricks

For Christmas Eve, Heather lead the family in telling the Nativity story by having the kids unwrap the different characters in the story and then setting up the manager. After the kiddo's activity we did the traditional Bagley event of acting out the Nativity. Bryan and I were Mary and Joseph of course!

Bryan and I decided that we would host a Minute to Win It competition for Christmas day. After all of the opening of presents we started the competition. Each couple was a group. We had "The Dollar Billz" - El and Katie; "Buellios" - Heath and Jeff; "Merris Magic" - Cindy & John; "Carlizzles" - Sum and Steve; "Attragedies" - Us; "Bag It To Win It" - Mom and Dad. I even started a blog with the list of the games we were going to play. It was seriously so fun and everyone really got into the games. In the end we crowned Merris Magic as the winners. But everyone really received a few extra lives to get to the last round (we asked questions about our family to get extra lives). Everyone continued practicing the games after the competition was over to see if they could beat all games.

The games were for the adults, but Aubrey and JJ couldn't resist trying them out too

The next day, Summer and Cindy decided to instigate a Ms. Pac Man competition. John and Cindy were of course the all stars - none of the rest of us even came close. I think John even got the high score on the arcade game.

Well Christmas 2010 - thanks for a great time. Next time we just need the Bagleys in Alabama with us!

Our life mapped out

2011-01-20T14:48:00.000-08:00

So...I saw this cute map (below) on a blog and loved it. I didn't know what all the hearts meant but I knew I wanted to have a map like it.

link for the artist

I decided to update the map a bit to include:

our hometowns (blue houses)
all the places we've lived since we've been together - but since we've only lived one place I decided to throw in a place we might move to next to get the gist (pink hearts)
the places our babies were born - or will be born (pink baby)
and all the places we've visited together (orange labeled hearts)

I don't quite know what the purpose of this map is yet, but I do know that I want to keep editing it forever and have a visual history of our life and regularly reprint the map and frame it and put it somewhere.

I just love the idea of being able to see everywhere we've been. And i would love to go to someone else's house and see where they've been and where they've lived.

as you can tell.....I'm just a little excited about it and wanted to share!

the verdict.....

2010-12-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I was a little shocked when the ultrasound said girl (Bryan not so much)! I really couldn't believe it. Hence the last picture showing my hands saying what and bryan's saying yessss :)

We had my Mom and Dad, Elliot & Katie, Cindy & John, JJ, Calli, and Summer & Steve at the cabin with us.
Heather & Jeff, Aubrey, Brooke on Summer's phone and Dane & Karen on Dad's phone.
While Larry, Rae & Adam were on Skype.

Thanks for sharing this moment with us!

(and thanks for not opening the envelope while we were sleeping like most of you threatened!)

Thanksgiving

2010-12-17T09:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving began a little early for me and Katie. We decided to do the table scape. I found this really cute ornament tree on a blog. So, Katie and I decided to try it out. We were pretty impressed with the way the table looked when we were all done!

Katie and Elliot hosted Thanksgiving this year. We all headed over to their house early Thanksgiving morning to hang out and eat snacks.
Thanksgiving morning was especially good for me because I got a whole suitcase full of maternity clothes. Cindy gave my mom a bunch of her maternity clothes while my mom and dad were visiting them last month. (Thanks again Cindy Lou)

The crowd for Thanksgiving Dinner (Summer & Steve were with his family). It seems like we keep becoming a smaller and smaller group (everyone better stop moving away!). I think we were all anticipating a bigger group because we had tons of leftovers. I think we had 4 full pies left (yikes).

All of us doing the dishes after dinner. It's funny how fast dishes get done when you have 7 people working on them (Katie was taking the picture).

The day after Thanksgiving we all went to a movie. The boys and Katie and I went to The Next Three Days. The movie was pretty good - but we were in the second row and I paid for that the next two days with a headache and stomach ache! Mom, Heather and the girls went to Tangled.

I always love an excuse for my parents to come out. I think I am most grateful this year for my family and Bryan's family and our little baby bump. We are so excited to grow our family!

Boy or Girl Poll

2010-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

We've had the ultrasound...the envelope is on our tree....so now it's just time to vote!

a pic to help you decide if the baby looks more feminine or masculine :)

will baby be a boy or girl?

You have until Christmas Eve to vote!

Boy or Girl?

2010-11-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

The sex of the baby will be determined November 30th!

We won't find out until Christmas Morning though. We are copying the idea from Kim and Kyle. We're going to have the doctor put the sex in an envelope and open it Christmas Morning with the family. It was so fun to be there with Kim and Kyle and capture their expressions forever. So, we'll be following suit.

But, I've already started looking at the gender predictors to try and figure out what we're having.

Heartbeat over or under 140: Girl

Chinese Gender Chart: Boy

Sweet or Sour: Boy

Carrying High or Low: Girl

Wedding Ring Test: Boy

Mayan age and year at conception: Girl

I guess we'll see just have to wait and see :)

I'll be posting a poll in December!

Halloween Festivities

2010-11-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

We had an exciting Halloween this year!

Our festivities began on September 18th and kept on going till October 31st.

We went to Nightmare on 13th with Bryan's family. They were in town for Kelli and Lee's sealing. It was hilarious going through a haunted house with Kim and Amy. They were both so scared. Amy started freaking out while we were just waiting in line to get in. We didn't know Kim was scared until we entered the first room and she immediately hid behind Kyle and would not move. Amy continued to entertain the group the whole way through!

Our next adventure was to carve pumpkins with Conrad and Kali. We all made very fancy pumpkins. We were all pretty impressed with ourselves.

(left: Bryan, Middle: Esther, Right: Conrad & Kali)

The next night we went to the Buells with the Carliles and Bagleys and made glitter pumpkins. I saw the idea on a craft blog I read and thought it would be fun for the kiddos. Heather made the coolest pumpkin. It was a spider in a spider web.

