Piper's Dad

Just in case you didn't know, I thought I'd tell you a little secret. Piper has an amazing dad and we sure love him! Whew..... I'm sure glad the secret's out!!!

Stephen has now been able to celebrate father's day a whole TWO whopping times! When Piper was born I saw a whole new side of Stephen. He is so sweet and patient with Piper. The minute he walks in the door, he's helping me make dinner and taking care of Piper. I'm pretty sure his official name should be super dad. We would be lost without him!

  
I'm so grateful for this guy. He always works so hard so that I can stay home with Piper instead of sending her to daycare. Many times, I complain because I feel like Piper and I don't get enough time to spend with him. We're kind of selfish with his time. Maybe he should be less likeable!

The minute we hear the car beep from Stephen's car, Piper and I are running for that door to meet him outside. That's when Piper brings her best smiles to the table. I love watching Piper and Stephen together after he gets home. They are too cute! In fact, sometimes I get kind of jealous watching the two of them. She saves her grandest smiles and laughs for him.

A few months ago, Stephen started playing music on his phone for him and Piper to dance to. Each night she lays her head on his shoulder as they dance to a few songs before she goes to bed. She always gets so upset when he turns off the music and puts her down. This lady enjoys spending time with her dad!

 
This Father's day didn't quite pan out the way I planned. I was browsing Pinterest two days before Father's day and came across what I thought was the best gift idea.  I'm not even sure where I found the image but I thought it was pretty cool and was sure I could make one just like it. 

I knew it would be the best gift for Stephen! For some reason I wasn't in too much of a hurry, even though I only less than two days. In fact, I didn't even start until the day before Father's day. Pretty sure I've mentioned before that I am not a good, or even great, crafter.
 
You'd think after years and years of going to school that I would learn the most important rule ever. Don't procrastinate! Procrastination is bad, Bad, BAD! Wouldn't you know that when you procrastinate nothing works out as planned. I was spray painting my box black and ran out. Lucky for me I had another full bottle. Wrong! I had a bottle of the worst spray paint ever. It was so splotchy and running everywhere so I had to resort to hand painting that little baby which took forever. I won't even talk about all the problems I ran into or how destructive I was to our kitchen knives since the x-acto knife was MIA.

This little project was far from perfect but I am so proud of how this little project turned out, mostly because I had zero help from Stephen. Whenever I decide to attempt a craft he ends up helping me. Without him, I don't think I'd ever try to make anything. His gift had lots of imperfections but that's what made it special! 

Stephen requested BBQ meatballs for his special Father's day meal. I was so wrapped up in that stupid box that Stephen had to make his own dinner. I was the worst mom and wife ever! In fact, I think we should re-celebrate Father's day so I can make it up to him.

Stephen acted so good to act surprised and happy when he saw his gift, even though he saw the back side of it the whole time I was making it. He was so sure I was making him some lame-o gift. I sure showed him! He was quite impressed with my little movie box.

I am so grateful to have Stephen in my life. He is so patient with me and always so willing to help me. I don't know how I ever made it in life without him. I am always coming up with new projects for him to do. Needless to say, he will never forget how to use his Photoshop skills with me around.

Thanks for being such a wonderful husband and father Steve! We love you!!!

A Day to Celebrate Fathers

Each year we celebrate motherhood and all our mother's do for us. Many mothers stay at home all day with the children while doing the cooking and cleaning.  Other mothers have to make a huge  sacrifice to leave there children at daycare while they go to work. I love that we are able to celebrate our mothers and grandmothers but I'm always grateful there is a day set aside to appreciate our Fathers. I think fatherhood is often overlooked. Some people don't feel father's play as big of a role as mothers, but I completely disagree.    

Each year as I celebrate Father's day, it helps me to look back and reflect on all the things my own father has done for me. It wasn't until the last few years that I've come to fully realized how much my dad has done for me. Having my own child has opened my eyes to the sacrifices my parents made for me and my siblings throughout the years.

Unfortunately, it took me moving away from home and going to college to help me see how much my parents do for me. As a brand spankin' new freshman going to BYU-Idaho, I had never been away from home. I was so homesick for my parents and siblings. Suddenly I had to do everything for myself with no one to count on. I had to clean up after myself, buy my own things, make my own meals, make sure I got to places on time, etc. At that moment, I realized how much I had taken my parents for granted.

