And Then There Were Two...

Change Is Good

2011-09-27T02:03:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy. I guess that's to be expected when you have a 3 year old and a 3 month old. :) Seriously though, we moved and had a baby. Now how do my husband and I get in a date by ourselves??

About moving: We are finally out of our apartment! We found a house to rent just a few miles away, and although we had to change wards, we're excited. It's has 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, two car garage, and a backyard. Something Alyssa has never had. When I asked her shortly after moving in if she wanted to go play in the backyard, she said, "What's a backyard?" Sad but true!

About the baby: Madison! She was born June 18th, and weighed in at 7lbs, 10oz. Now she's 3 months old, smiles, laughs, and sleeps through the night. So wonderful. Although, while giving birth the second time may have been much, much, much easier, learning how to juggle two kids still requires a pretty big learning curve.

Alyssa Update: Funny Phrases

2011-02-23T21:56:00.000-08:00

Kids are amazing! They grow so fast and learn so much, that it can really take you by surprise. I don't know how many words my 2 1/2 year-old knows, or how high she can count, or even how many letters of the alphabet she knows, because it changes every day. I came across a website that talked about how many words your kid should be able to speak/understand by certain ages, and it just made me laugh! How and when could you count that? For instance, Alyssa doesn't learn new words, she learns new phases! I think she hears them, practices them in her head, and then just adds them in during a conversation. How could I count that? Too funny. For example, last night we were building a castle out of big Lego blocks and she said, "Hey Mommy, I just got a really great idea!!" Then she proceded to tell me how to put a door on the castle. It just surprised me. Last week another new phase she learned was, "Excuse me, can I do something please?" Very sweet!

The most hilarious thing I've heard her say lately though had to be while driving in the car on the way to Colorado Springs last week. Shawn slammed on the brakes at one point, and as her body jerked forward a bit, she exclaimed, "HOLY CRAP!!" We couldn't stop laughing! She got a pretty big kick out of that, so I'm sure we'll be hearing it again... at least it was "crap" instead of a different four letter word beginning with "s," although "holy cow" might have been a slightly better choice.

Lovely language choices aside, I was just thinking the other day about other ways my little girl has been growing. Alyssa only has doctor's appointments once a year now--provided we don't have any emergencies and she doesn't get sick or anything--and it made me realize that I had no idea how much she weighs or how tall she is or anything like that! (Somewhat necessary...) So just for fun we did a mini-physical today, checking her weight, height, and even how big that big 'ole head of her's is. :) Looks like even though she is thinning out, getting taller, and looking more like a little girl every day instead of a baby, not much has really changed with how she's growing.

(Just in case you're curious too, here's what I found out.)
For Alyssa at 2 years and 8 months:
Weight: 36 pounds
Percentile: 94
Height: 38 inches or 3 feet 2 inches
Percentile: 84
Head: 20 inches
Percentile: 95

We're Having Another Girl!

2011-02-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

I had my 20 week ultrasound on Monday morning, and I'm excited to announce that we're having another girl! Everything looks great so far, 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a beating heart. :) My original due date was June 19th, but according to the ultrasound, the baby is measuring about a week behind. I did lose about 20lbs (only gained 3 or 4 back) so who knows, that may have something to do with it. I had a three month ultrasound and they said the baby was measuring a day behind then. The earlier the ultrasound, the more accurate it is supposed to be, so we'll see.

We have another appointment (24-week blood glucose test) on February 28th, when they'll do another ultrasound to make sure that our baby girl is growing like she should be. We'll keep you posted!

Do You Love Getting Mail?

2010-12-01T14:12:00.000-08:00

Letters, packages, magazines, and postcards. With the exception of junk mail and bills, I completely love getting mail! Maybe I need more excitement in my life, but it's kind of fun isn't it? I have no problem braving the wind and snow--which so often plague Cheyenne--just to pay a visit to the mailbox. So, when something comes my way, it really makes my day! And today, that person is my little brother. Ammon has been on a mission for just under two weeks, and I've sent a couple of things his way, so I was excited when I checked the mail today and noticed a small envelope from Provo, UT! The first letter of what will hopefully be many. How nice! And speaking of mail... Christmas is coming! If any of you have written to missionaries during the holidays(and even if you haven't), I would love to hear any mail-able gift ideas you might have!

(Christmas also usually means Christmas Cards are coming. If you'd like to get a card from us please email me your address at shilynn.garrett@gmail.com. Thanks! I hope this little post puts a smile on your face when you go to check the mail today.)

Family and Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T23:36:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving wasn't a big affair this year, and I can't help but to admit that I'm kind of glad! I made raspberry pie and cream cheese pumpkin rolls (which were mandatory growing up!), but other than that I didn't do very much. I've been feeling a little tired these days I guess, although we've been really busy. I flew to Washington over the weekend for my Dad's 60th birthday. I also got to spend time with my brother, his fiance, and my nephew! We had a great time, but I don't think they cared too much for the 10"+ of snow they seemed to think I "brought with me"! (I made sure to say "You're welcome!" every chance I got!) I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it on a flight back, but I ended up not having any trouble at all. What a blessing!! I really did not want to spend the night in the airport, for more reasons then one.

Anyway, being that today was the day after Thanksgiving I was really excited! Not for shopping--don't think I could manage that with my two-year-old while my husband was working, but for decorating!! We always put up Christmas decorations right after Thanksgiving, and I don't know why, but it makes me feel like a little kid on Christmas morning!! I just think the whole season is wonderful. Sorry if my optimisum is making you sick! I just really appreciate how people seem to try just a little bit harder to be more kind, considerate, and giving towards others. (Unless you count shopping on Black Friday!) So Happy Holidays to everyone!

Pretty In Pink

2010-11-17T21:55:00.000-08:00

A month or two ago I took a bunch of pictures of Alyssa and I just realized I didn't post them! So everything looks nice and green, but really there's snow on the ground! :) Anyway, we shot some more pictures, just outside our apartment. This time I let her take a purse, and her favorite stuffed animal, "Nunny," just to see how she'd react. We ended up having a lot of fun! Props are definitely a plus! Enjoy.

My Brother the Missionary!

2010-11-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

So today my little brother Ammon entered the MTC! I can hardly believe it. I was just adjusting to the idea that he graduated from high school, and now he's going on a mission! It feels like time is going by so fast. I'm sure the next two years will go by quickly too. Ammon was called to serve in the Argentina Cordoba Mission. He will be in the MTC for two months, before he moves on to Argentina, which means he will be spending Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's in the MTC. (Before he left I made sure to make him pumpkin rolls and raspberry pie since he'll have to do without the next two years!) As funny as it sounds I have already been collecting things to send him. Many of them are them silly things like "Missionary Language Pills" (which look an awful lot like really jelly beans...), and Missionary stationary. I've been looking for little things to make him feel at home--especially around the holidays--like a tiny Christmas tree. I've also read some fun gift ideas such as doing the Twelve Days of Christmas: Missionary style. If any of you have any ideas on what to send a missionary, please let me know--I would love to hear them! And congratulations Ammon!!

The Family That Plays Together Stays Together!

2010-09-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

Lately it has been all about arts and crafts at our place. We've done the usual: crayons, colored pencils, markers and play dough, to the unusual: modeling clay, paper bag puppets, leaf impressions, whole body tracing, and now most recently, fingerpainting. Alyssa is one of those girls who doesn't really like to get dirty, so I think this project was a little bit of a challenge for her!

In the beginning, everytime paint touched her finger, hand, arm, face, the table, or the wall, she would say, "Uh oh--towel!!" Or "Uh oh--wipe!!" (In trying to raise a clean child, have I created a monster?!) Alyssa was even unsure about whether or not it was actually okay to put her hand and fingers in the bowls of paint, but once she got the hang of it, she was all for it! What a fun day.

Now I'd love to hear from you! I'm always looking for new fun arts and crafts projects, so if any of you have any comments, ideas, stories, or suggestions for fun kid projects I'd love to hear them!