Next we went to Drew and Cassie's to have a costume party. Bryan and I dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Smith. But being Mr. and Mrs. Smith was not gory enough for Bryan. So, we were zombie Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Our costumes were not the best, but I did end up winning best dressed. Drew had everyone cast a vote and then he put them all in a pot and picked one out. So, that's how I won :)

The night before Halloween we went to the Buells for homemade root beer and spudnuts and chili. It was delicious as always. Heather and the girls had a few more houses to go trick-or-treating to, so Katie and I went along. The girls looked so cute in their costumes and were the best little trick-or-treaters. We ended up staying at the Buells till midnight. I think all of the wives were in a silly mood. We started off playing real games with Aubreys and then starting making up our own games (while annoying the husbands). It was pretty fun!

On the actual Halloween evening we went to the Bagley's to play How to Host a Murder. The game was The Good, The Bad, and The Guilty. So, we all dressed up in western outfits. Katie got to be the woman from the saloon. Katie did a wonderful job as always. Everything we ate was Halloween themed - from jello rats to cheese ball spiders to eyeball desserts. I really do love the How to Host a Murder games. They are so funny and provide easy entertainment.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

Playing Catch-up

2010-10-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be posting things from a year ago up until now. And I'll be back dating them to when they actually happened :) Sad....I know. So, no need to go back to the past with me if you don't want to. I wanted to document the memories. Just wanted to give a heads up on why I have so many old posts!

I've been a little m.i.a.

2010-10-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

So, I'll be recapping our happenings over the next week

But....first things first

The baby is due April 20th. I am just barely out of the first trimester (and I hope to see the effects soon). We are so excited and can't wait to find out the gender :)

Chicago

2010-10-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

My office decided to send me to a professional conference this year. My boss picked the CUSP Conference in Chicago. I decided to take Bryan along since we would only have to pay for his flight.

Not only was the conference awesome but we got to tour Chicago too.

The conference was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Bryan and I decided to take advantage of the conference being in the museum so we toured it during all my breaks. The museum has one of Wolfgang Puck's restaurants called Puck's. We had to try it out since it may be my only time to eat Wolfgang Puck's food. It was yummy!

Tuesday, September 21

We flew in, checked into our hotel and then headed to the Giants game.

We stayed at the coolest boutique hotel called The James. I would definitely stay there again. (especially because of the events on our last day - see below)

I found out that the Giants were playing the Cubs while we were going to be there. I of course had to get tickets. We weren't able to see Lincecum pitch but we did see Matt Cain and Carlos Zambrano.

We had crazy weather before the game started. One minute it would be down pouring and the next no rain at all. The poor workers had to keep running out to the field to pull up the tarp when the rain stopped and then put it back when it started again. After about an hour of waiting - the rain stopped enough that they were able to start the game.

The Giants pulled out a victory by scoring the only run of the game in the bottom of the 8th. It was a good way to start the trip.

Wednesday, September 22
I spent most of the day at the conference. After my last meeting we took an architecture cruise, then went to the Buckingham Fountain and then to dinner.

I really wanted to do an architecture cruise on the river and what would be a better time than at sunset. We were about a week late to do the normal Sunset Cruise where you see fireworks at Navy Pier. But we decided to go with the sunset cruise anyway. That wasn't the best decision because apparently sunset cruise really means open bar cruise. So, most people spent the whole time drinking. We did see some really pretty views of the city though.

After the cruise we walked around the city a bit on our way to the Buckingham Fountain. The fountain was so cool. They do a light show to music on the hour every hour after dark. I would suggest checking out the fountain at night if you're ever in Chicago.

After watching the fountain show we headed to dinner. Our taxi driver told us that the place to eat in Chicago was Lou Malnati's. So we of course tried it out. I for sure liked the pizza in New York better. Bryan liked Lou Malnati's. I was in my first trimester....so, maybe my taste buds were just a little off.

Thursday, September 23
I was back at the conference the whole day and then we went to Johnny Rockets for dinner and then to Billy Elliot.

While I was at the conference, Bryan toured Chicago. He went to the Rock-N-Roll McDonald's for breakfast. Apparently it is huge and people go their to just hang out. He said it was pretty cool. I wish I could have checked it out too!

Billy Elliot is definitely not my favorite Broadway Show I've been to. It was just sort of boring. We chose Billy Elliot because all of the music was written by Elton John. Sorry to say Elton sorta disappointed.
(I do catch Bryan singing the songs still sometimes)

Friday, September 24
Friday started out pretty good. As Bryan and I got in the elevator at our hotel to do our last chance touring of Chicago we were attacked by a dog. Not really attacked but the dog was excited and kind of jumping on me. The man with the dog was apologetic and kind of chatting with us about his dog. I never even looked the guy in the face because i was just looking at the dog. The guy left the elevator before we did and as I got out Bryan grabbed my arm and said Es, look at who that is, because he could tell that I didn't realize who we were just chatting with in the elevator. As soon as I looked over I saw that it was Josh Hartnett! I was so sad I missed my opportunity to ask him for a picture. I had such a big crush on him after Pearl Harbor. I regrouped myself and we walked out of the hotel while Josh was at the front desk. A few seconds later he walked out of the hotel and passed us on the sidewalk. Bryan decided to get me a picture. So, he pretty much chased him for a couple blocks. I was just the slightest bit embarrassed about stalking him and being so start struck but Bryan was like a seasoned paparazzi hiding behind garbage cans and trees and what not.

I held us back from getting a good pic. But this was the best we got
Josh with his dog after we left the hotel

here's a better picture of his face from the internet

We decided to do a hop on hop off bus tour to see some of the highlights of the city. Our first stop was Hancock Tower (formerly Sears Tower).

Here we are standing on the glass ledges at the top of the tower. It really is a cool view to be able to look down at the city without anything obstructing your view.
Bryan was a little hesitant to step onto the ledge at first :) Apparently he still is a little scared of heights!

Views from the bus tour

Navy Pier

We had a ton of fun in Chicago. I just wish we had a little more time while there. We may have to go back again!

Kelli & Lee's Sealing

2010-09-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

Kelli and Lee decided to get sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. Bryan and I were not sad that we didn't have to travel far to attend their sealing.

