happy independence day!

we had a fun 4th celebrating with family. the skysocks stadium did their big firework show on the 3rd b/c they were traveling the next day. it was pretty good...no idaho falls, but still good. jagger LOVED them this year, vienna slept. she had the cutest little festive dress on, but had a blowout before any pictures were taken...oh well. living here in colorado springs has given me a greater appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy and those who fight to preserve them. i am surrounded by those who serve or who have family members that do and i am so grateful. we are blessed to live in such a great nation, despite what the economy or news would try to tell you.

take me out to the ball game

Wrap it up tight tonight, alright!!

Vienna loves to be wrapped up like a taco, and apparently so does Jagger. Love my kiddies.
Sent from my iPhone

{2 1/2 years}

My sweet jaggie is 2 1/2 today. To celebrate he decided to not be so sweet and avoid the potty ALL day! Wet the bed...twice, pooped in undies...twice! Sigh. It has been an extremely rough day. but to remember happier things, here are some of the things i absolutely love about my little man:

*you love to play with your stuffed animals, throw them 'up high' and carry them around like your babies.
*you give the best hugs, kisses, and back scratches.
*you love playing with our iphones and watching movies.
*you just learned how to swim all by yourself (+ floaties).
*you like to be wrapped up like a taco, just like vienna.
*paci, mono, blankie
*you still refer to yourself in the 3rd person. and put your own name on the end of phrases: love you jajjer, hi jajjer, etc.
*you give the best smiles for the camera. other kids have fake smiles where they just show their teeth, but not you...it's the sweetest smile ever!
*you love your monkey and octopus plates.
*you can tell us when you are itchy and want your cream on.
*you help me cook...and you're really good at it!
*you're scared of the thunder and cuddle me tight when it comes.
*you love nursery and are kind to the other kids.
*you are still obsessed with airbearplanes.
*you love to tell mamma she's crazy.
*you are so ticklish.
*you are very polite and always say 'please mamma'.
*you like to show us your bump.
*you holler for inatimate objects like you're looking for them (ie: rain! moon! pancake!...so silly)
*your favorite song is "make you mine" by donavan frankenfurter...aka mine, mine, mine. and of course the temple and Jesus songs. (i love to see the temple and i'm trying to be like Jesus)

there are many more things i'm sure, but this is just what came to my mind at the moment. overall, jagger and my relationship is changing (for the better). i was so frustrated and discouraged as a mother for a couple weeks/months when he was testing his independence, and pretty much acting like a 2 year old. he wasn't the best boy...and i was not the best mamma. but lately he seems to understand so much more, it has really helped. i can talk to him, give him alternatives and choices, and even carry on a conversation with him. it's been a lot more fun to have him around and to watch him grow.
i love you little man!

this was just the other day. we put this cool tattoo on his chest and he didn't know what to think about it. but with all the drool this kid produces, it was rubbed off by nighttime! ps. don't you love how he squished his chubby legs in vienna's seat??

pinky and my brain: getting ready

is it just me, or are there lots of other people that don't get ready during the day? the teenage me would be disgusted with my former self...when did i stop caring? it's not like i never get ready, but the days are few and far between. sunday is sunday, and i always look my best. alma asked me yesterday why it takes me so long to get ready on sunday and not the other days. truth be told? because i don't get ready all the other days. i'm sorry alma. i'm sorry children. i'm sorry public who see me looking like an unkempt housewife that doesn't get out much (which is what i am, but i shouldn't look that way!). today i vow to be better. i read the most rockin article in the june ensign that inspired this post. an exerpt:

Women ought to be praised for all the gifts they possess--including their attentiveness to their personal appearance--that so unselfishly add to the richness of the lives of others. we must not let ourselves go and become so casual--even sloppy--in our apearance that we distance ourselves from the beauty heaven has given us.

Elder Douglas L. Callister, Our Refined Heavenly Home

i will do better with the beauty i have been given. this makes me want to go shopping! is there anyone out there with my sense of style, my exact size who is sick of all their clothes and wants to swap?? and one more question...when is my skin going to get the memo that i'm not a 15 year old hormonal boy??? ugh. these two things don't help me feel better about my appearance, but when i get ready i don't think about them as much.

i'm happy to report that today i have taken a shower, done my hair, and am wearing a cute outfit :)

photos

so with having a baby and moving i've been a little on the busy side and have neglected my photoblog. so for all those who actually look at it, you've probably given up hope and stopped all together. but i am here to tell you i am back and dying to do more photography! we will be in las vegas august 10-15th for a wedding and some R&R...and would love to book some more sessions! please contact us if you are interested!

and if you are interested in more pics of miss V, click here to visit our blog.