Photography: The Solution to a Challenge

2010-09-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

Last month I did a post with a few pictures of Alyssa a few days after a day I was feeling particularly down. I'd just found out that I'd had a miscarriage at about two months pregnant, and I did the only thing I could think of after some time alone. I sought comfort in the daughter I had been blessed with. Shawn and I had been trying to have another baby for almost a year, and I think the stress of what I felt was personal failure finally exploded when I got the news.

Sometimes (or frequently) things happen in my life, and in all of our lives, that we can't control. In my case, I took a step back to evaluate the situation, and I discovered something wonderful. (Not just a new fun hobby) A greater appreciation for the things I have been given. Not to say that I didn't cry and yell and scream because I did. And yes, for a little while I was mad at every pregnant woman I saw, but you know what? I believe that things happen for a reason, and even if I don't know the reason right now, that doesn't mean there isn't one.

One of the things I truly know now is that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us. It's a master plan, which includes master timing--not Shilynn's timing. (He told me that if it was Shilynn's timing, it would take forever--which is true--so it's better that he's in charge.) Being with my family isn't just a convenient way to spend time. Appreciating them and being with them is a mandatory part of becoming a family. Becoming the "together forever" kind of family that we want to be.

Fun At The Park

2010-08-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

Today was kind of a tough day--lots of personal challenges I guess you could say... Alyssa was still feeling pretty sick this morning, but after a nice long nap she seemed to be feeling much better! So we went to the park to celebrate. It was just the pick-me-up we were looking for.

Sick Little Girl

2010-08-09T20:43:00.001-07:00

Do things ever slow down? Looking back at all the drafts I have is making me feel quite guilty! So... how's this? I'm just going to start from today.

Today was the second day my daughter Alyssa (now 2)had a fever between 103 and 104. I'm sure most of you can empathize with me when I say that these are not numbers I want to see. One of the worst things about having a sick kid is having a sick kid that you can't take care of at home...

Today also happened to be the day that maintenance had to be done on our air conditioner, which has been working on and off for the last week or two(80-90 degrees lately). So, we had to be out of our apartment from 9AM to 5PM, which is pretty much the entire day. With a sick child. Who didn't get to take much of a nap. *Sigh*

Trying to keep a positive attitude, I told myself, "Hey, it's just for one day." Wrong. We came home and it looked like they did nothing. We got a phone call shortly afterward letting us know they're going to come back on Wednesday and "finish up". Argh...

Again trying to have a positive attitude, I thought, "Well I'm sure she'll be better by then and it won't be a problem to be gone all day again." Wait, let me think about this for a second... she still has a fever, has stopped eating, is very irritable, and has tiny blisters on the back of her throat. This is going to be a few days.

Anyway, I'm going to give her Dr. a call tomorrow to make sure it's not Strep, but researching online makes it sound like Herpangina--which can last up to two weeks. LOL. Somedays a good laugh will fix everything, or at least I keep hoping. Long story shorter, after the unfortunate experience of trying to forcefeed medicine to my screaming toddler, she may have swallowed enough to help her sleep tonight. She's been asleep for 90 minutes, so I'm going to keep praying! Last night she only slept on and off from 1AM-8AM, so this is definitely an improvement.

On the plus side, I got the digital camera I ordered on Friday in the mail today. After months of not having one, it's very nice.

Phoenix Vacation!!

2010-05-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

After weeks of planning, this past weekend I had the opportunity to take Alyssa on her first airplane! My sister Dora who lives in Anthem, AZ, was getting her MBA from the University of Phoenix, and it worked out that Alyssa and I were able to go. Although it didn't work out for Shawn to get Friday off and come with us, he was able to take Thursday off. With his Denver DIA badge, which allows him to go all the way to the gate, he was a real life-saver!! Things got a little crazy, but having two parents at the airport was a huge relief.

Because of this trip, I've come to realize that Alyssa is a great traveler. No, amazing. When we weren't able to get on any of the three flights we tried for on Thursday (We fly free, but on standby as a perk of Shawn's job.), I thought several hours just waiting at the airport was going to be a nightmare. That wasn't the case at all. Alyssa was more than happy to entertain herself by wrestling and chasing a little boy, sharing her crayons with a couple little girls, endlessly riding escalators and moving sidewalks, and enjoying DIA's tram. When I worried about how she would handle lifting off and touching down on the plane, she surprised me by barely even noticing. When I tried to figure out how to juggle all of our luggage and her, she surprised me again by pulling her own carry-on (a duck backpack with wheels and a handle) and running right beside me. It was too cute for words. I felt like the luckiest mom in the whole world!

When we landed in Phoenix, Dora picked us up at the airport and after the three of us looked all over for Alyssa's checked car seat, we were off! Dora had tons of activities planned, and Alyssa was ready to go!! (After a quick snooze in the car of course. Anthem is ruffly an hour north of Phoenix on I-17.) We took a dip in the pool, did some shopping, went to graduation, rode on a train, splashed on a waterpad, and played at the park. All and all, a great time.

(On the flight back to Denver on Sunday morning, she excitedly shouted, "Wow! Wow!" as the plane lifted off the ground, and entertained all the flight attendants with "Hi. Hi. HI. HI. HIII!!! HIII!!!!" :) Like I said, a great traveler--and what a perfect Mother's Day gift.)

A Little Decorating Fun

2009-11-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

As part of my calling as the 1st counselor in Young Womens, I had the opportunity to help with Young Women in Excellence this year. We decided to go with the theme "Be thou an example," and so everything was "bee" related from the invitations, to the decorations, color schemes, and even my part--dessert of course. :) I made two beehive cakes, three if you count the practice cake (yes I know I'm crazy), and did a little on the spot decorating of a few other delicious desserts Sister Larson (our President) made. Here's a photo walk-through.

Shawn helped pick the beehive cake colors and helped make most of these bees so that was wonderful. I never could have done it all myself. In the end, it was a ton of work, and we didn't see our kitchen for a couple weeks, but it was completely worth it and so fun!

Happy Halloween and Happy Anniversary!

2009-11-12T19:13:00.001-08:00

We had a lot of fun this Halloween. I made Alyssa a cute princess costume from a hand-me-down dress and purse, along with a wand, crown, and a few rhinestone stickers for decoration. I donned my chef outfit from culinary school, and with Shawn the three of us headed off to our ward Trunk-or-Treat party. Unfortunately, the snow was really coming down hard, so everyone was moved inside for trick-or-treating. Alyssa loved the idea of going classroom-to-classroom getting candy, as well as giving it out to other kids. It was really fun for Shawn and I just to get to watch her, especially compared to last year when she was just a few months old. With all the craziness of the blizzard, we didn't take any pictures, so we let her go to our neighbors so we could share a few snapshots with you. Enjoy!

What a goofball!

She still wants to take her purse everywhere.

Discovering a serious addiction to M&Ms!

Also on another happy note... Shawn and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary yesterday. So happy anniversary Sweetheart--Thank you for three wonderful years! I know we can look forward to many, many, more to come.

'Tis the season... wait, not yet it isn't!

2009-10-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

I can accept that summer is over and that fall really is here, but I'm definitely not ready for winter yet! That's right, we already have snow! How ridiculous is that?! I guess I shouldn't be surprised since this is our second year here. Like it or not, winter has started--at least in Cheyenne, WY.

Our parking lot around 8PM on Friday night...

...and a video of the huge difference in the morning!

Alyssa with snow piled up on either side of her.

We should have used a broom instead of the ice scraper!

We're thinking we may have gotten just under a foot just overnight!
Alyssa "helping".

Believe it or not, my arm is resting on top of the car.
A very excited little girl marching through the snow.

Anyone care to switch us places? You'd have to be pretty big snow fans! The crazy part is that we're barely three weeks into fall.

Our Little Helper

2009-08-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

The older Alyssa gets the more she loves to help, and although her idea of helping is sometimes different from ours... She has really blessed our lives in more ways than we can count. So what better way to show just how much help we get--than to post pictures! Over the last few days we caught her in action. Thought you might like these. Enjoy!

Alyssa loves to do laundry! She dumps in the soap...

and puts the quarters in too!