Larry and Rae opening the doors for the newly married couple for eternity
The happy couple
The Attridge Family
Apparently Bryan and Kim thought it would be funny to take a picture of each other taking a picture

Kelli and I have birthdays one day apart. Kelli and Lee decided the best gift Kelli could get would be to receive her endowments and get sealed in the temple. So, they came on Kelli's birthday weekend.

Our Birthday Cake (Thanks Kris and Ken)
Playing Rock Band at the Strattons. Bryan and I take guitar playing very seriously!

Bryan and I were so happy to be able to attend their sealing. And we had a wonderfully spiritual weekend. What a way to celebrate birthdays.

Congrats to the Taylors!

BA's Graduation

2010-08-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

My husband is officially a graduate from Brigham Young University. He walked on August 12th and 13th. My parents came to Provo just for the occasion.

It took a little (really a lot of) convincing to get Bryan to walk. I was finally able to convince him to walk with all the graduates on Thursday by agreeing to walk with him. And I was able to because I had to buy my cap and gown when I graduated.

Thursday, August 12th
Here he is begrudgingly waiting to line up
Me - a little more excited

Bryan talking to his mom and getting a little more excited to be apart of the graduation ceremony

Both in our caps and gowns after the ceremony

Now I'm a supporter :)
With the parents

With the Buells. They were so nice to come both days!

Me and the graduate!

Friday, August 13th
Bryan entering the Marriott with Family, Home, and Social Science Majors

In his seat on his phone. I think I called him every 15 min so he would look and I could take a picture

Receiving his diploma. We called Rae when Bryan was about to get his diploma so she could cheer along with us.

Heading down the stairs

I couldn't get up close while he was shaking hands so I told him to stop in front of me for a close up.

And he's graduated!

After his graduation we had a little party at Elliot and Katie's. I made cap cupcakes and diploma brownies.

Congrats Bryan!

San Diego Road Trip

2010-07-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

The Bagleys and Attridges decided it was time for a road trip. Katie's sister Becky lives in San Diego - so we decided that was the place to go.

I think this was my first time in San Diego. San Diego is beautiful. We loved going to the San Diego Zoo and the beach and just sight seeing. We spent lots of time in the sun and just hanging out. Unfortunately we only took pictures at the zoo.

Katie feeding the birds

On the Safari Ride

Here's Becky's baby bump and Hailey.

We went to downtown San Diego to Little Italy. We had a rough time finding a restaurant to go to because we went during Comic Con. It was pretty funny to see all the people dressed up.

We can't wait to go back to San Diego (we'll definitely take pics next time)!

4th of July

2010-07-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

We decided to really celebrate Independence Day this year. As soon as I heard that Carrie Underwood was coming for Stadium of Fire I called siblings and mom to see if anyone wanted to go. Cindy and John decided to take a month vacation from Texas and drive to Yosemite, then to Mom and Dad's for a few weeks and then to Utah for a few weeks. Mom and Dad decided to come too.

We started the weekend with a BBQ at Elliot and Katie's house on Friday. I decided to make corn-on-the-cob cupcakes for dessert.

On Saturday we had a BBQ at the Buells and played games before we headed to the Stadium of Fire.

Summer and Steve set-up the Badminton set and everyone was having a difficult time keeping the birdie off the roof. I was designated as the one to retrieve the birdie.

After the picnic the kiddos decided they needed to cool off. So, off went their clothes and in they went to the pool.

Brooke decided she wanted to join - but didn't want to bother with removing her clothes :)

I loved the Stadium of Fire. Bryan and I have wanted to go for years but have never liked who was coming. I was thrilled to hear Carrie Underwood. She was amazing. Both Cindy and mom got teary eyed while listening to Carrie. I hope we love the act next year so we can go again!

1st Annual Bagley Family Reunion

2010-06-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

My parents decided to pull the trigger this year and have our 1st Annual Bagley Family Reunion. We all met up for a week at Yosemite. I'm pretty sure my mom spent months planning and coordinating this reunion. She really did everything. The rest of us just showed up. She did an incredible job!

We stayed at the Scenic Wonders Cabin right in Yosemite Park

We all arrived at the cabin by about 4 pm and decided to just hang out, unpack, and eat. My mom brought the best food for the trip. I think we ate food from Omaha Steaks for every dinner.

The next morning we woke up and got ready for family pictures. Karen was the photographer for the family pictures (and really for the whole trip!). She did such a wonderful job.

After family pics we headed off to "hike" to Mirror Lake. Everyone took turns pushing the strollers and giving piggyback rides to the kiddos.

Across from Mirror Lake were stairs up to a place where people have built rock towers. Bryan and I decided we needed to make our own!

If you look closely at the picture below you can see why this lake is called Mirror Lake. You could literally see everything mirrored in the lake.

After our hike we headed home to have dinner and then watch the kids perform a talent show. It was one of the best parts of the trip.
The Comedians
The Magician
The Mama
The Athlete
The Ballerina
The Ballerina + 2 other dancers
The Mom and Dad Imitators
The Grandpa Ballerina

The next day most of the guys went golfing. So, the girls went on a train ride and panned for gold.

We met the boys back at the house for another amazing dinner and then Family Home Evening by Thomas and Kaylyn. They did an awesome job.

For our last day we hiked to Vernal Falls.
While we were eating lunch we saw a squirrel eating one of our apples. It was the cutest thing!

Right at the base of the falls. We were all getting soaked. But it was beautiful!

On the way back down to the car Katie and I saw some guys climbing up a huge rock. We decided we could do that. Thomas decided to join us too. In reality....we couldn't. But Bryan and Elliot helped us get up there. It was pretty fun to sortof climb and to watch Bryan and Elliot get so frustrated at the lack of our skills.

Finally at the top

Heading back down

The guys

The girls

The parents

Packing up to head to Yuba City

Brooke found a favorite aunt at the reunion. I've never seen Brookie go to anyone like she would to Karen.