My dad has always worked extremely hard to provide for my family. He would always leave for work way before sun rise. After a long day at work in the heat, he would come home and continue to work on cars, and keeping our house and yard tidy. My dad always supported me at my orchestra and choir concerts, piano recitals, softball games, and dance recitals. I know he had absolutely zero interest in any of these things but he was willing to make a sacrifice to show me how much he loved me. 

A few months ago, I was talking to my mom about all the activities my siblings and I were able to participate in as we grew up. She told me its expensive to have talented children. I'm grateful for all the money my dad worked to earn so that I could participate in different activities.

Between doing chores and odd jobs around the house and working for my grandpa, I was taught by my dad and grandpa's example to always be a hard worker even if the job wasn't fun.

My dad has always been super willing to help anyone out whether is convenient or not.  After I graduated from college and was living in Idaho, I started to have car problems. My job was 30 minutes away and I needed my car to get there. Since my dad is an amazing mechanic I called him  with my car troubles. After telling him my problem, my dad told me he would come and pick up my car the next day and exchange cars with me. My dad drove 4 1/2 hours just to come and help me out. He was far enough away that he could have just told me to figure it out on my own. Instead, he came when I needed his help. 

I love my dad's sense of humor. My mom says that you can always tell if he's lying by the twinkle in his eye. My dad thinks he the funniest thing in the world. Often times Stephen will tell me that I got my sense of humor from my dad. I like to think so.  I think I have the absolute best dad in the world! I couldn't ask for a better example in my life and I'm so grateful to call him mine!!!

A Birthday Bash

We celebrated Piper's birthday in Utah the day before we left to return to Texas. We figured since we were with our family we'd celebrate it with them. Since she has no idea what a birthday even is or when hers is we figured it didn't matter if we celebrated a few days early.

Piper likes to start her day very early in the morning. Often times much early than Stephen or I would like. There are mornings were she wakes up around five a.m. Six o'clock I can handle, but not five. Usually we can get her to go back to bed. The mornings she doesn't go back to bed makes for a long day.

That morning, my mom took Jared and Kaylee to the temple to do baptisms. Recently, my sister, Jen has been working on our family history and finding names of those whose temple work hasn't been done.

After Jared and Kaylee were done with the baptisms, Stephen and I were able to take a couple of the names through the temple to perform the ordinances. Mom and Kaylee was so good to take Piper and watch her for a few hours while we were gone.

I love going to the temple and the peace that can be felt there. Even though we only live 35 minutes from the Dallas Temple, we don't get the chance to visit very often. It was such a blessing to be able to go. 

Once we got home from the temple, I made Piper her very own special cupcake. A few months after Piper was born, blood started showing up in her stools. We found out that she's allergic the protein found in cow's milk. Since then she's had to drink a special formula  I like to call "liquid gold" because it's so darn expensive!

I found a recipe online that were dairy and egg free. They were actually quite delicious and you'd never know they were missing anything. After whipping up her cupcakes, we had a hot dog roast in the fire pit. I love the taste of hot dogs that have been cooked over a fire. I don't know why but they always seem to taste so much better than cooking them indoors.  

Once dinner was over, it was present time!!! Before leaving Texas we shipped Piper's presents there and hoped we would have room in our bags to bring them back.

Piper's got several pairs of sandals, shoes, a few new outfits, a swimsuit, a baby doll, and toys. I didn't think she would be all that great at opening the presents but she surprised me. With a little help she did quite well at pulling that paper off!!

Of course between presents, we had to open take each toy out of the packaging a test it out. We wouldn't want to take home any toys that weren't fun!!!

Once everything was opened and all the toys broken in, it was time to eat that yummy cupcake. This little girl looked at the cupcake, picked all the frosting off, smashed the cupcake to pieces, and finally ate it.

I'm so glad we could celebrate Piper's birthday with family. I know she could have cared less who was there but it meant a lot to me to that our family took time out of their busy schedules to celebrate her special day.