Sometimes we go for walks around the corner...

and she gets the mail!

She even helps her Daddy eat chocolate chip cookie dough!!

Walk, Walk, Walk!

2009-07-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

Since taking her first steps on Father's Day, Alyssa has been working really hard on walking and now has some serious results to show for it!! She loves to practice walking from Mommy to Daddy and back. It's really surprised us that she is learning so fast--Enjoy the videos and see for yourself!!

It's Official--Alyssa is a toddler!!

2009-07-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

I usually wait until I take Alyssa in for her doctors appointment before I write her age updates, but her next appointment with Dr. Lang isn't until she's almost 13 months--and I'm sure you want to see pictures in addition to the videos of her first birthday!! We celebrated by throwing a little party for her with her Aunts Becca & Kat. Here are some pictures of the fun.
Opening Presents!! Clothes, toys, and barrettes...

Alyssa's cakes: a Barbie Princess Cake to look pretty and a little leaning cake for her to destroy!

Stages of cake: neat, messy, and disaster area!

In the end, everyone was happy and had a great time, and Alyssa even got squeaky clean before bed!

One Year Today!!

2009-07-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Alyssa's very first birthday! Can you believe it's been a year already? Here are three videos from her party--She made a pretty cute mess! Pictures coming soon!

Happy Father's Day and First Steps!!

2009-06-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I hope everyone had a great Father's Day. We definitely did. After church two of my sisters Becca and Kat came up and we had a big dinner to celebrate... and, after dinner, Alyssa gave Shawn the best present we could think of--Here's a short video of her taking her first steps on Father's Day! Enjoy!

The Best Mother's Day Gift!

2009-06-01T22:49:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned recently how much I love my Mother's Day gift? Seriously! Shawn got me this book below. It's Mark Mabry's new Reflections of Christ book. Ever since I went to Time Out For Women and heard him talk about his life, I've been a huge fan. He is a wonderful photographer, and his work is amazing.

Needless to say it was the perfect gift--Thanks babe! Check out his website sometime, or this great slideshow. http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

Just a quick car update

2009-06-01T20:04:00.001-07:00

(See May 16th for the original post.)
Here's a picture of the damage to the Concorde from my little fender-bender; the total damage was $1,786.00! After almost a month of waiting and making calls (mostly waiting) I found out that Farmer's IS going to pay for all the damage to the car, and we won't have to pay a cent--hooray!! This is great news considering we didn't have $500 sitting around to pay Progressive for the deductible, but who does right?!

I also found out that it's scheduled to go into the shop on Monday, June 15th, and it should be done by Friday the 19th, so that's great news. We also get a rental car for free too, but if it takes longer than three days there's more paperwork. As long as it will finally get taken care of, that's all that matters!

Sariah's Graduation

2009-05-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

My sister Sariah graduated from High School on May 22nd, and of my seven siblings I grew up with she is the second to last. These are pictures from the ceremony and the party at the Lewis' house the day after.

Anyway, all eight of us were able to make it to Colorado to see her graduate so it was like a graduation and a family reunion in one!
The Guys: Derek, Adam, Jacob, Ammon, & Shawn

The Girls: Kat, Becca, Sariah, Shilynn, Alyssa, & Dora

We had lots of house guests so with Shawn, Alyssa, and myself plus half my siblings, our two-bedroom, one-bath apartment felt pretty small!! We had a great time though, and were thrilled they were all able to come.

Back At Work

2009-05-31T19:43:00.001-07:00

I'm back at work!! (Not that I haven't been working for the last 10 or 11 months--If you have kids you know what I mean!) Shawn and I recently decided that now would be a good time for me to get a part time job, as we could really use the money to pay off some old debt we've been trying to get rid of.

My previous employer, Bank of the West, is hiring here in Cheyenne for a part-time 20-hours a week teller, and after interviewing I got the job! I'm excited to be back in banking; I have almost four years experience to date in this field. Right now I'm working Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week at their downtown branch.

As far as taking care of Alyssa, Shawn has Mondays off, so he gets a whole day every week to spend one-on-one time with her which he loves. One of my friends from church who has two daughters (a 4-year old & a 7-month old) watches her on Wednesdays and Fridays, so everything is really working out. I also still get Alyssa all to myself on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so that keeps me sane. I started on Friday, May 22nd, and after a week I'm still hanging in there so that's a good sign! Wish us luck!

Easter Exposure!

2009-05-30T20:59:00.001-07:00

I still have so much I need to post--I hardly know where to start! This is a video of Alyssa on Easter. She pulls up her dress and laughs a lot, so I thought it might be kinda cute to share. Recently, we've been trying to get a picture or video of her standing and pushing her walker around the living room, but she hasn't done it lately darn it! Enjoy.

Guess Who Got In A Fender Bender

2009-05-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, that was me. While on my way to go get my haircut yesterday(I went afterward and I love it!), I had someone hit me. Lovely huh? Luckily it was just me in the car, no one was injured, and the damage wasn't too severe. Damage wise, there's an 8 to 10-inch long by 1-inch wide dent just under the gas tank door. There's also a line of blue paint above the dent, and some paint chipping. Not pretty, but totally drivable. The other vehicle had pretty much no damage. I've heard that when the accident is not your fault, you don't have to pay the deductible? I hope that's true! Our insurance just went down too though--dang!! Anyway, here's what happened.

I pulled up to a two-way stop at same time as a big blue dodge pickup. I was going straight, and he was turning. I waited to see if he was going to go (even though I had the right of way, didn't I?), and when he didn't--I went. He then decided he would go after I started going. WHY?! I think I know the answer... I was driving the Concorde at the time so there was pretty much no chance to swerve out of the way. The other driver had plenty of time though, and had he not been TALKING ON A CELL PHONE he would have heard me honking my horn and screaming at him!! As I said, thank goodness no one was hurt. Anyway, I gave him my insurance info, although I didn't get his because it wasn't his truck and he couldn't find it. Doesn't the entire world keep their car insurance and registration info in the glove box? Seriously. Okay, maybe also above the visor, but it should be right there, if you have insurance... Anyway, he was a really nice guy, and even offered to pay for it out of pocket since he couldn't find the info, but I told him it was fine, no worries. Progressive is going to hook me up with Enterprise on Monday, and take our car to a local repair shop, so the whole thing should get straightened out and fixed quickly. On the bright side, hopefully we'll get a sweet rental car!

Easter!

2009-04-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday it was unsurprisingly cold and cloudy outside, and Alyssa is still a little too young for most easter activities like dying or looking for eggs anyway. Instead we gave her a cute little stuffed animal/bunny and a few plastic eggs with candy in them and let her shake them. It seemed fun to her so I guess that works. Too bad she won't be this easy to please in the years to come!

We also found an old bunny costume in some things from Shawn's parents, so we dressed her up in it and let her terrorized the cat. It was a pretty fun day.

We also took her to church as usual and let her show off her Easter dress. Pretty cute huh? She even stood against the wall for a few minutes for pictures!

Nine Months!

2009-04-01T13:44:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I'm doing this post already; it's amazing. Well, as you can tell Alyssa is growing up, getting chubby, and smiling constantly--all things little girls are supposed to do I'm sure.
We found out at her nine-month checkup that she is still growing like crazy. She is 20lbs, 11oz (85th percentile), and 29 3/4 inches (97th

percentile). What a chunk!

Alyssa has six teeth in all now. Since the two lower central incisors she had at her six-month check-up, she also cut four more--her upper central and lateral incisors. She's had some pain understandably, but we usually give her teething tablets which disolve instantly and work great!

She started trying to crawl around the beginning of March, although she was pretty much just dragging herself across the floor at that point. I've been told it's called army crawling, or "doing the wounded soldier." :) Now she does crawl about half the time, but she's not completely sold on the idea yet. She also is pulling up on the furniture, and has figured out how to get off the couch safely. She'll take steps if she is holding someone's hands, but not on her own...thank goodness!