At Yuba City we celebrated Tyler's bday and had a picnic at the park with the Tolman's

We started Tyler's birthday out by going to Golfland Sunsplash in Roseville

After the water park we headed to Chuck E Cheese's

Then back home to eat cake and ice cream

After cake and ice cream we played croquet

The next day we went to the park to meet up with the Tolman's

Our first family reunion was definitely a success! Thanks mom and dad :)

BA's Baseball Summer

2010-06-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Steve asked Bryan if he wanted to play on the NuSkin softball team this summer. Bryan played with them last year and decided to do it again. Summer and I spent many a night this summer cuddled in a blanket while watching our guys be the rockstars of the team.

It's really fun watching Bryan play sports. It makes me feel like I get to see a little bit of his high school glory!

Bryan up to bat

Steve isn't quite as fun to watch as Bryan is - because he would refuse to acknowledge me and Summer as we would cheer for him :) Which lets just be honest - made us cheer for him more and louder

Stevie up to bat

The Big Apple

2010-05-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I took our first (and hopefully not last) trip to New York City. We had such a great time!

Thursday
We woke up early and flew into JFK. Our friends Rick and Ayme are living in DC right now and Rick was able to schedule work in NYC while we were there so we could meet up. We decided to be adventurous and take The AirTran and Subway instead of a Taxi to the hotel. Luckily Bryan and I can follow directions and were able to make it to the hotel! Rick was still working when we arrived so Ayme, Bryan and I walked around Times Square until Rick got off. Our first meal in the big city was at a darling restaurant called Amarone a few blocks from Times Square. It was such a cute little restaurant and was delicious. After dinner we walked around a bit more. We went to Rockefeller Center to see where the tree and ice skating would be.

This was our view from our hotel room

Friday
We decided to spend our first day in the Financial District. We went to a great restaurant called SouthWest NY that overlooked the Hudson River for lunch before we headed over to the Statue of Liberty. We chose SouthWest NY because it has outside seating right next to the river. Apparently it's a popular restaurant because we weren't able to get a table close to the river. We decided to walk along the river to the Statue Cruises station. This was probably my favorite walk in NYC. The weather was incredible and we had amazing views of the Statue of Liberty and the New Jersey Skyline. After touring the Statue of Liberty we walked to the Financial District, to Canal Street, to Little Italy (where we had scrumptious Gelato at Ferrara), to SoHo to eat at Lombardi's Pizza. Lombardi's was licensed as America's First Pizzeria - and whether or not that is true it was delicious! I seriously recommend getting your pizza from Lombardi's! After dinner we did more walking around and sightseeing.

Saturday
Ah....the bomb scare. We started the morning at Thalia's for brunch. I've learned that whenever my boss recommends a restaurant, I'm going to eat there. The restaurant had such a great vibe and the food was ridiculously good. After brunch we took a taxi to The MET. There was a Picasso Exhibit while we were there. So, we spent most our time with Picasso and European art. To tour all of The MET would take days! The building is amazing. After the MET we headed back to Times Square to get in line for tickets to a play. We got our first choice - A Behanding in Spokane. Christopher Walken was the lead and was hilarious. Before the play we freshened up and then headed to dinner at Junior's. While we were eating we experienced the first events of the bomb scare. The people eating outside at the restaurant were evacuated. At this time we had no idea why and didn't think much about it. After dinner we had to walk about a block to the Schoenfeld Theater. While we were walking to the theatre we noticed the robot they use for bombs. We assumed they were shooting a movie right in Times Square. Luckily we decided to head to the theatre early because the police blocked off the streets about 10 minutes after we got to the theatre. Our show was postponed for about a half hour because they were waiting to see if more people would filter in. Finally we got word there was a bomb scare and the roads were blocked off. And since we were stuck in the theatre they would do the show. So, it worked out for us because they let everyone move up and we were in the front row. After the theatre we were escorted back to our hotel and were pretty much stuck there because everything was blocked off. So, we decided to eat dessert in our room. The guys went next door to get chocolate cake and then we ordered some milk and ice cream from room service. We had no idea how expensive room service would be in a Marriott in Time Square. I think we paid $50 for 4 glasses of milk and a tiny carton of ice cream. It was yummy though!

Sunday
We started the day with Sacrament Meeting at the Manhattan Temple. We weren't able to do a session at the temple, so we were glad that we were able to at least see it up close and personal. After church we walked to Central Park. The park is actually really beautiful and it was packed with people. People were sunbathing and playing catch and just reading. After we walked around Central Park we headed to the West side to eat at Gray's Papaya. This was one of the places I was most excited to eat and it was the most disappointing too. Apparently Gray's Papaya is Regis' favorite hot dog place and it was featured in the movie Fools Rush In. But it did not live up - it was fine but nothing to brag about. After lunch we headed back through Central Park to the East side to go to the Guggenheim. We loved the Guggenheim. It is such a nicely laid out museum. We were able to see everything and our feet weren't killing us at the end. Late at night we went to the top of the Rockefeller Center to get the view. We found out that it is much faster to go to the Top of the Rock then it is to go to the top of the Empire State Building. Plus, on the Top of the Rock you get a great view of the Empire State Building.

Monday
We woke up late and hung out with Ayme in the hotel room for awhile. After we packed up a bit and got ready we headed to Serendipity. It really is the most darling restaurant and has the yummiest food and most delicious frozen hot chocolate. We will be going back to Serendipity any time we go back to NYC. After lunch we walked down 5th Avenue for a little while and looked at all the pretty shops. We went into Bloomies for a minute (It made me feel like I was hanging out with Rachel & Monica). After our walk we went back to the hotel to say goodbye to Rick and Ayme and then headed to the airport to go home.

We loved New York and we loved seeing Rick and Ayme again! Can't wait for next time.

Visiting Cindy & John and the kiddos

2010-04-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

At the end of May Bryan and I took the drive to Dallas to visit the Merris'. We packed up the Uhaul with the rest of their things and started the drive.

Here is Bryan right at the start of the trip. He drove the whole 20 hrs.

And here I am trying to settle into my little space. Apparently Bryan and I decided that these are all the pics we would need for the trip. Because I don't have any pictures while we were actually with the fam.