Our Utah Summer Trip

Our trip to Utah started super early in the morning. Stephen and I usually catch the early morning flights since they're cheaper but having Piper it makes it a little harder. I always feel bad for waking her up early in the morning. Considering she woke up at 3:45 a.m., she did well on the flight.  She slept for a bit in my lap while the white noise from the engines lulled her to sleep.

The night before our trip I asked Stephen if we should dress her in pants or shorts. He chose shorts since it's easier to pull them off to change her diaper. Apparently we should have consulted Utah's weather. The view from the plane while flying to Utah scared us a little. Snow in May?

Thank goodness Utah's weather wasn't quite as bad as snow. It was only raining cats and dogs and 50 degrees. Nothing these Texans couldn't handle! Talk about a major weather change from our 85+ degree weather in Texas.

Despite being woke up during the middle of the night and taking a 2 hour flight, Piper was set on explore mode. There was too much to see and touch to sleep! Arriving at my parents house, I realized how un-baby proofed it was. Piper wanted to touch all the breakables and rip the books and piano music to pieces. At one point she found a tree and pulled it on top of herself. I knew she was somewhere in the tree but I couldn't find her. After hours of exploring and trying multiple times to put her to sleep, Stephen finally convinced her to take a nap.

   
This girl is a tummy sleeper. The second she's set in her crib she rolls right over on her stomach. After we all caught a few z's, we watched my nephew, Corbin play baseball. I forgot how much I enjoy watching my family play sports. We finally met up at the ball park with all of my family. Piper had to woken up from her nap so we didn't miss the whole game. She didn't like that one bit! The moment she saw my mom she screamed. Anytime my mom looked at her, she screamed. Thank goodness it wasn't like this the whole week. Eventually they became friends.  

I love my parents backyard! I wish I could have a backyard just like theirs. There are giant cottonwood trees which means the backyard is always in shade. It was so nice to walk right outside the door and be able to play in the grass, jump on the trampoline, and swing. Not to mention, they're grass is unbelievably soft. I hate Texas grass! It's prickly, mean, and usually full of weeds.

One year for Christmas, Santa brought Jared a Little Tikes cozy coupe. To this day, that little coupe is still sitting around the house waiting for someone to play with it. Piper loved that little car. She acted like she was steering it and tried honking the horn. That girl was in love with that cherry red car!

On Memorial day, we had our annual family breakfast at Golden Corral. I haven't been around for this tradition for several years so it was fun to join in again. It was so great to see all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. After, we headed to the cemetery to put flowers on the graves. 

Growing up, I remember having the worst allergies every single Memorial Day. Going to the cemetery I was always miserable. This year instead of allergies, I caught Jared's nasty cold + allergies. Before heading to Utah I started taking allergy medicine because I was determined not to have allergies on Memorial Day. That was wishful thinking!!

While in Utah we celebrated lots of birthdays. It was my Grandma and Mom's birthday which meant my little sister had to drive me around to take me birthday shopping. I never thought I'd see the day when she would be driving me around town.

I love going shopping with Kaylee except she takes you and makes you want to by things you don't need. I ended up walking out of the bookstore with several things I hadn't planned on buying.
 
During the week we got together lots to celebrate, eat lots of yummy food, and cake.

There were lots of people to help us take care of Piper. She loved all the different faces and people she got to see.  Even my brother Derek helped out. Although I think he mostly enjoyed teasing her and stealing her snacks. Wait, I think everyone enjoyed her snacks. 

On Wednesday Jared graduated from high school. Instead of holding the graduation at UVU like all the other schools, Salem has their graduation on their football field. Which means you get to enjoy sitting on the metal bleachers while your skin bakes for a couple hours.

I was worried our little albino baby would fry while we sat there. We lathered her up in sunblock, grabbed an umbrella, put her hat on, and we were ready to go.

I thought Piper was going to be awful sitting outside in the hot sun. Surprisingly, she did really well. Luckily for all of us, the clouds decided to come out every so often and cover the sun.

By the time graduation was over and pictures being taken, Piper decided she was tired and sweaty. Just then, Derek pulled out his sunglasses for her to try on. He called this 'Her seductive face.'

Recently, whenever you take Piper's picture she has to see it. She gets the biggest grin on her face as she looks at pictures of herself.