She babbles quite a bit to herself, but the only recognizable sounds are "Dada" "Muma" and "hey," but she doesn't associate them with anything. Other than that she just shrieks and giggles! Some of her favorite things to do are emptying her toybox, stealing the cat's toys, waving hi and bye-bye, taking her socks and shoes off, crawling after people, and playing peek-a-boo. She has come a long way in nine-months, and we're constantly learning. We're so grateful to have our little Lyssa!

Time Out For Women!

2009-03-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Shawn's mom, Renee, invited me to go to Time Out For Women. If you've never been, it's exactly what it sounds like--a break for women! The event was took place at the Denver Merchandise Mart the evening of Friday, March 6th, and most of the day Saturday. We listened to many great motivational speakers and several amazing musical performers. We had such a wonderful time. My sister Becca, Renee's sister Theresa, and Shawn's sister Rachelle, and his niece Jessica all also got to come, and Alyssa and Shawn even joined us at the hotel later. Thank you Renee for the great idea and organizing everything, and thanks to everyone who was able to be there!

As a side note, Shawn and I got to go to the Denver Temple the following weekend--thanks to the Primary Presidency who babysat for the whole ward. I forgot my recommend and clothes too somehow, but thankfully our bishop was there to bail me out of that mess!

Garden of the Gods

2009-03-06T09:43:00.001-08:00

The next few weeks before our trip to Washington at the end of March seem like they'll be busy ones! The last weekend in February, Shawn, Alyssa, and I had the opportunity to visit our friends Cris and Steph in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We missed them since they moved there around the beginning of the year, and when they invited us down we were excited!

It was a great time! We ate at a few local restaurants, took a tour of the area, and went to Garden of the Gods. If you've never been there, it's worth it to take a trip to this beautiful and scenic part of the Springs.

There is a lot to do there including horseback riding, hiking, camping, and rock climbing. We spent most of our time on the trails, although we also got to stop by the visitor's center to look around.

The scenery all around the natural landmark was fantastic. The fourth picture show the amazingly blue Colorado skies. I have to admit Cheyenne certainly doesn't have the many beautiful colors Colorado Springs does.

We aren't planning to move anytime soon, but if we were, we decided we'd have to consider this area for sure. In all it was a wonderful trip and time well spent! One last thing--while looking up things we could do on our next trip there, I found this website that has more info on Garden of the Gods. It seemed helpful, so if you're interested in going there yourself here it is:

http://www.gardenofgods.com/parkinfo/

Don't use the word "spake" in front of four-year-olds!

2009-02-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

I have a quick and shockingly funny story for you about something that happened at church on Sunday. I don't know if I've mentioned it before but Shawn and I teach the CTR 5 class (meaning the kids will turn five sometime during the year). We take turns teaching between the two of us, so Shawn does it one week and I do it the next. Anyway, it was my turn to teach. During the lesson I was helping one of the kids read from the bible in the book of Luke. The verse began "The prophet spake unto the people..." But before I could finish, two little boys said, "SPANK?! HE SPANKED HIM?!" I tried unsuccessfully not to laugh as I explained the difference between "spake" and "spank." When the whole class erupted into giggles, the two boys jumped up and began slapping their backsides saying, "SPANK! SPANK!" I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do! How did this get out of control so fast? Then before I realized what was happening, one of the little boys took down his pants and proceeded to slap his bare backside to the whole class! I think my eyes literally almost popped out of my head. I was so shocked that I dropped the binder I had in my hands. Wow, we've had snacks, tears, and nosebleeds in our class before, but never nudity! I guess we just won't use the word "spake" anymore...

Picture Tag

2009-02-20T22:59:00.000-08:00

Thanks Serena--I love this picture!

1. Go to your my documents/my pictures

2. Go to your sixth file

3. Go to your sixth picture

4. Blog about it

My sixth folder happens to have cell phone pictures in it, so I apologize for the somewhat blurry picture! I do love this one though. We had just finished going through all the boxes of clothes that Shawn's parents brought up for us. I found this really cute headband while going through everything, and put it on Alyssa. She looked so cute I had to take a picture with Shawn's phone. I get compliments on her headband almost every time she wears it! I think it's great. I put it on the outside of her hats too. People always ask where I got it, and I tell them it was a gift from her Grandma!

(I'm also supposed to tag people, but almost everyone already has this, so if you haven't done it yet--try it!)

Lucky You!

2009-02-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

I just saw this on a friend's blog, and I'm feeling generous... so lucky you!

The first FIVE people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry, shoes, bags, or a little invention of my own! I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. Believe me... it may blow your mind!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog* and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Sounds like fun, right? So, let's play!

(*As a side note, if you don't have a blog or don't want to repost this, you can also leave a comment telling me about a favorite memory you have of me and you!)

Pictures & Plans

2009-01-30T11:11:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of my new nephew! (I did a short entry in late December titled, "A New Addition to the Family" if you'd like the details.) My Dad sent me these pictures, and I just scanned them onto my computer, so I apologize for my printer/scanner ahead of time. A few were taken at the hospital and a few others were taken at Jacob and Leslie's place at Christmas. Enjoy!

He's so little! I can hardly wait to meet him!

Aw what a sweet little face.

They make such cute parents.

A great stocking stuffer!

Jacob Jr. and his Mom Leslie.

Jacob Jr. and his Dad, my brother Jacob.

So cute! I wish we could have gotten a picture of Alyssa and Jacob Jr. together in their Christmas outfits! Something about 1,400 miles prevented that... However, we will have pictures of them together in at the end of next month! Shawn and I have decided to take Alyssa on a week long road-trip to see some of my family--some of which haven't gotten to meet her! So needless to say we are very excited. We are planning on taking off the last full week in March.

Family Fun

2009-01-13T15:46:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Shawn and I drove down to Fort Collins to have dinner with a bunch of his family. The food was delicious (thanks Cori & Angie), and we had a lot of fun. Afterward, we all played Guitar Hero on their Wii. It was a great time! It was nice to see everyone too. I of course forgot my camera (I seem to do that whenever there is an event I'll definitely want pictures of!), but luckily Angie took a few.

Shawn's cousins Cori and Lyndsey teaching their niece Hannah how to play Guitar Hero.

Hannah the Rockstar playing for Gary and Amy, her parents. Look at her go all by herself! How cute!

Wow Cori plays so fast you can't even see him! Either that or he just moved when the picture was being taken... :)

Shawn and Cori rockin' out together!

Has Half A Year Gone By All Ready?

2009-01-05T22:07:00.000-08:00

Today Shawn and I went to see Dr. Lang for Alyssa's six month check-up. They took all the usual info, and she got three shots which she took fairly well. Luckily for her, she won't need anymore until July 1st when she's a year old. Lyssa is still growing of course, but I think she is finally starting to slow down a little. She now weighs 18 1/2 lbs, and is 27 1/2 inches long. It's exciting to watch her grow. Shawn says it seems like some days he goes to work, and when he comes home for lunch she has all ready packed on a couple more pounds! The doctor assured us that when she starts becoming more mobile she will sheds those extra pounds quickly, but it doesn't bother us at all--We love that about her.

Anyway, her past few weeks have been busy. You can tell by her weight that she loves to eat, and she's becoming a skilled little eater. Lyssa loves cereal, fruits, veggies, and anything she can grab quickly from my plate. As soon as she sees the cereal or other food in her little bowl, she opens her mouth and wiggles with anticipation. We can barely shovel it in fast enough for her! She's also learning to use a sippy-cup, but will settle for my cup if I'm not paying attention.

Alyssa has been rolling over since Thanksgiving, and now can roll both ways easily, although she still dislikes tummy time. She's also getting to the point where she can sit up by herself for several minutes at a time, and she can brace herself on her arms to keep herself steady. She's too little to pull herself to a sitting position on her own, but she's trying to anyway. She isn't crawling yet, and I have to admit I'm so glad! We still have a lot of baby proofing to do, so hopefully she'll give us time to get it done...

I tried to get her to smile for this picture so you could see her teeth, but she couldn't be bothered with such things! It seems like she is always busy learning new things.