This is what JJ was doing while we were driving. This is him talking on the phone to us and waiting patiently. (pic from Cindy's camera)

It took JJ a minute to get used to me and BA when we first got there. But, after about 20 min he warmed right up. (pics from Cindy's camera)

Poor Cindy and JJ got sick while we were visiting. This morning JJ was especially bad. He was sleeping on the big couch with Cindy and I was seating on the love seat on the other side. When JJ woke up Cindy had left and he immediately called out for me. I went over to check on him and he let me cuddle him while feeding him yogurt. It was sad how sick he was - but it was kinda fun cuddling him. (pics from Cindy's camera)

We had a blast with the Merris'. We can't wait to go back to Texas (but hopefully it will be much less windy when we visit again).

Kelli and Lee's Wedding Reception

2010-03-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

Kelli and Lee were married in February. We weren't able to go to their wedding, so we decided to head to Washington for their wedding reception.

Apparently Bryan and I took like no pictures at the reception! I didn't even get a picture of Kelli and Lee together :( Kelli's colors were black and pink. So, everyone in the family wore black. It looked really nice.

Congrats to Kelli & Lee!

Happy Valentines

2010-02-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

This was one of my favorite Valentine Weekends ever!

The celebrating started Friday Night with my favorite Valentine tradition. On our first Valentine, Bryan brought Little Caesars Pizza, Martenelli's, Chocolates, and two romantic movies to my apartment. So, every year since then we have enjoyed Little Caesars the day of Valentines and have gone out to eat on a different night. With Valentine's being on Sunday this year, we decided to get the pizza Friday night.

Saturday night, Elliot and Katie hosted us (and Steve & Summer and Heather & Jeff) to our version of the Melting Pot. It was seriously so delicious and Katie did such a great job decorating. For more deets see Heather's Blog!

Monday afternoon we headed up to Park City to celebrate Katie's birthday with a little outlet shopping, eating, and hot tubbing.

Seriously.....it was such a great weekend!

Hope everyone enjoyed Valentine's and the extended weekend :)

Farewell to the Merris'

2010-02-01T10:13:00.000-08:00

The saddest part of 2010 was when Cindy and John decided to ditch the family and move to Texas.

Before they left we went with them to John's Mission President's Cabin. We went 2 years ago and had a blast - so we decided to continue the tradition.

We spent most of the time eating and playing wii

The cabin is on an old ski resort. So, we borrowed sleds from neighbors and sledded down the ski slope. It was so fun. We were seriously sledding for 10 minutes down the hill. JJ decided he liked watching people come down the hill more than he liked actually being on the sled.

Me and the sis. Both looking our best :)

Bryan and I also took JJ out for a special date the week before they left. We went to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs at the dollar theatre. We got JJ his own carton of popcorn and drink. JJ decided the popcorn in his carton was pretty good.....but, nothing beats the popcorn on the floor. We tried the best we could to get him to stop eating it. But, he was loving it!
We had a fun farewell date!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-01T10:36:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas with the Attridges in Oktown.

But, before we headed to Washington we made the traditional gingerbread houses with the Merris'

Bryan and I made Calli's house and Cindy and John helped JJ make his. We titled Calli's "Calli's Cabin" We thought we were pretty creative :)

We flew out the day before Christmas and spent a few days hanging with the family.
Rae spent a lot of time dancing - sometimes with Bryan and sometimes with Kaedn

Christmas Morning
Jill wrote a letter to Santa the night before and the next morning we found a lengthy and comical letter from Santa (front and back on the yellow pad)

I got to go ice skating for my first time.
I'll just be honest - I spent most of the time just as I was in these pictures. Holding onto the wall :) Still fun though!

Our Christmas tree back in Orem!

Adam

2009-12-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to see the movie Adam since I saw the preview (which I saw when I went to 500 Days of Summer!). Adam really is such a touching story.

Here is the synopsis on Yahoo:
Adam is a handsome but intriguing young man who has all his life led a sheltered existence -- until he meets his new neighbor, Beth, a beautiful, cosmopolitan young woman who pulls him into the outside world, with funny, touching and entirely unexpected results. Their implausible and enigmatic relationship reveals just how far two people from different realities can stretch in search of an extraordinary connection.

This was one of those previews that I saw and I knew I had to see the movie. It is just such a great film. Part of the intrigue of the movie is that Adam has Asperger Syndrome.

I really would suggest seeing this movie.....along with 500 Days of Summer :)

**There is one love scene - which is short and pretty tasteful. And one inappropriate language scene - which has 2 strong swear words. Rated PG-13

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-12-04T07:45:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome Thanksgiving - it was full of family and food and fun. And lets be honest - family is what I am most thankful for anyway.

Here are my highlights from the weekend:

My mom and dad came in from Yuba

And of course mom did the bulk of the cooking (which I'll never really complain about)

The girls spent a lot of the day knitting. I don't think I ever finished the headband I started!

We headed up to Duchesne the day after Thanksgiving to have the traditional Wilkerson Thanksgiving Dinner

Big Lare came in from Okanogan on Friday to go to the BYU v Utah game! And luckily we pulled out a win. (Sad that I don't have any pics with Big Lare)

Little Calli was blessed

Wouldn't it be nice

2009-11-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

I love looking at all the fun and pretty blogs out there. {this is glamorous} is one of my favs.

Okay the photo below from {this is glamorous} makes me so giddy inside. How nice would it be to have your shoes organized behind a curtain in pretty shoe boxes. And to have a fireplace in your bedroom with a soft, comfy chair to try on the shoes.

Love it! And a little bit want it!

Here is a list of some of my other favorite blogs (just in case you want to surf the blog world):
rockstar diaries
Have Your Cake
Frugal Fashonista
The Sartorialist
(NO) sex and the city

New Moon

2009-11-25T09:00:00.001-08:00

Finally went to New Moon

it was good

much better than the first

enjoyable :)

enough said

Entering to Learn

2009-11-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

So, if you remember this post from a couple months ago then you will know that I decided to try something new (ballet). Ballet was great.....but I don't think I'll have a career as a ballerina after the class. So, I have decided to try something new again next semester. I am going to take basic clothing construction. I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I have used a sewing machine. I figure now would be the time to learn and develop new talents. I've been so inspired by all the crafty people I know - so thanks for the inspiration :) We'll see how beginning sewing goes!