When I was in Georgia visiting Ben and Kristen we played my favorite game, Sequence. Ever since then, I've wanted to play this game again. While in Utah, we whipped that game out and played several hands. Stephen and I made quite the team. We didn't do too bad, in fact, maybe I'll let him be on my team again.

The night before we left, Jen and Andy brought over their Xbox to play Disney Infinity. I love playing this game with someone else besides Stephen. He is way too good at all the games and I can never win. It was nice playing against Jen since she occasionally let me win. At one point our game party turned into a sleeping party.

Our trip to Utah was much to short for all of us. The day before we left, Stephen thought we had several days before going home. We had such a fun time in Utah. We love going home to visit our family. I sure wish they didn't live so far away so we could see them more often.

The plane ride home was a long one. Piper took a short nap and then she was ready to get up and play. I'm beginning to dislike plane rides more and more with her. Your small, confined space turns minuscule when you add a baby. 

The nice stewardess gave us lots of yummy cookies to share with our child. As a reward for her niceness Piper spilled Sprite all over herself and the chairs. I was so glad Stephen was there to help me. We were sure happy to get off that plane and be back home in Texas!

From a Boy to a Marine

When we moved to Texas, Stephen promised me we would take lots of trips to Utah to visit my family. Each year we have taken 2 trips to see them, once during the summer and the holidays. I LOVE going home to visit! Our trip this time was to see my little brother Jared graduate from high school and wish him off on his adventure in the Marines.

When I first heard Jared was joining the Marines, I was in shock. My first thought was 'Why would he do that?' I learned it's been something that he's wanted to do since he was a little boy. My shock then turned to fear over what he would be required to do.

During the summers, I worked for my grandpa on the farm. As my younger siblings got older and wanted spending money, they would start helping out. It was hard work preparing the fields, planting, weeding, moving pipes, digging and washing potatoes, harvesting vegetables, etc. As I became older and thought I was wiser, I became a bossy older sister. There were times I didn't believe Jared was moving quick enough or working hard enough. I would get mad and frustrated at him. Over time, I realized that when I got mad at Jared, he would move even slower and work less. Getting mad and yelling at Jared was not the way to make him work harder.

Hearing Jared was going to join the Marines, I immediately knew he would be yelled at a lot in boot camp. As I think of my little brother getting yelled at and pushed to physical exhaustion, I wish I could protect him.

Arriving in Utah, I didn't want to think about Jared leaving. It seemed too weird to think he was finally graduating from high school and leaving several days later for boot camp. Throughout this week I've wondered why I've struggled with him leaving so much.

I hate change and it has been so hard seeing that change happen in my little siblings. Over the past few years, especially since I left for college and been married, I've been in denial that my 2 younger siblings have been growing up. In my mind, they are the exact same as when I first started leaving.

 
Seeing them grow up into teenagers has been hard. I want to freeze time and make them stay the same but I know they have to grow up and have their own adventures and experiences.

 
As a senior, I remember being ready to be done with high school and move onto college. When I talked to Jared this wasn't the case. He knew things were never going to be the same, his friends were changing and moving away, life was changing, and there was no stopping time.

Jared looked so grown up and handsome in his cap and gown. I couldn't believe he was actually graduating and neither could he! I loved hearing his name announced and seeing him walk across the front of the stage to receive his diploma.

It was so fun to see him interact with Piper during the week. On Sunday during church, Piper and I sat next to Jared. Church with Piper is becoming hard. It falls during her nap time and she is a grouchy bear and wiggles and squirms the whole time. Several times she would cuddle up to him and lay on his arm. There was a time after cuddling his arm she climbed into his lap and gave him one of her rare opened mouthed kisses on the lips. It completely melted my heart and surprised Jared. He was so sweet with her!

The morning we were getting ready to leave, Jared was running out the door to go to his last Marine training before leaving for boot camp. I knew it was the last time I would see him in awhile. It was probably a good thing our goodbye was super rushed, otherwise I would have been a sobbing mess of tears. Saying goodbye to my family and leaving has always been hard for me.

Even now, just thinking of my baby brother makes me cry. I can't believe the man that he is turning into. My biggest fear is that he'll come back completely changed form the innocent, sweet Jared I know. I am so proud of him and pray he survives boot camp. I love you Jared!!!