As part of growing up, Lyssa is getting more and more vocal. She uses lots of grunts, squeals, and nonsense noises to try to tell us what she wants. She "talks" to her toys and is discovering Winnie the Pooh and other cartoons. We are having a blast discovering her tickle spots and all the different ways to make her giggle. For the most part she is a very happy baby.

I had to add "for the most part" to that last sentence because she has been teething quite a bit lately. All of her hard work (and our sleep deprived nights) are definitely paying off though because her second bottom tooth started coming in just before Christmas. She has all ready figured out how to use them to bite into food as well as my fingers.

Well we had some nice pictures taken of our family back in the end of September (the header on this page is one of them), and I noticed how much hair Alyssa had. Unfortunately, she lost almost all of it except for a few long pieces in the front and a little at the back. As you can see it seems to be growing back again nicely now, so hopefully in a couple months she'll be able to wear barrettes again, and people will know she's a girl!

Well I think that pretty much sums it up for now. Dr. Lang mentioned that her next appointment will be at nine months (March 1st), and I realized it will be spring then! Hooray for warm weather! I can hardly wait.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T16:47:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Eve, we had the opportunity to visit the Lewis Family in Johnstown, CO. What a blast! Lots of great food, and a ton of fun. Shawn and I boxed, bowled, and played tennis on their Wii. Somehow I beat him in almost everything for once! (except tennis) I also got to watch him rock out with Ammon, Sariah, and MaKennah on Rock Band! Here's a short video of the fun.

Two adorable little puppies the Lewis Family got for Christmas! Somehow, they slept through all the excitement.

Here's Sariah and Ammon setting up Rockband so everyone could get started.

Sariah acting silly just before singing. There was definitely a light-hearted and fun atmosphere.

A cousin and four of the "Lewis Nyne" as they like to joke (including MaKennah, Jeyden, Cobe, & Sariah), watching time carefully just before the ball dropped in New York.

Me and Shawn just after 10PM. We brought the new year in by New York time so we could make the hour drive back up to Cheyenne safely before it got too late.

A cute shot I snapped just before leaving of Uncle Ammon and Alyssa.

New Year's Day also marked Alyssa's 6-month birthday, which means we'll be going to Dr. Lang on Monday for her check-up. She is growing so fast. We noticed the other day that we can feel her second tooth (bottom center incisor) coming in now. No wonder Alyssa has been having trouble sleeping through the night! She's barely has one tooth in, and now she's on with the next one.

Alyssa's First Christmas

2009-01-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

Alyssa had a great first Christmas! It was so cute watching her rip right into her presents.

Her Auntie Becca and Auntie Kat spent a couple days at our house just playing with her and having a good time. It was great to see them! (I think Yeti enjoyed the extra attention too.)

I love this picture! Lyssa loved the blocks she got in her stocking so much.

Here, she's opening her Christmas Eve present, and Daddy is playing with his!

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you all did too. See you in 2009!

Christmas Plans and Special Gifts

2008-12-24T10:53:00.001-08:00

Shawn, Alyssa, and I are staying here in Cheyenne for Christmas this year. The weather has been a little crazy and it seems like we've been traveling everywhere for all of the last few holidays, so we're just playing it safe and sticking around here. One of Shawn's friends from work might be joining us, and two of my sisters, Becca and Kat, are coming up to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us. It's exciting for me that some of my family can come and spend this holiday with us as we celebrate our first Christmas with Alyssa. My sisters both have a few days off from work at the same time, so getting to spend this time all together is both a rarity and a special treat. I think I'm especially looking forward to making all the food! It's one of my favorite parts about this season. Having big dinners with lots of family and friends all gathered around during the holidays is one of the best gifts to me.

Speaking of gifts... Shawn and I have been pleasantly surprised and extremely blessed to have many members of our families send gifts for Alyssa. Like many families, we barely have the financial means to get us by in paying our bills, and find ourselves struggling to stretch the limits of our budget when it comes to trying to afford extra things like gifts for Christmas. Shawn and I both want to express our gratitude and appreciation for the thoughtfulness and generosity of so many towards our new little family. We hope everyone enjoys this wonderful holiday season and that we can all remember the true meaning of Christmas.

An Addition to the Family!

2008-12-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

I have a new nephew! My brother Jacob and his girlfriend Leslie who live in Sequim, WA had a beautiful baby boy born Saturday late afternoon at 4:15PM (5:15PM Wyoming time). Leslie was due on January 4th, 2009, but went into labor just over two weeks early. Jacob Leslie Jr. weighed 7lbs, 3oz, and was 20 inches long. Jacob Jr. is their first child. It sounds like Leslie and the baby are both doing well. Congratulations Jacob & Leslie!!

Tagged by Amy!

2008-12-19T18:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone! This was Shawn and I last year around Christmas. We were living in Fort Collins, CO, Yeti was still a kitten, and I was about 2-months pregnant. Anyway, I thought this was a cute tag and I would love to hear about your Christmas traditions.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? If I have the time, wrapping paper all the way. With gift bags you just look inside and say, "oh nice, thanks" and move on to the next thing. I love it when it takes some effort for someone else or myself to open a gift!
2. Real or artificial trees? I prefer real ones because they smell sooo good but for us in an apartment, fake is just more convenient. (call it eco-friendly, not lazy)
3. When do you put up the tree? Right after Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take down the tree? On New Years.
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but it's kind of a once-a-year-thing.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Easy-bake oven (obvious, isn't it?)
7. Hardest person to buy for? Usually my husband Shawn. He has such great ideas, that I always feel like he gets me something better every year.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Alyssa--she's too little to care what she gets!
9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, actually we don't. Maybe we'll buy one for next year.
10. Mail or email christmas cards? Mail. Doesn't everyone love to get mail? I do. I especially love the greeting cards with pictures because you can scrapbook them or cut out the picture and put it in your photo album.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't think of anything.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? The Preacher's Wife.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? December 24th! Just kidding, usually the end of November or beginning of December, but I collect ideas all year long and by then I can just go get whatever I need.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Raspberry pie, or maybe ham, or...yeah, too many yummy things to choose just one.
16. Lights on the tree? Of course, isn't it a requirement? I specifically love white lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I love to travel, but I think once you have kids it gets a lot more complicated.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? (Amy you make me laugh!) I would also have to sing the song.
20. Angel or star at the top of the tree? We have a star, but I like either one.
21. Open the presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We always opened one on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas morning...and once I opened a present a few days early because I couldn't wait and then just rewrapped it! (Don't do it)
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? I'd have to say too many people at the store too. If I'm getting glares from everyone else because I have a hungry 5-month old screaming her head off--hello?! That doesn't mean I'm not in a hurry, and feel free to jump ahead of me! :)
23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I love blue and gold or blue and silver. We do that with white lights, the green tree, and red and white presents.
24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Same answer as 15.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Shawn and I both really wanted a Wii, but settled for a Lego Star Wars game for his XBOX 360. We'd rather save the money or spend it on Alyssa.

Tags: Natasha, Lexi, Jen, Nicole, and Serena.

Tagged by Serena!

2008-12-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

This was me with cake on my 8 months pregnant belly at Kat's graduation. (Alyssa was hungry even before she was born!)Seemed appropriate for the tag.