Happy Birthday Bryan

2009-11-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

I feel so lucky to be married to my best friend. I seriously can't imagine a better match for me. Today Bryan is turning 27 (I can't believe how old he's getting!). So, I thought for his birthday I would talk about 3 of the many favorite memories I have with him.

Bryan's family game is cribbage. I think it started with Grandpa Don. Pretty much as soon as Bryan and I started dating he taught me how to play. Let me preface that cribbage is an old man game and it requires serious counting skills. It's the card game where you'll hear people saying "15-2, 15-4, a pair for 6, and a run of 3 for 9." I love that cribbage is still our game of choice on Sunday afternoons and whenever we go home to Okanogan (mostly because big Lare won't play any other game). I have to admit that I still don't have the counting thing totally down yet and that Bryan beats me almost every time, but I'm glad to know that it's a game we'll pass on to our kids and hopefully they'll teach their spouses.
When Bryan was back home to work for the summer, I decided to stick around Provo and take some exercise science classes to fill my time and help me better relate to Bryan. So, I took beginners golf. When I went to Okanogan to visit Bryan we went golfing. While we were golfing Bryan told me he was going to marry me. I think we both knew that there was no one else we would rather spend our lives with.
I love how comfortable Bryan was with me and all my crazy sisters right from the beginning. I love that he can call them and just chat. I was living with Summer and Cindy when Bryan and I started dating. One night, Bryan came over and Summer and I decided we needed to have a dance party. So, we were teaching each other dance moves and imitating. That was such a fun night and I can still picture Bryan shaking his hips. hehehe - I'm laughing just thinking about it! Bryan and I still have dance parties every so often - it's always a good time.

Happy Birthday Bryan! I love you - thanks for making me laugh and playing all my silly games :)

(Bryan on his birthday last year)

p.s. Happy Birthday Kim and Jill too!

gelato run and star trek

2009-11-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

It's funny how something so little can make my day go by so much faster.

Bryan and I each got a coupon for free gelato from terra mia. So we've been planning to go tonight all week.

Terra Mia is a relatively new restaurant in Orem and we tried it out pretty much right when it opened. We weren't very impressed with the food (authentic pizza) but we did really enjoy the gelato.

I'll never be mad about a scoop of gelato after work - especially when it's free!

We finally watched Star Trek. Well Bryan actually watched it last night - but I only made it half way through and finished it tonight. I had heard great reviews and I think it did live up to it. Star Trek isn't really my thing but this movie was pretty entertaining.

So. . .it was a pretty rockin night

hanging with the merris'

2009-11-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday Bryan and I went over to Cindy's house. Cindy has a 1 month old baby and Bryan has a rule that he will not hold babies until they are old and strong enough to hold their own head. So, Bryan hadn't held Calli yet. While Cindy left to run an errand, Bryan decided it was time to hold Calli. I had to take a picture to document the experience. As soon as we heard Cindy's car pull up, Bryan handed Calli over to me and told me not to tell Cindy. I guess he didn't want Cindy to pressure him to hold Calli every time he sees her. But the secrets out now :)

JJ decided he wanted a turn holding Calli after Bryan did. Calli didn't love the experience quite as much!

And just a pic of cute JJ chilling with his cars.

the pics are super blurry because they're on BA's cell

Super Saturday

2009-11-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago was Super Saturday for my ward Relief Society. I was so excited when I saw all the darling crafts. I seriously almost signed up for all of them but then remembered I only had a couple hours to complete them. So, I decided to just pick my fav.

I do love the blocks, but I always feel a little disappointed after I make crafts. I have to admit that I am not the craftiest person in the world. So, I feel like I maybe could have bought something similar for around the same price that probably would be cuter. But, it is fun to say that I made it and overall I am happy with it.

Yea for Thanksgiving Decorations

Happy Halloween

2009-11-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

This year we had a pretty low key Halloween. Friday night we spent the night at Cindy and John's because John was away on business and Cindy wanted company. While Cindy slept, Bry and I watched scary movies. The next morning Bryan went to the airport to pick up John while Cindy and I made pumpkin pancakes. They weren't the best tasting pancakes but they were pretty cute. We made jack-o-lantern pancakes. After we ate, Bryan and I went home and watched more scary movies.

Then we got ready and were off making the rounds. We stopped at Cindy and John's first and ate pizza. J.J. was the cutest little bee I've ever seen. When J.J. went to the first house to trick or treat he saw someone that was dressed in a scary outfit and he said "ohh scary" and shook his little shoulders. It was so cute and it's funny because he makes the same motion when it's cold outside but he says "ohh freezing."

Next we were off to Heather and Jeff's to see the girlies and drink homemade root beer and eat homemade spudnuts. Aubrey and Brooke were 50's girls. Heather made both of their outfits and they looked so professional. The girls were seriously darling. After we had been at the Buell's for awhile, Aubrey decided that she wanted to do some more trick or treating. So Bryan and I got to take her to a few more houses. Aubrey was so cute - she was mesmerized by all of the costumes.

I love that I have so much family around. . . especially when I get see their cute kids all dressed up for Halloween!

Grandma Bagley's Funeral

2009-11-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

My Grandma Bagley passed away on Tuesday, October 20th. I was able to attend her funeral two weeks ago. Grandma Bagley was one of the most wonderful women I know. She has such a sweet and kind spirit. In May Bryan and I met my parents in Monterey. While we were on the trip we stopped in San Jose at my Aunt Marlene's home where grandma was staying. I haven't been home very often since I left for college. It's nice to know that I was able to see my grandma and say goodbye before she passed away.

The funeral service was such a great way to celebrate my grandma. For my grandpa's funeral last year, we had all the male grandkids give memories and talks. So, this time the female grandkids gave talks. It was so nice to celebrate my grandma's life. I really hope that I can develop some of her qualities.