The Scholastic Warehouse

Two weeks ago I went to a baby shower. While there, several women started talking about the Scholastic warehouse in Arlington. They said there was a giant sell going on. The books were selling for cheap, and by golly, I’m all about super cheap books. I love, Love, LOVE books! Growing up, my dream job was to work at Deseret Book, Seagull Book, or the library. However, none of these dream jobs ever came true, but my love of books has grown. If I had a choice I would read a book all day, every day.

After the shower, I came home and told Stephen I wanted to go. He agreed and we tried to put Piper down for a nap before going. Apparently our desires and Piper’s weren't the same. She did not want to take a nap, so instead of sitting around, we decided to skip the nap and go. Bad decision!

When I heard the word warehouse, I should have know it was going to be a huge but for some reason that thought never crossed my mind. It wasn’t until we were in the warehouse and started to weave back and forth through isles that I realized what I had dragged Stephen and Piper into.

There were books everywhere! There were carts full of books, tables of books, shelves of books, and boxes of books. I never thought I would be overwhelmed surrounded by so many books. In elementary school I remember the book fair coming to our school. It was always fun look at the books and buy a new one. Going to the Scholastic warehouse was a school book fair on steroids!

After 15 minutes, Stephen was ready to leave. He was definitely not enjoying himself as much as I was! Eventually Piper decided she was not having fun either. At one point she was super ornery so I decided to put her on the ground while I looked at a book. She enjoyed crawling down the long isle and pulling herself up to the shelves, however, that was bad decision #2!

Stephen picked up Piper and she was filthy! The pictures don’t even do her filthiness justice. Her hands, legs, face, and shirt were covered in dirt. I probably should have thought my decision though before putting her down.

It took lots of wipes to make that baby somewhat presentable again. After that, Stephen carried our screaming baby around while I looked at books. I think he sped through the warehouse as quickly as possible so he could get out of there sooner. Every so often, they would come looking for me and pop up among the shelves of books.

We spent over 3 hours in the warehouse! They almost had to kick us out to close up. Upon hearing about the sale, I never thought we’d spend almost the whole afternoon wandering through shelves of dirty books. In the end, they boxed up our books and sent us on our way. We bought several board books, pictures books, and books for me. Oh how I adore books!

Arkansas Visitors

Last month, Stephen’s parents and his Aunt Stacy were passing through Arlington on their way home to Arkansas. While they were here, they invited us to go to dinner with them at a Mongolian grill. When I heard where we were going I was not excited. I am not a big Asian food person but I am so glad I gave it a chance. It was amazing!!!

When you walked in the door, there was a buffet style table with different meats, vegetables, and sauces. You picked up a bowl and filled it with whatever you wanted. Then you took it over to the chefs and they grilled it for you. It was the best dinner ever! I am so ready to go back again. The next morning, they invited us to their hotel to eat breakfast with them before hitting the road.

While we were there, we couldn’t turn down the opportunity to jump in the pool for a quick dip. Unfortunately, the water wasn’t very warm and Piper’s lips were quivering. Stephen was so sweet to take her swimming.

Once Stephen and Piper were changed, we had to try out their awesome hotel beds. They had the comfiest beds ever and seriously who can turn down a giant stack of pillows! With a full stomach and a comfy bed, we were ready to take a nap. Piper was so comfy she had to take a nap! We had fun just laying there talking with them.

We sure love when family comes to visit!!!

A Trip to Georgia

The last week in March, my brother-in-law, Ben called me to thank us for his birthday present. While I was talking to him he casually asked if I had ever been to Georgia. No. He then told me, ‘You should come to Georgia.’ I laughed, and the conversation continued. A few minutes later he said it again. At that point, he asked me if I would like to come to Georgia in April for Kristen’s birthday. I was in shock! Of course I wanted to come. That night I talked to Stephen about it. When talking to Stephen about the trip I quickly realized that Ben and I had never talked about Piper going with me. Stephen told me I needed to work out the details with Ben.

The next day I called Ben. I was so nervous. I called him up and I was sweating like crazy. When I asked if he planned on Piper coming, he laughed and told me of course he was planning on her coming! Yep, I felt like an idiot! I was so excited. I was going to Georgia to see my sister!!!!