1 .Where were you when you first found out that you were pregnant? I was home. (When we lived in Fort Collins, CO)
2.Who was with you? No one.
3.How did you find out that you were pregnant? I took three pregnancy tests.
4.What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant? Excited! I really wanted to get pregnant, and the night before I was so sure I was, but the test said no. I was so disappointed, and told Shawn I couldn't believe it, and it couldn't be right. Then in the morning while he was driving to work I took another one. It was hard to read (one bright pink line, and one really faded pink line), so I took one more to make sure and then I knew I actually was!
5.Who was the first person you told? After I took the second test that morning, I called Shawn! We were so excited! I think I was jumping up and down and crying. I could hardly believe it.
6.Did you plan to get pregnant? Yes, we'd been trying on and off for six months.
7.Did you tell everyone else right away? We told all of our family right away, but I waited until my first doctor's appointment at eight weeks (to make sure again I guess haha) before I told work.
8.Was everybody happy for you? Yes, I'm pretty sure. I remember calling my Mom, who had just left the day before from visiting us, and she was so excited!
9.Did you go out and celebrate? I'm pretty sure we went to Red Robin and giggled and gushed and talked about it forever.
10.Did you want to find out the sex? Definitely! I could hardly wait to find out. Even though they're not always right it's still exciting!
11.What was the sex? We were told we would have a girl and I also jumped off the seat I was so happy!
12.Did anyone throw you a baby shower? Yes, Brandy (and Amanda too maybe?)and the rest of the girls at work threw me a baby shower--I remember we played lots fo fun games!
(I'm not sure what happened to #13 here..?)
14.How much weight did you gain? At first I lost ten pounds, but counting from then on, I gained around 38.
15.Did you lose all of the weight that you gained? I wish! No, not yet. I've lost 22lbs, but still have 16 more to go-- darn it. I know it gradually comes off, so I'm going to keep exercising and working on it.
16.Did you get any stretch marks? Up until almost 6 months you could hardly tell I was even pregnant, but the last few months she grew a lot so I did end up with some stretch marks. Luckily, they are fading fast!
17.What did you crave the most? Fruit and salads, which is probably why I lost weight for the first couple months! I also loved peanut butter sandwiches... not sure why.
18.Did you crave anything crazy? No, not really.
19.Who or what got on your nerves? There wasn't much that really got on my nerves, and only one or two people, so I just didn't spend much time around them.
20.Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? In the beginning I hated the taste of everything that had ANY flavor! Especially meat. I would completely lose my appetite if I could smell even pepper! It had to be cooked absolutely plain or I felt sick. Poor Shawn! He would cook me these fantastic meals and I could barely eat even a couple bites. Luckily, it went away in a few months and after that everything was pretty good.
21.Where and when did you go into labor? I was at home for quite a while. I started having contractions Sunday evening and had to call in (one of the first times ever!) on the last day I was supposed to work too--but I had a great excuse! Monday I had an appointment scheduled anyway, and I knew my contractions weren't close enough together, so I just waited and then went in as scheduled. They told me I was measuring a 2, and when I hit 4 they would send me to the hospital. Later that afternoon my contractions stopped for a few hours and then started up again much worse! I went back to my mid-wife early the next morning when the contractions were 5 minutes apart, and she said I was at 3, so back home we went. (Luckily, the Women's Clinic was only 5 minutes from our apartment!) Then between 2:30 and 3 they checked me again and I was at a 4, so we went to the hospital. (Luckily Shawn took the day off and was able to be my personal shauffer!)
22.Did your water break? No, my midwife Krista O'Leary did it.
23.Who drove you to the hospital? Shawn.
24.Who was in the room when you gave birth? Shawn, Krista, and two nurses.
25.Did you go early or late? Three days early, I was due the 4th of July. (Our little fire-cracker!)
26.How long were you in labor for? About 25 hours. Alyssa was born on Tuesday, July 1st at 8:44PM, and was 7lbs 8oz.
27.Did you have any drugs for the pain? I wanted to go completely natural, but close to the end my contrations were on top of each other so I did end up having some meds in my IV.
28.Did you go natural or have a C-section? Natural.
29.What was your first reaction after giving birth? "She's so beautiful; she finally made it!" And then, "I'm soo glad I'm done!"
31.Did your husband cry? He almost did while I was in labor. I think it was hard for him to see me go thru that.
32.What did you name the baby? Alyssa Marie Garrett.
33.Does his name have any significant meaning? We just really liked the name Alyssa, and Marie runs in my mom's side of the family. Later, I found out Alyssa has 4 or 5 different meanings in different languages: German: Noble , Greek: Truth, Irish: Of noble birth, Arabic: Moon goddess, and French: Consecrated by God; variation of Elizabeth.
34.Did you have any visitors? Yes, my sisters Katherine and Rebecca came to see us in the hospital. We also had lots of visitors once we got settled at home.
35.Did the baby have any complications? She had some jaundice, and a lot of fluid in her lungs, which I was told was because she was born quickly. I only had her for a few minutes and then they put her in the nursery and they gave her oxygen for 5 or 6 hours before I got her back. She lost almost a whole pound the first week. We were really worried about her, but after a couple weeks she got over it, and she's now a healthy 18lbs!
36.How old is your baby today? She is 5 months and 18 days.
37.When is the next one coming? We're not really sure. Between 1 and 3 years is the best I can say. We're still trying to decide.
38.If you could, would you do it all over again? Of course! Have you met her?! :) I'm sure almost everyone would do it all over again. She is one of the best things to ever happen to us, and I wouldn't trade her for anything. Merry Christmas everyone!

Silliness (Thanksgiving Contd)

2008-12-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

I had a few extra minutes, so I thought I'd post a few more pictures from Thanksgiving in Delta. Alyssa wasn't the only entertainment that weekend. Alora and Lenae, two of Shawn's nieces, were also very amusing! Just check out these pictures below.

Anyone else this flexible? I'm sure not!

Alora is so cute--look at that hair!

Wow Lenae, I didn't even know this was possible...!

Just a sweet pose for the end. Ahhh, cute.

Thanks for the gymnastics girls!

Pretty In Pink

2008-12-16T11:32:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to post this video for a couple weeks because it cracks me up. Alyssa's Great Grandma Carleson, who lives in Washington state, sent her this super cute pink snowsuit. I'm pretty sure she loves it, as she"talks" quite a bit in the video. Just thought you might enjoy it.

Family At Thanksgiving

2008-12-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Shawn, Alyssa, Becca, and I went down to Delta and spent Thanksgiving with Shawn's family. It was great to see everyone and to be able to relax and spend several days with them. A couple days later, my sister Dora and brother Adam also drove up from Phoenix to spend time with us in Delta for two days. It was the first time they'd ever seen Alyssa, which was exciting for all. They got to spoil her with tons of attention, and she loved every minute of it. She was quite entertaining, and even rolled over from her front to back--for the first time. (I'm trying to catch it on video) The day before Thanksgiving she rolled over from her back to front for the first time, and is now rolling that way constantly. She has yet to master rolling on to her back though. She will start crying now when gets on her stomach, and I have to admit it makes me laugh when she can't roll back!

Later, we decided to go bowling with Dora and Adam. While soothing Alyssa for a few minutes, I discovered something small, sharp, and white in her mouth.
I think I screamed, "Oh my gosh, she has a tooth!" :) She's been teething for a couple months now, but to actually see her first bottom tooth was exciting. Everyone immediately wanted to "feel it" with their finger; the thought of which still makes me laugh.

Sweet Treats

2008-12-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! It's been a while since I've posted anything, but hopefully you'll forgive me! This time of year is always busy with traveling to see family, making plans, decorating, buying gifts, and cooking and baking. Speaking of baking, I was looking for a recipe and stumbled across a great blog . Bakerella has great recipe ideas (mostly for sweets) with fantastic pictures and easy to follow directions. Everything I've attempted from her site has turned out just right. It's funny, I just found this blog and every time I see something new I immediately want to try to make it! (Here's the link to her page.) http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html. I recently discovered her Mint Oreo Truffles, Nutter Butter Truffles, and Red Velvet Cake Balls--all delicious and fairly simple to make! Yum! I made them for the girls I visit teach at church, a few friends, and even some neighbors. They were a big hit, with lots of people asking for the recipes. I'll try to post pictures of the food and also everything that's been happening soon. In the meantime, this is a picture from her site of the Oreo Truffles. I definitely recommend checking out her page--just looking at this picture makes me drool!

For our Thanksgiving I made a couple batches of these cute little turkey cookies. Becca helped me decorate the last batch. This was another online recipe. I didn't take any pictures of mine though and they're of course all gone. I didn't think of it I guess, must be something about having a 5-month-old that makes me scatterbrained... Anyway, here is a picture from the site and the link where you'll find the recipe is below.