I love you grandma and I'm so happy you can be with your husband again.

(I borrowed these pictures from Shannon Taylor and Laurel Johnson)

Halloween Adventures Part 2

2009-11-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago we went with the Buells to Nightmare on 13th. Bryan and I have gone to this haunted house 3 years in a row (It's our favorite). It's always a good time going places with the Buells. Especially when it involves Halloween because Halloween is both Bryan and Jeff's favorite holiday!

Me and the husband

Bryan and I acting scared

The Buells

Outside Nightmare on 13th

Christmas Celebrating

2009-11-05T07:28:00.000-08:00

I generally like to give Thanksgiving the respect it deserves. So, I don't decorate for Christmas until Thanksgiving is over and I tend to hold off on Christmas music and movies until Thanksgiving is over as well.

But, I must be excited for Christmas because we've already watched a Christmas movie. On Tuesday Night we watched Fred Claus with Summer & Steve and Elliot & Katie. If you remember my post from last year. . . .Fred Claus is one of my favorite Christmas movies. I feel like I could watch it anytime of the year and thoroughly enjoy it :)

So if you haven't seen this movie - you need to!

Two changes

2009-11-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

We have now officially moved and added a car to the family!

This is super belated. I always planned on taking pics with BA and I outside our door and with our new car but we never got around to it :(

About five months ago our previous landlord came to us saying that he wanted to start renting our condo to singles. I have to admit that my heart broke a little bit. We lived in the condo about 2 years and have loved it. I really feel that it was the best condo to ever exist, plus we bought all of our furniture to fit it. After I got over the sadness, I went to work. A few weeks later we found the new place we call home. I don't love it quite as much as I loved the other place but it is closer to work and school and (and it's a big and) it's the same complex that Summer and Steve live in. It's been super fun to be so close to them. I'm sure Steve's loved the times when I've been over late being crazy with Summer :)

third place we've called home

Bryan's had Thin Liz (94 Toyota Camry) since he got home from the mission. He bought it from his Grandma Liz (hence the name Thin Liz). She's been a good member of the family, but we decided it was time to have two cars. We decided to follow the tradition of naming the car after a grandparent - so to finish off the Harrisons we introduce Studly Scudly (07 Toyota Camry). As you can see we're fans of Toyota Camrys!

When I wrote this post about 3 months ago I said: It's been really great having the convenience of two cars, but I do miss the pick-up and drop-off service that Bryan has been providing me (I don't think he misses it quite as much as me though!)

Now as I'm updating the post: Thin Liz decided she needed a little break. Bryan was driving her a few weeks ago and she didn't sound too good. We haven't had her checked out but Bryan's dad comes in a few weeks and we'll have him take a look. I was a little nervous when we first bought the new car. I wasn't sure I liked the idea of making monthly car payments. I'm glad we decided to take the plunge or else we would be without a car. It's funny how things work out.

A Night for Frights

2009-10-13T07:19:00.001-07:00

Last night Bryan and I began our Halloween Excitement. We went with Conrad and Kali to Thanksgiving Point's Cornbelly's Corn Maze and Cornophobia.

This was my first time going through a Corn Maze. My thoughts. . . .it wasn't easy! To be honest we didn't actually make it out the way we were supposed to. But it was fun :)

The haunted corn maze (Cornophobia) was actually pretty fun. They had things that we haven't experienced at haunted houses before. For example - an abandoned bus.

There are also a lot of kid activities and the tickets you pay for are good for pretty much everything at Cornbelly's. So, it would be fun to take the kids earlier and do the kid activities and then the adults stay for the corn mazes.

We'll keep you posted on our other Halloween adventures.

Community

2009-09-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I have added another show to our TV lineup. It has sort of an Office or Arrested Development feel to it.

I believe that it was the series opener and it was seriously funny. If you like either of the two shows above - I would suggest trying it out

I am really adding too many shows to my list - oh geez

Oh and p.s. this was my 100th post (finally made it)

Community

um ya - that's right

2009-09-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I decided that I wanted to try something I've never done before.

I signed up for Beginners Ballet. Let's be honest - I have no dance experience! And I signed up a week and a half after classes began.

I have found that I am not coordinated, I can't jump, and a black leotard and pink tights do not flatter my figure :)

I thought ballet would be a fun way to add working out into my day. It turns out ballet is a work out. . . .but the fun part I'm not sure about yet. Oh and I decided to join in with some girls in my ward for a six week boot camp. Let me just say that my legs hurt so bad that I can't even describe it.

Oh the beauties of trying something new!

Oktown

2009-09-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

About a month ago Bryan and I went to Okanogan! Most of Bryan's family still lives in or around Okanogan, so it's so fun to visit and see everyone. We realized that we hadn't been back for a year and a half (yikes!). Rae was off helping Dave and Amy with the new baby so we didn't get to see Rae or the Arizona Attridges which was a bummer, but hopefully we'll see them soon. The highlight of the trip was going to the Omak Stampede. At the stampede they have the world famous suicide race. There were like 15 contestants who rode horses down an extremely steep hill and into the stadium. Before the race they had a bunch of rodeo type competitions. It was so fun! (I didn't know I had any cowgirl in me) All of the girls got matching cowgirl hats to fit in. My only complaint is that I wish it was a longer trip! Seriously everyone we need to get together again soon

First Week of School

2009-09-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Bryan just finished his first week of school of his last year at BYU! I thought to commemorate the experience I would show flashbacks of Bryan's younger school days :)

(looking good BA)

3 years

2009-08-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary on August 12th. I can't believe how the time is flying! These have been the best years of my life! I love you and can't wait for a hundred more

SYTYCD

2009-06-10T20:30:00.001-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance is probably my favorite show that has ever existed (well besides FRIENDS)! We finally got through Vegas week and the competition has begun. I was seriously blown away tonight. I was going to post my top 3 performances but I ended up loving just about all of them. So, in order of my preference (and it was a tough decision) . . . here's the rundown:

The number 1 spot has to go to Jeanine and Phillip who did Hip Hop. Tabitha and Napoleon are such incredible choreographers! And I can't believe how great Jeanine was for being a contemporary dancer.

