Why so Sad???

We were just hanging out and playing... Hoping to make Blake laugh, but I guess we had the opposite affect.

Now... don't think we are horrible parents because we kept doing it! And don't listen to my voice on here... I hate myself on camera!

The dreaded day

So... the day finally came for me to go to Jury Duty... NO! I had been dreading this day for about a month since I got the summons in the paper. Is it just me or does everyone's stomach sink just a bit when they see that red, white and blue paper in their mailbox?

The biggest worry for me now was the idea of what I was going to do with Blake?! I got a summons for a Wednesday.... Hello?! Wednesday?! If it had been a Friday my dad could have watched him for him but not on Wednesday.

So Tuesday night I call in and they tell me I have to report... but not until noon. That was the only positive thing. So Wednesday I wake up, get ready and Blake is spending the day with mom (while she attempts to get some work done, hoping that I don't really have to be there until 5:00 like they say). I find my way downtown, park, walk what seems like 10 miles to the actual courthouse, sign-in and begin the waiting process...... and wait, and wait, and wait. They finally call a few people. They then say that they are not going to need EVERYONE (good news) and begin to release people... and they release a few more. We are left with a room of about 25 people, which I am sitting in and continue sitting in until 4:45pm!

Needless to say... it was a LONG, BORING day wherein I accomplished nothing. I LOVE JURY DUTY! But I am done for at least 18 months and I fulfilled by civic duty... just not quite with a smile.

A day full of LOVE

Of course this little guy is the reason there is SO much LOVE in our house right now and we spent the day celebrating him! He got all dressed up in his red vest (thanks cousin Preston) and went to church and then we came home and just played and laughed and cuddled together... what more could we have asked for!

It was a perfect day.... completely filled with LOVE!

On another note... I do want to say that I have the best Valentine ever... Dan is the best husband and dad that I could have ever hoped for. He works so hard for us and loves us both so much. He does so many things for us and I am a pretty luck girl!

Great.....Grandma and Grandpa

Blake (and us) had a chance to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Petersen for a little while as they were on their way down to spend some time in a little bit warmer climate. They live in Utah but were getting a little tired of all of the snow so decided they were going to go and visit their children (Dan's mom and dad) in Arizona for a bit!

This was a great chance for us to spend the evening with them and for them to have some time with Blake and finally get to meet him. It is always fun for him to meet new people but this one was even more special as he was filling the gap of generations....

Three Months Old

Feb. 6, 2010....15.6lbs (at home?)

Three months already... I can't believe how fast the time is going...even though everyone told me it would. We are halfway through the six months that we have to wait until everything is final with the adoption and that is exciting. We had your third visit with the social worker and all checked out...Yeah! You are growing bigger everyday it seems and just getting more and more cute. I can hardly stand it.

* You definitely have the sleeping through the night down and we thank you for that!

* You are eating 5oz every 3 hours...(healthy eater for sure)

* You are wearing 3mo or 3-6 months clothes... You have outgrown all of the newborn and 0-3 month stuff

* You are wearing size 1-2 diapers

* You love to smile and we love to try to make you smile (no laughing yet though!)

* You have had your first night in a hotel (Sedona) and saw your first snow (Williams, AZ)

* You love to "talk" all the time and have tons to say

We will see what the next month brings us..

Eight years later

Feb. 2, 2002

We were married in the Los Angeles Temple eight years ago today! Time goes by so fast and life sure gives you some surprises. We never knew what we were in store for but we are so thankful for the things that have come our way and the experiences and events we have been able to share so far in our lives together.

It is so great to be able to enjoy each day with your best friend and really get to know each other. We are blessed to have been able to grow with each other and have such special times as just the two of us.....

We now embark on a new journey as a family and are excited about that. We never thought that it would take us almost 8 years of marriage before we were here but we are sure it was perfect timing and are excited about the future. Here is to 888 more wonderful years together....

Our family now... Feb. 2, 2010

On our way home from Arizona we decided that we would spend the night in Sedona and then come through Williams on our way back home. This would be our little way of celebrating our anniversary and just being able to get away alone for a little bit. It was a great plan and we had a wonderful evening in Sedona and time on the way home. Blake does such a great job in the car and we hope that he continues to like the car so that we can take car trips with him for years to come!

Our Hotel... The Kokopelli Inn

Blake (giving mom and evil eye) and Mommy waiting for dad to get the "perfect sunset shot"

GOT IT!!