The afternoon of my flight to Atlanta, Stephen took me to the airport. I was worried about trying to get the stroller, car seat, diaper bag, and Piper on the airplane all by myself. I definitely had an armful! Thank goodness Stephen walked me into the airport and helped me to the ticket counter.

After Stephen left, the fiasco with security began. I walked through the metal detector with Piper in my arms. Because of this, they wanted to wipe my hands. A TSA worker had me leave all my stuff on the conveyor belt and walk over to a machine. She wiped my hands, and did her little test. The machine flashed and told her I had explosives on my hands!! She asked what I had on my hands. I had no idea. Next all our belongings had to be searched, wiped down, and tested for explosives. During this I wanted to explain that I am a stay at home mom. Heck, I don’t even own a gun!! How in the world could I have explosives on my hands. After everything, I had to be patted down all the while Piper is screaming her head off.

We finally left security just in time to hear that our plane was in its final boarding. I ran like a wild woman with the car seat, diaper bag, and Piper in her stroller. I arrived just in time and on the verge of tears. I was stressed out, tired, and ready be on that plane. Thank goodness a sweet lady saw I desperately needed help and jumped in.

On the way, I sat between two ladies who couldn’t be more different. One was super friendly and even asked to hold Piper at one point. The other didn’t even want Piper to touch her. She was practically sitting on the edge of her seat in the isle. I am so grateful for the people that helped me on that flight. I couldn’t have made the 2 hour flight without help.

Ben was there to pick me up at the airport in Atlanta. When we arrived at their apartment, Kristen and the kids had no idea we were coming. We set up Piper in her stroller outside their door, Ben knocked, and we ran to hid in the bushes. I loved seeing their reaction!! I felt like a little schoolgirl laughing in the bushes. They had no idea who the baby was and at one point Kristen asked Piper, “Who are you? Are you Piper?” It was so good to see Kristen, Ben, Reese, Benson, and Tanner. We had so much fun spending time with them.

Unfortunately, Piper was grouchy most of the time we were there. Her top two teeth were starting to come in. I sure hate those darn teeth! They make her so ornery and whiney. It was so fun seeing Benson and Reese interact with Piper. Benson wanted nothing to do with Piper when we first arrived. He walked around calling her a ‘he.’ At one point, he even called her ‘Steve.’ She definitely looks enough like Stephen to be dubbed Steve!

Piper was in love with all the toys in Benson and Reese’s bedroom. There were so many different toys for her to play with. She would crawl into their bedroom and go from one toy to the next. One of her favorite toys was the kitchen with all the pots and pans she could bang together. Piper is overly sensitive to noises, to the point of  being ridiculous. Anytime she needed a break from all the loud noises, Benson and Reese’s bedroom was the place to go.

We didn’t venture out too much while we were there. With 4 little kids constantly taking naps it was hard to get out. I had so much fun just chatting with Kristen. I loved having someone around to constantly talk to. I loved their apartment complex! While there we took lots of walks and played outside on the swings.

I think Stephen missed us a little while we were away. The first day he enjoyed being able to do whatever he wanted, but it quickly got old. Thank goodness for cell phones. We even got to facetime with him early one morning. I think he mostly missed his little girl. 

The day before we left, we went bowling. I haven’t been bowling in ages and had so much fun. I started out doing well but my good streak starting going downhill quickly. Good thing the game ended when it did, otherwise I might have lost!

I sure am glad Kristen had a birthday so I could go to Georgia. I couldn’t ask for a better older sister. She does so much for her little family and is such an example to me. I am so glad Ben called and asked if I wanted to come visit Georgia. It was the best trip ever. Being in Georgia made me realize all the things Stephen does to help me. Taking care of Piper by myself all week was a lot of work and made me appreciate him more.

The plane ride back to Dallas was a long one. Piper and I were both tired and ready to be done flying. We were sad to leave our family in Georgia. The minute we walked in the door, I immediately remembered how lonely it was again in our little, quiet apartment. There were no rambunctious 4 and 2 year old playing, no sweet little baby who willingly smiles, and no sister to constantly talk to. I am so grateful for my family and for letting us spend a week with them. We had so much fun with you!!!