number 2 is for Melissa and Ade who danced Contemporary. I'm not sold on naughty ballerina's personality yet. . . but she is a great dancer. This was one of those have to rewind back and rewatch a couple more time performances.

number 3 goes to Caitlin and Jason who did Bollywood. I'm so glad this genre was introduced to the show - it's incredible to watch. And, I think Jason might be my fav this year (hmmm - we'll have to see)

number 4 is for the Utah Girl Randi and Evan who did Jazz. I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel about either of them. But, I love when I feel tingles after watching a performance!!

number 5 (I know I'm still going - I said I loved most of them) is for the crash test dummies Ashley and Kupono who danced Jazz. This was just such a cool routine. Pretty much unbelievable.

number 6 goes to Kayla and Max who danced Samba. I love Kayla's story. I typically don't like hearing the sad stories of contestants in either American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance, but Kayla's really touched me (cheesy - I know).

lastly number 7 is for Janette and Brandon who did Foxtrot. First of all they danced to Michael Buble, so that's already great, but I thought they did a really nice job.

The other 3 performances were just ok for me.

Love SYTYCD!! What did everyone else think??

Wicked

2009-05-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Another belated post - so sad. If you remember my post from last December you'll know that Bryan and I stayed up all night and were the second and third people in line to get tickets to Wicked. It seemed like forever from the time we got the tickets to when we actually got to go to the show! Wicked is the best musical I have ever seen. Ever since we got the tickets I have been listening to the music. I thought I had a pretty good idea of the story line - but apparently I only knew the first half. Almost everyone in the fam got to go. Mom was in town because of little Baby Brooke being born a month early so that was great because mom got to go - but sadly Heather and Jeff couldn't go. Here are some pics to document the experience

After Wicked we went to the Cheesecake factory for dessert. I have to admit I picked the best cheesecake - 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake mmmm.

Monterey Trip with the parents :)

2009-05-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

This is an ubber belated post - but it's quite noteworthy. I was born in Monterey and moved when I was three years old. I'm sure we went back at some point. . . .but I had no memory of it. So Bryan and I decided to fly to Oakland and meet my parents and spend some time in Central California. My mom and dad are the best vacation planners. We arrived in Oakland early Friday morning.
We drove around Oakland and saw the house my dad grew up in, the temple, and ate at Kaspers (this is where grandpa and grandma bagley used to eat)

After Oakland we headed over to San Francisco. We planned on spending most of the day in San Fran - but it was extremely windy. We walked around china town for a bit, drove to Coit Tower, went down Lombard St. and then busted out of there.

(the famous Lombard Street)

(view of steep Lombard Street from Coit Tower)

(Golden Gate Bridge)

(Christopher Columbus statue and Alcatraz from Coit Tower)

On our way to Monterey my dad remembered this amazing restaurant in Capitola-by-the-sea. Shadowbrook is seriously the coolest restaurant. If you're ever in Central California you have to look it up. It is hanging over the sea. So you park and then take a little trolley car down to the restaurant. Every level of the restaurant is extended out farther so everyone has a great view.

From the restaurant we headed to our hotel in Marina. After we unloaded a bit we drove around Marina. I was born in the Monterey Hospital but we actually lived in Marina. So, I got to see all the houses we lived in and the schools my older siblings went to.

The next morning we got up and headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Bryan was loving taking pics at the aquarium. Most of our pictures from the trip are at the aquarium. I'll spare you a bit :)

After the aquarium we headed to the white sand beach of Carmel. My boss, Mark, gave me a recommendation for brunch: Katy's Place. Another incredible place to eat. The best eggs benedict to ever exist and ridiculously delicious crepes. Another place you have to hit up if you're in central California.

(a Frank Lloyd Wright home)

(Carmel Beach)

From the beach we headed to the Monterey Hospital. It's a pretty incredible hospital. It's in a beautiful location with trees surrounding it. And there's a little pond in the middle.

After the hospital we took the 17 mile drive leading to Pebble Beach Golf Course (Bryan's highlight!). It really is a beautiful golf course and has a beautiful club house.

After Pebble Beach we took a drive to see the redwoods and got some ice cream at this cute little place in the cute little city (I can't remember the name dad - my bad!!)

The next morning we went to church in Seaside and then drove to San Jose to see Aunt Marlene, Uncle Joe and Grandma Bagley. We had a nice visit and Joe made his famous cheese dip and guacamole (incredible). We then headed back to the Oakland Airport and flew home.

I love Monterey/Carmel. They have such a rockin vibe. This was one of my favorite vacations ever. We decided to make it a yearly tradition to take a little weekend trip in April with my parents. The tradition started last year when we went on a cruise with them. We just happened to take a trip to Monterey with them this year at the same time the cruise was last year. So now it's tradition.

Thanks mom and dad - love you! Can't wait for next year (Florida? L.A.?)

Taggity Tag Tag

2009-04-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

I know I have taken a bit of a break from bloggin. . . .so I thought the way to jump back into it would be by doing the tag my cousin sent!! Thanks Lyndee

Alright - so here's the dealio: Google for the photos and choose one from the first list displayed.

My age:

The age I think would be rockin to be forever:

A place (or places) I would like to travel:

My favorite place:

(this happens to be where we honeymooned)

My favorite object:

(I really enjoy sleeping)

My favorite food:

(if you asked any of my siblings this question they would say - chicken, salad and bread. I'm not sure why that is always my answer. . . .but it is. I also had to add on chocolate)

My favorite color:

My favorite animal:

The city I was born in:

(we actually went back there to visit last weekend - and I may have fallen in love. More to come later!)

The city where I live:

Name of a past pet:

My first name:

My middle name:

My last name:

seriously. . .when I googled attridge my blog header came up - kinda funny

Bad habit:

My first job:

Name of my grandmothers:

College I graduated from/where I work:

Anyone that would like to participate in this tag is welcome to!!

Welcome Baby Brooke!

2009-04-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have no pictures to share - but she is tiny and darling! Congrats Jeff and Heather!!