pinky and my brain: baby weight

is.not.cool. well, it's very cool in the sense that it gives me a little angel. i didn't so much have this extra poundage post pregnancy thing with jagger. my mindset was awesome...i never expected to have my same body after carrying a baby. i never expected to wear my old jeans. i was prepared to have a new, different, and slightly bigger body and LOVE it. maybe because of this mental preparation, or because i only carried 7 months, jagger came out and i looked like the pre-pregnant me about a week later...no joke. for those of you that hate me because of it, get over it and keep reading. all bodies are different. and all preganancies are too apparantly. vienna was the picture perfect pregnancy. i carried full term! and i gained weight. more than with jagger, but not noticably so. labor and delivery were great, but now that it's coming on 2 months later...i still cannot fit into ANY of my pants! (except for my purple cords, which everyone else loves but alma HATES!...funny story i love to tell about that, ask if interested.) my mental preparation was not there this time. i expected to go back to 'normal' because that's what happened with jagger, but i am anything but that. my face is still fat (fatter than normal peeps, i know it's naturally plump :) and it is a really strange thing to look at my closet and wonder what shirts i can and cannot wear. i've never had to make the concious decision because 'this one hugs my belly or love handles a little too tight'. weird. not complaining though. i love vienna and would gladly welcome this 'new' body if i thought it was going to stay this way. but something tells me it's not. and if i were really upset about it, i would exercise. exercise, what's that?? haha. just a bummer that it will go away after the summer ends when it is easier to hide :) i did however get a full body massage a couple weekends ago from my SIL and it was HEAVEN! i think seeing my faszha chiropractor and getting massages is the way of the future for me!! and because of the nature of this post, i will not be posting a picture of the post 2 babies me.

there's an app for that...

that's right, i just got the best toy ever!!! an iPhone! with that came another phone number (had to go local...don't want to represent idaho if i don't have to!), freedom from sprint, and no more down time staring at the wall (haha, like i ever had time to do that :). with the new iPhone release, their old ones are $99.00...and i just had to get me one. alma got one too. his whole family switched over actually. and it's awesome. i know i'm a nerd for posting about this, but i love macs and i don't care who knows it. and if you did not get an email with all our new contact info but want it, go ahead and leave your email in our comment box and we'll send you some love.

alma the carpenter

so moving has left us with a few less items of furniture that we need. one being a bed for jaggie. after looking for toddler beds and not finding anything worth buying, alma devised this beauty. when he told me about it, i thought it sounded like a cool idea, but didn't think it would end up looking very good (that's how i perceive all things hand-made...i need to get over that!). boy was i wrong! it turned out even better than i could have ever imagined and jagger absolutely LOVES it! there will never be another one like it, and it was really cheap to make! good thing i have such a talented husband. he also built us a desk that we are finishing up. i'll post a separate picture on that because it is turning out AWESOME!

he calls it his camping bed.

pueblo resevoir

sister deb has a boat. pueblo reservoir is only an hour away. meaning, we will be going to the lake a lot! we all went down last week for an afternoon, and although the water was too choppy for skiing, it was awesome just chillin in the boat, swimming, eating watermelon, and throwing rocks into the water.

work it out, mom!

this picture is especially cool when you look at the reflection in her sunglasses...which by the way are SMITH brand sunglasses, model: audrey!

how cute are they?! alma's parents are great examples of love. i can imagine them playing around the same way when they were dating.

princess V basking in the sunlight

jagger spent most of his time throwing rocks in the water.

but did get brave and swam around all by himself!

cheyenne mountain zoo

once again, i am behind on my posts, because i have been busy having too much fun. last week, we went to the zoo. this is not just any zoo, it is built up in the mountains so a lot of the 'cages' are just fenced off sections of the mountains, which was pretty cool. but it also made for some killer hills to climb! this zoo also boasts the largest herd of giraffe in the world! (in a zoo...not the wild of course.) jagger LOVED the giraffes. we fed them crackers. well, when i say we i mean me...he was too scared. i was too actually, but conquered my fear and came in contact with the longest, wriggliest, grossest black tongue! one of my favorite things was seeing a hippopotamus walk around...i've only ever seen them in water with the head partially sticking out. we took some pictures, but mostly alma caught a lot on video that he is planning on editing. look for that soon!

i thought this picture was classic. looking at the monkeys with a monkey on his back :)

jagger knows what this is...do you?! it's a kudu. he knows it from one of his african animals books, haha.

my little sweets after running through a water tube...so precious.

the ONLY time this little sweets eyes were open. she slept the entire time as she was strolled around.

the view from the monkey tower. yep, this is home sweet home and it's gorgeous!

Fathers day

happy father's day to the men in my life!

dad, thanks for all you do to continually support me in my dreams.

dad smith, thanks for being the perfect example to my alma of how to be a great dad.

babsies, thanks for being the absolute best father to our 2 angels. they will never question how much their daddy loves them. you are so patient, attentive and fun. i look up to you and just hope i can be as good of a mamma. seeing you love our babies makes my love for you deepen every day. i love you!

we spent the morning waking daddy up with kisses and giving him his favorite childhood movie, Robin Hood. we then ate crepes out on our porch and took a morning nap. then we went to church where we are reminded of our Eternal Father and celebrated the day thinking and thanking Him who gave us life. God is good. and we are so, so blessed. that night we went over to aaron and carri's for a big dinner with deb and the parentals. it's been lots of fun living close to family and getting together for special occasions. i hope everyone had a great father's day!