Well it seems like a lot of fun and exciting things have happened, so I'm going to have to try to update you in sections. Obviously this was the food section. :)

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2175/2056437398_32a95bfeb3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamakimi/2056437398/&usg=__2xd_9I9FuVPmUGVaxo-V0uz5G54=&h=375&w=500&sz=68&hl=en&start=33&sig2=xbbYFkkXqUyou6T3HEcqaA&um=1&tbnid=pFc8Zx3fWdfdOM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&ei=hPQiSb3xKYy6sAP8xJiuCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcookies%2Bturkey%2Bcandy%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-US%26sa%3DN

Temple Day

2008-11-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Shawn and I had the opportunity to go to the LDS Denver Temple a couple weeks ago. It was a great experience for us! My sister, Rebecca, rode down with us, and then stayed with Alyssa. It was the first time that we've been able to go since I was about six months pregnant. It was very nice to relax and not worry about Alyssa for a couple hours because she knows Becca. Unfortunately, when Shawn and I were finished and met back up with them at the car, Becca said Alyssa cried almost the whole time! I felt so bad! She's beginning teething though so there's not a whole lot that can be done to comfort her. (Despite Alyssa getting upset, I think we will try to go more often.) Does anyone have any suggestions for teething? We'd love to hear them.

Halloween

2008-11-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

(Sorry it's been a while since we've posted anything new; I haven't been feeling very well. It's getting better now though.)

To celebrate Halloween, we drove down to Delta and stayed with Shawn's parents. We decided to dress Alyssa up as a little princess, but it was pretty cold out so we had to keep pants on under her dress! She looked pretty cute anyway. Just before then I had realized I forgot to bring my camera, so we had to go get a disposable. (Sorry some of the pictures are so dark.) Then we all met up at the Egyptian Theatre, and went trick-or-treating around town. Here are a few pictures at the Theatre before going out.

Costumes:

Sabrina was Medusa, Alex was a soldier, and Breonna was a unicorn.

It was a pretty fun time! We saw Clifford running around, and Edward Cullen tried to kill Shawn!

These last two pictures were taken at the Garrett's house, just before bed after our long day of trick-or-treating.

Things I've done

2008-10-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

So I was checking out Jen's blog and she has this neat list on hers. All you have to do is copy it, paste it on your own blog, and bold what you've done on the list. Just thought it would be fun to read, and wondered if anyone else would want to try it. Here it is:

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run . 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie or on a TV show 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt. 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100. Had the toilet seat cover hanging out of the back of your pants at Wal-mart when you were 7 months pregnant.

A Few Fun Memories

2008-10-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today I was thinking about what we've done in the past that we might want to share mini-stories and pictures of. Here are a few random things. Enjoy!

Earlier this summer we made a trip down to Delta to see family. It was so nice out that the kids played in the front yard with the big blow-up slides for hours! It was a pretty good time, and so fun to watch too. Eventually it started to get cold. Breonna, starting to feel it, told me "I needa cow." I had to stop myself from bursting out laughing it was so sweet. I said, "a what?"
"I'm code. I needa cow," came her reply. I looked at her for a minute, as she folded her chilled arms. I realized with a laugh what she meant.
"Oh, you need a towel?!" I smiled.
She nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, a cow."
Well if she's "code" I better help her warm up I thought. What a fun day.

Here's a few nice pictures from Alyssa's baby blessing down in Delta, CO on August 3rd, 2008. Shawn had the opportunity to give the blessing during sacrament meeting that Sunday, and did a great job. We were blessed to have lots of family and friends there.

After Alyssa's baby blessing in Delta, everyone gathered at Dave & Renee's(Shawn's parents). Everyone and their kids were laughing and talking in the front yard. It was a pretty good time. Breonna & Sam were especially adorable in this little jeep!

They drove it all around the yard and when Sam didn't drive fast enough for her, Breonna jumped out and stormed off! Quite funny.

When I lived in Portland, Shawn and I used to love to walk around the temple grounds. He had the habit of just randomly picking flowers for me, and would do it every so often. Here he picked a flower from the grounds for me. I laughed and said, "I don't think you're supposed to pick those...!" It's been a fun joke ever since.

Shawn loves this picture so I thought it would be nice to post it. This was taken in at the Portland Temple as well. I'm holding the flower he's not supposed to pick.

Over the Weekend

2008-10-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday, and Sunday we had pretty good weather. It made the weekend exciting because we were able to get out and enjoy it! Too bad it went by so fast.

On Saturday, we wanted to go hiking but realized we live in Cheyenne. Needless to say, it's tough to find good trails without going very far. The closest hiking spot is an hour or two away. We ended up going to a park we'd driven past a couple times. On the left Shawn is either getting Alyssa ready, or he's tickling her... Anyway, when we got to the park, we were surprised to find part of it was actually The Botanical Gardens of Cheyenne! Who knew? Here are a couple of pictures of the area around the gardens. It turned out the gardens were closed, but the whole area around it was beautiful! Yes, beautiful. In Cheyenne. We also took the opportunity to take a couple of pictures of all of us, including this one to the left in front of a large amphitheater. It was so nice outside that we barely noticed when we'd been out and about for almost three hours! Afterward, we just had a peaceful evening and watched a movie together.

Sunday was a busy day! At church we received our callings to be in primary. We think we're teaching the 5-year-olds. It will probably be similar to when we worked with the kids in nursery, so that should be fun. Afterward, we drove down to our friends' Cris and Steph's place in Greeley to meet with friends for a couple hours. We stopped in Wellington to pick up my sister Rebecca. At Cris and Steph's place, we celebrated October birthdays (there were three including mine). We had a great time playing games, talking and laughing, and even had some ice cream cake. Everyone had a great time hanging out and even Alyssa enjoyed herself--especially with all the attention. This is a picture of Cris and Steph with Alyssa when she was only a couple weeks old. She sure has grown!

Today has just been a nice day to relax and get some cleaning done. As expected, we did all the work while Alyssa took a nap and sucked her thumb. Must be nice to be a baby. She is getting especially fond of any toys that she can get in her mouth, like the cute little froggy in this picture. She also entertained us while we worked for quite a while with her expanding vocabulary of nonsense noises. It seems like she is growing by leaps and bounds! This picture of her playing was taken a couple days ago. She is getting really good at holding her head up. She is also rolling over onto her side, but hasn't yet mastered it completely. She has also discovered her hands and feet and will stare at them for quite a while. She is probably close to 15lbs now, which is double her birth weight of 7 lbs 8oz. She will have her four month check-up in a couple weeks so we'll find out for sure then...

100 THINGS ABOUT ME BY SHAWN GARRETT

2008-10-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

1. My wife is a big influence on me, She can make me do stuff I’ve never thought I would do. (like write this)

2. I love to dance with my wife,

3. but I hate it because I think that everybody is watching me.

4. I get embarrassed when I try to tell my wife about my day, I would much rather hear about hers. I know that drives her crazy.

5. It’s a good day for me when I can surprise her with something.

6. I watch too many chic flix.

7. I could watch movies all day long,

8. and feel like it was still a productive day.

9. I was never scared about being a father, until about five minutes after Alyssa was born.

10. I worry about not being there for Alyssa.

11. I also worry that I will be there and she won’t want me to be.

12. I sing out loud when I’m at work.

13. I like airplanes because when I was younger my uncle really liked airplanes and I wanted to be like him.

14. I don’t have any brothers, but my sisters have enough personality that I don’t feel I was missing out on anything.

15. My little sister Sabrina lived with me one summer, some of the best times I’ve spent with her.

16. Some of my favorite movies to watch are cartoons.

17. My childhood hero was he-man. I sometimes saw my dad as he-man.

18. My wife is a very friendly person, I love that and hate that about her.

19. If you were to ask me randomly throughout the day, what I was thinking about, I most often would say my wife.

20. I've always felt protected by my older sister.

21. She is real fun to be around. It’s hard to have a bad day when she is involved.

22. The biggest turning point in my life is when my niece Natasha was born. She changed my life for the better.

23. I hate to be noticed in a crowd.
24. I think that being invisible would be a cool superpower.

25. Super strength would be the second coolest.

26. My Wife’s family has been through a lot, but they are still some of the happiest and most uplifting people I have met.