Walking around Sedona...doing some shopping

First Snow... Williams, AZ

AZ: Meeting MORE Family

We found out that Maile and the kids were going to be at mom and dad's house for a visit and we hadn't seen them in what seemed like forever, and of course she hadn't had a chance to meet Blake yet, so it seemed perfect that we would make a trip to cover all our bases.

The weekend turned out almost perfect.... Mike wasn't able to come with Maile for the visit and Steve had another commitment down in Tucson so he didn't come up with Amy either.... Other than that, everyone was all together and it was a blast. It was also great to have all of the little cousins together for the first time. We are pretty sure grandma and grandpa were in Heaven!

Oldest grandchild...Ellie (Mike & Maile's daughter)

Oldest grandson ... Benjamin (Mike and Maile's son)

Preston...(Steve and Amy's son)

Newest grandchild...Blake (Dan and Aranne's son) (with Aunt Katie!)

Sleep Tight

Out little guy is such a great sleeper... When he turned two months old (Jan. 6th) we decided we would put him in his crib in the other room and give it a try. He had just a few nights of waking up once still but since then it has been full night sleeps!

I wasn't sure how long he was really sleeping so last week I kept a log and really wanted to see how long he was sleeping... was I shocked!

MONDAY: 1/18 - 9:30 - 6:30.. a bottle.. then back from 7 - 8:30
TUESDAY:1/19 - 9:45 - 7:20... a bottle... then back from 8:05 - 9:00
WEDNESDAY:1/20 - 10:00 - 6:00...a bottle...then back from 7:20 - 9:30
THURSDAY:1/21 - 9:45 - 6:30... a bottle... then back from 7:15 - 7:45
FRIDAY:1/22 - 10:30 - 7:30... no return sleep (daddy got up with him and got him too excited!)

SATURDAY: 1/23 - 10:30 - 6:30 ...a bottle...then back from 7:00 - 8:30
SUNDAY: 1/24 - 10:00 - 8:30...had to get up for church at 9:00! 

We are so blessed to have this little guy in our lives and so blessed that at only 2-2 2/1 months old he is doing so well and mostly on his own... He is great during the day too... Sleeps some, plays some.... The best part is that because he sleeps so good I love to get him up in the mornings! He is happy, and smiles and it is the best time of the day! Lets hope that continues....

I Pledge....

Did you see the Oprah Show today? What an eye opening show. Now.. I know that most people, if we are being honest, are guilty of talking or texting while we are driving from place to place. I know that I am one of those people. I am usually good about not texting, but talking I am for sure guilty of. Well... I am taking Oprah's challenge and deciding today that I will no longer be doing so in the car while driving.

I was shocked at some of the stories on her show today. It was sad, scary, and just plain unbelievable some of the things that were pointed out on the show. Mostly, it is the fact that it is all preventable and I hope to be able to do my part. I hope that others will follow along.

Read about Distracted Driving from Oprah HERE and please take the No Phone Zone Challenge and help save lives!

Friendly Visit

Over the weekend we were able to spend some time with our friends Josh, Kirsten and their new baby Jett (who is four months old).  They use to live here in Vegas but now live in UT and just came down for a visit. It was great to see them and to be able to meet their new little guy and have them meet ours... too fun.

 

We had great whether so we decided to take the boys down to Town Square and hang out in the sun... especially since UT is so cold right now.

 

We all had a great visit and we are sure that these two boys will have lots of fun getting to know each other and end up in plenty of trouble together in the future!

Two Months Old!!

 Two months old

 

 Jan. 6, 2010

I can't believe you are two months old today! We took you to the doctor today and you got your first set of shots. Lets just say you were not excited, but you were a good boy and cried for only a little bit. The doctor said you were healthy and to "keep feeding him"... he said you were going to grow up big and strong and not to worry that you are in the 90% for your weight right now! He also said that when you were lying on the table you looked more like a 3-4 month old, not a 2 month old. That's my boy, taking after his daddy and going to be big and strong!

In the last month you have changed and grown so much. It is amazing to watch and see all of the things that you are learning and all of the things that you are able to do. You are so much more alert and so strong too.

* You are eating 4-5oz every 3-4 hours (as your daddy would say "it takes a lot of food to stay this fat")
* You have outgrown the newborn diapers (Dec. 23rd) and are now wearing size 1
* You have outgrown most of the newborn clothes and are wearing either 0-3 months or just plain 3 months. Some of the 3 months are still a little big, but that is okay.
* You are sleeping a lot longer with only once a night feeding.
* You like to swing now and you also like to play in your play mat and can focus on the toys that hang.
* You just started smiling FOR REAL now and that melts our hearts!