{1 month}

i can't believe our sweet girl is over a month old! here's some things we love about our little vivi:

*when you cry you get so worked up, you get really sweaty.
*irregular breathing all the time...but it's not scary like jagger, just funny because it sounds like you are hyperventilating sometimes.
*you have a scowl like your mother. and when you are done scowling it usually takes a while for all the wrinkles and lines to disappear from your face. in the mean time, you look like an old woman.
*you just take it when jagger smacks you, or lays on you, or steals your blankets, or gives you drooly kisses.
*your a momma's girl, and i can't get enough of that!
*you smile all the time. it took jagger about 3 months to smile, but we just have to pick you up and basically look at you and you give us big gummy grins.
*you have really long, wavy hair. not so much of it, but what you do have has a mind of it's own and the easiest way to style it is in a mohawk (which kind of scares daddy).
*you also have a hairy back...and i think it's cute :)
*when you are crying and i give you the pacifier, it takes you a while to settle down and while you are in the process of doing that you make the funniest noises while sucking, like king john sucking his thumb.
*you sleep a lot, and your favorite place to be is in our arms. you only wake up once at night.
*you are so beautiful and we all love you so much. we can't wait to watch you grow and change, but are loving every second of you being so small and precious.

i'm a big kid now!

last week we attempted to potty train jagger. so basically between taking him potty every 30 minutes and feeding vienna every 3 hours, my days were booked up, and we were cooped up in the house all week!

day 1: went pretty well. within the first 5 minutes of being in his big boy undies (which also warranted running around the house non stop like some sort of superhero) he peed and came to me saying uh-oh. so the rest of the day he wore nothing but his birthday suit. we only had a couple incidents f peeing on the carpet, but many more where he used the potty. he was pretty good at telling me for the most part. the challenge now is trying to get him to NOT flush a million times after he goes.

day 2: a lot like day 1. good moments and no-so-good ones. it's hard to imagine life beyond our house; a day when we go out in underwear and pants on...but i know it will come. hopefully sooner than later.

day 3: went through 3 pairs of undies in the morning and then started using the potty. once he was covered up again i think he thought he could go like a diaper. but i think he's getting the hang of it...slowly but surely. still sleeping in a diaper for naps and at nighttime.

day 4: went really good! we even went to my WIC appointment without any accidents. only one the whole day. he is still holding it/waiting until he's in a diaper to poop, but hopefully tomorrow will be different.

day 5: today was different...pooped in his undies and had one other accident but getting better. i'm done with the whole 'training' thing...we're going to get out and do stuff and i'll just pack some extras in case of accidents. still sleeping in diapers.

day 6: i think he's got it! no accidents!! he even slept in undies for his nap...and tonight. kind of nervous for the morning, but alma thought we should trust him and see what happens. and his cute factor has now doubled with him running around in underwear.

so that's about it. he has occassional accidents and has pooped in his underwear a couple times since then, but for the most part, he is potty trained and we are not ruled by it anymore. i just have to make sure i always have a back up and ask/take him frequently. i even resorted to bribery (which i didn't want to do) if he goes poop in the potty. 3 skittles. he has yet to get any skittles. sigh. any tips or suggestions on that one?!

yes, he is cooking beef in the buff. had to take a picture :)

taking pictures of a crazy fast kid = blurry pics

big brother

so i don't want anyone to think that our sweet jagger has been pushed aside in all the vienna excitement. he certainly has not. and many have asked how he is doing with his new baby sister. well, i will tell you. he LOVES her. if anything it is to a fault...like smothering her. when jagger came to the hospital to see vienna for the first time, he crawled right up on the bed next to us and said 'baby'. i told him it was baby vienna. his face got very serious, he looked at my belly, then at my face. as i tried to explain to him that vienna was no longer in my belly and that this baby i was holding was the baby that used to be in my belly, he just scowled, jumped off the bed, and wanted nothing else to do with me or the baby. pretty confusing for a 2 year old yeah?

but ever since that day he has done nothing but love her. he says 'vi-nehneh' and loves to give kisses (which also results with slobber all over her face...poor girl :), hugs, runs to her aid when she cries (and loves to tell me when she's crying like i can't hear her), and says 'hold it' all the time as he's pulling her limp body onto his lap. he wants to do whatever she's doing, which has really been a huge bonus for me. he is a daddy's boy...ALWAYS has been. but now he wants to sit on my lap, snuggle, and have me do things for him/be with him...it's awesome. the first night we were all home together he took vienna's hands and played patty-cake with her, cutest thing ever. it's such a blessing to have such a sweet boy and to see that love passed on to his sister. he is a wonderful big brother and i'm so excited to watch them grow up together, play together, and love each other.

playing 'this little piggy'

giving her her paci