27. I like my job. It makes me feel smart.

28. I like to go fishing, usually by myself. It reminds me of my grandpa.

29. I caught a 25 pound king salmon once. I was the only person who caught a fish that day.

30. Robert Turner, the guy I went fishing with that day, always called me mister fisherman after that.

31. I didn’t eat any of the meat of the king salmon I caught. I sent it all to my dad to have.

32. Although an Eskimo women made me salmon egg salad, with the fish’s eggs. (I almost threw up just thinking about it again).

33. I like it when it’s cold and it snows.

34. I feel tough when I put on my winter gear.

35. Christmas is my favorite holiday.

36. I like to go hiking in the snow. It makes me happy to see the trees and mountains covered in snow.

37. I like to talk and teach people about religion and my church. It makes me feel I have something to offer people.

38. My favorite teacher is my mom. She is really good at it.

39. She listens really well, and knows how to talk to everybody and teaches them the way they need to be taught.

40. When I was in grade school I used to run home crying because I missed my mom. (we lived right next door to the school)

41. I broke my arm once on purpose because I didn’t want to go to school that day. I didn’t like the substitute teacher.

42. I broke my arm three time.

43. All between first and second grade.

44. Didn’t like a whole lot of teachers in first and second grade...

45. I once ditched an entire month of biology,

46. and yes it took a month before I got caught.

47. Normally I would just go to the gym at the rec center and work out or hang out with some other friends that were ditching.

48. They were pretty good influences.

49. I had a boss named Bubba.

50. I love the fact that Alyssa had hair when she was born.

51. I feel that I brag about that a lot.

52. I love that my wife is a brunette.

53. My best friend is Cristobal. I’m glad that we are still really good friends

54. I’ve known him since 7th grade. That’s fifteen years that we have been friends.

55. Cris and I use to mix chemicals in my grandpa’s garage and then set it on fire.

56. In 3rd grade my friends convinced me it was a good idea to burn down the 3rd grade soccer field.

57. So I did.

58. Like I said my friends were a good influence.

59. I didn’t get recess the whole rest of the year.

60. Instead I had to help the janitor tidy up around the school I tried to burn down.

61. I like to study about astronomy. I think there are a lot of answers out there.

62. I believe in superstring theory. It makes sense to me that there should be one theory to answer all questions.

63. I named a star in the Andromeda constellation after my wife.

64. I thought it was the corniness and coolest thing I have ever done for her.

65. Superman has kryptonite. I have Dr. Pepper.

66. I like video games where I get to shoot people or aliens. My wife really hates that about me.

67. Sometimes I want to squeeze Alyssa so much but I think I would probably hurt her.

68. Sometimes I want to squeeze the cat too.

69. I used to take archery lessons when I was younger.

70. My parents bought me a nice compound bow that I have never taken hunting.

71. My favorite exercise is swimming. There is a lot of freedom in the weightlessness of being under water.

72. My parents took me to the Caribbean when I was in high school.

73. I don’t have any favorite foods anymore.

74. The first time I ate a salad I was 20 years old.

75. I was on my mission and I was too embarrassed not to eat it in front of everyone.

76. Eventually I started craving salads with dinner.

77. I served my mission in Alaska.

78. I’ve seen real musk-ox in the wild.

79. If you don’t know what a musk-ox looks like…Google it.

80. I’ve always wanted to get married in the San Diego Temple. Since I was about 15.

81. It doesn’t bother me to go to a restaurant and say, “a table for one.”

82. The trick is to act mysterious.

83. I’ve also been to at least 100 movies by myself.

84. It’s cheaper.

85. The first book I read from front to back was Where the Red Fern Grows, and I read it twice in one year.

86. My favorite book series before Twilight was Aliens vs. Predator.

87. When I moved back from Utah to Colorado, my cousin Jake would come down from the second grade playground to play with me because I didn’t have any friends.

88. He’s always been that way.

89. I once saved him from drowning.

90. So I think I’ve repaid the debt.

91. I didn’t read comic books when I was little.

92. I read comic books now that I’m older.

93. I use to be cool when I was young.

94. Now I feel like I’ve become more of a kid and a dork now that I’m grown up.

95. When I was little I wanted to be a paleontologist.

96. Dinosaurs are cool.

97. Where do they come from anyway?

98. Where did they go?

99. Does anybody know?

100. This list was fun. Seriously, where are the dinosaurs?

100 THINGS ABOUT ME BY SHILYNN GARRETT

2008-10-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

This post has also been moved to the right side of the page to make room for more entries. You can still add comments below this post too. Thanks for any comments already there!

Just for Fun

2008-10-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

While Shawn and I were deciding which picture to post tonight, he mentioned it looks like she had an "accident" in this one(spit-up), which made me laugh--so the winner it is! This is Alyssa in front of our apartment door, getting ready to go for a ride.

Today was such a beautiful day! In Cheyenne, in the end of October, it's not often that I get to say that. To take advantage of it, Alyssa and I decided to go for a quick stroll down to get the mail. We walked around the apartment complex for a little bit, and I thought about taking her across the road to the park, but I think we may be doing a little hiking tomorrow so I didn't. Wouldn't want to wear her out...ha ha.

Speaking of wearing her out... recently she has been sleeping more than half of the day plus most of the night, but periodically waking up screaming bloody murder! Sometimes she's awake when it happens and it just seems like something sets her off out of no where... I realize she is a baby and babies cry, but I can't help but think this is different. It could be a lot of different things: ear ache, upset stomach, a cold, growing pains or who knows what else. She hates to be put down during this too, and crying lasts up to 3o minutes. Sometimes all I can do is hold her or put her in her crib until she cries herself to sleep. We've tried lots of different things--burping her, feeding her, changing her, taking off her clothes to make sure nothing is poking her and nothing. Any ideas as to what it could be?

Well the weather this weekend is supposed to be fantastic, so hopefully we'll get to go out and enjoy it! Tomorrow we have a couple fun things planned and on Sunday after church we're going to Greeley. A couple of my friends and I all have birthdays this month, so we're having a joint birthday party for everyone.

Exciting Firsts and New Beginnings

2008-10-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

These past few days have been unusually eventful! So I thought--what an excellent time to begin writing. Here are a few fun notes on what's been happening.

On Tuesday afternoon, I had Alyssa up on the changing table and was making silly faces at her as per our usual routine. Having just eaten lunch I unconsciously licked my lips and surprise--a huge smile erupted! Smiles have been a daily part of our lives for some time now, but this was more than the typical acknowledgement. The sparkle in her eyes and excitement in her flailing fingers and toes revealed that THIS was entertainment. As I laughed at her enthusiasm, I continued the action with an added noise and gasp--her first giggle! An adorable, high-pitched squeal of delight.

Too bad Shawn was at work and missed it. Luckily for him, she repeated the long-awaited action later that evening for him as he was dressing her in her pjs.

A few days later on Friday, while Alyssa was resting, I happened to glance down and noticed she had not her hands, but just a single certain finger in her mouth--another first. While this marks the unfortunate future of seemingly relentless thumb-sucking it also begins blissful nights of self-soothing and an end to four-o-clock wake up cries for a lost pacifier. I'm thinking celebrate now and don't worry about future implications.

On Sunday we visited the Lewis' in Johnstown and got our first peek at the family portraits Monique took for us a couple weeks ago. As we flipped through the soft book of wonderful pictures she put together, the fear of our flaws overpowering the talented photography vanished, and were only replaced with the joyful memories of that day.

Last night (Wednesday) I had the opportunity to attend a visiting teaching workshop and dinner at our new church building. I debated over going up until the last minute, but finally gave in thanks to Shawn. What a good husband for encouraging me to go. He knows I hate going places by myself when I don't know anyone there, but realized I also needed to put myself out there and make new friends. An hour and a half, and several recipes and fun conversations later, I came home with a plate of peanut blossom cookies and dessert pizza for Shawn. In the end I think we were both rewarded!