My Birthday! cont'd...

So here's just some more pictures from my birthday "day." I've been saving up my spending money, and bought myself a brand new watch! I'd been watchless for months, and I couldn't take it any longer! Happy Birthday to me!

My immediate family sent the flowers and balloon. So thoughtful and pretty! They lasted for a LONG time too. I just threw them out last week. That's almost two weeks of lovely color! I also received tons of cards from friends and family. Thanks bunches guys! It's hard to be away from family, especially when birthdays were made out to be such a big deal at home, but these little things help.

Dale got me some great stuff! I love decorating magazines, so he bought me a few of my favorites!

He also bought me this pattern that I have been coveting for probably about six months. I'm so excited to make it for Brighton! After all my other projects are finished, of course... It could be a while, I've got a giant stack going on in my sewing room. I didn't get a picture of it, but Dale also bought me a serger for my birthday! I've been wanting to make a lot of clothes for myself and Brighton, and have been complaining about how a serger would finish off the clothes so perfectly. Dale was really excited to get me a new machine! Now to just figure out how to use it...

Early Morning

I took this one morning while Brighton was eating breakfast. Notice the TWO clips that are in her hair. I'm too lazy that early in the morning to tie her hair out of her face, so we just "clip it" all out of the way. It started with just one, but now we need two. If it comes to three, I may have to just start doing her hair in the morning BEFORE breakfast. And no, there's no way that I'm EVER going to cut it, so that's not an option either...

Hanging out with Brighton

Dale was just taking pictures of me and Brighton while I was mostly laying around. Brighton was feeding her bear what we call "soup." We tell her to go to her kitchen and stir up some "soup" and to take a taste. She goes and stirs that yellow spoon around in the pot, and takes a taste for herself, and says it's yummy. I've been trying to teach her to give her babies a taste, too.

Here I am laying on the bottom step of our stairs. It may not look comfortable, but this has been my prefered location lately. I can lay down, but still be in the middle of the action, and I'm propped up enough to see. I don't know what sort of face I'm making, but Dale liked this picture and wouldn't let me delete it. So I thought I would share.

I thought this was a really great one of B and I. Our camera is so cool! Check out how we're focused, and the background isn't! Maybe all cameras do this, but I never noticed until I read that ours did!

I've been trying to teach Brighton a new animal sound and body part each week. This one she's had down for a while. She DEFINITELY knows where her belly button is.

Here's B, just hanging out.

Clipping Sawyer's Nails

So just to forwarn you, there is going to be a tremendous amount of randomness to the next couple of posts because: 1.) Dale was trying out the new camera 2.) He was taking pictures of EVERYTHING 3.) I was trying out the new camera and finally, 4.) I was taking pictures of EVERYTHING. Did I tell you how truly fun and AWESOME our new camera is? Above, this is how I trim Sawyer's nails. I've done it this way since I got him at 7 weeks, and it works for us. He just lays there. Brighton has become very helpful whenever I am doing this. She loves to take my QuickStop, try to comb Sawyer, give him hugs and kisses to reassure him, and sometimes she tries to help him up because he's stuck on his back.

Here she is just petting him and talking to him. Yes, we are in our pajamas. This was taken at night, right before Brighton's bed time. I, on the other hand, spent the entire day in my pajamas because I didn't feel well. You get to do that when you're sick, even if you're a mom.

She's just checking to see if I made any of the nails bleed, and if I need the QuickStop yet.

My New Birthday Present!

Well, actually it was a combined birthday present for Dale and I. So you may have noticed that the pictures from my birthday post are FAR BETTER than any photos I have ever taken in MY ENTIRE LIFE! I've never been great at using a camera, but Dale and I are really interested in becoming better photographers, so we've invested in a nice new camera! We're still learning all the features (and I STILL need to read the manual and watch the DVD, but...) and how to make the pictures look like we want, but this thing is fabulous.

My Birthday!

So I turned to ripe OLD age of 25 on the 7th. I was feeling somewhat ok that day, so I decided to bake myself my favorite cake- rainbow chip (also known as PARTY CAKE- this was for YOU, Brandy!), complete with rainbow chip frosting. Brighton ate some hot dogs while I tried to light my candles, so that Dale could sing to me.

Here I am lighting the candles. I felt like a total cheater baking the cake in a 13x9 pan. I just didn't feel like doing the layer cake, or frosting 20 plus cupcakes, but it just doesn't feel like a REAL cake if it's not pretty on a cake stand. Oh well, I at least put on the "25th" in some pink frosting.

Here's some pictures of Brighton devouring the cake. This is how it SHOULD have gone on her birthday. Better late than never, huh?


She seems quite pleased with herself, no?

Ward LipSync

February 4th: Our ward just loves to lip sync, I guess. The YM and YW did this last year, and it was a hit, so they decided to do it again. I think everyone is pretty much over it after this year and the youth group will need to come up with something else for next year. Dale was the MC. Not really something you can picture him doing, I know, but Dale is truly himself when on the stage (tons of sarcasm with that one...). The above picture is of the Bishopric. They did some Scottish soap song and it was pretty funny. I especially loved the "bagpipes" that they were playing, but you can't see them because my camera just sucks. Oh well.

This was the performance of the night! I was waiting all night for this one. It's Ashlynn (left) and Jessie (right) doing "Dancing Queen" by Abba. We all know what a huge HIT Mamma Mia! was for me, so this was delightful! Jessie's mom MADE her costume, and I was very impressed by the ingenuity. You'd never guess what it was refashioned from.

The Priests did two musical numbers, each one entertaining. Which ever Matt Damon twin (that's what Dale and I call them; they both look like Matt Damon and I can't tell them apart, at all) is on the keyboard, he got really into it. And Barry is my favorite Home Teacher (far left) and he got really into his air guitar.

Again, the Priests. The same Matt Damon twin (far left) played the air guitar, but also played the keyboard. He kept switching between the two, and sometimes would have a guitar in one hand, but play the keyboard with the other. I guess you had to be there, but it was hilarious and quite entertaining. Brighton stood on my lap the entire hour and a half dancing, singing, and clapping. She whacked me in the face a few times, too. Lucky for her, I'm tough.

Some Sunday in January...

I DO realize that it's getting to the end of February, and I am STILL playing catch up and posting about January events, but: oh well. Brighton received this AMAZING sweater from Grandpa Rod for Christmas. He bought it all by himself, and picked it out because he had bought me one very similar to this a few years ago. He wanted Brighton and I to be matching! So it has become her church jacket just because it is so beautiful! Here she is getting ready to head out the door.

And just so you can see her cute little dress that was underneath, we took some shots after church too! I love this dress and have been waiting a LONG time for her to be big enough to wear it. I got it at her baby shower over a year and a half ago!

She just loves her daddy, and the camera. She has to be RIGHT UP NEXT TO IT ALL THE TIME! Talk about annoying, especially when your not a photographer and your camera has like a 3 second delay. We'll talk about that later...

On The Road Again

We spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa Hibler, and then took off to see the Golden Gate Bridge (that's what this bridge is called, right? Let me know if I got it wrong.) I don't remember ever seeing it before, so Dale wanted to take us by. Brighton, above, is ready to get on the road, and wearing her brand new outfit that Aunt Caroline gave her for Christmas.

Dale, me and Brighton at THE BRIDGE!

I took this photo, and I think it turned out pretty cool looking.

We also drove on a bunch of bridges. This one was double decker and very long! Now, we're home bound!

At Great Grandma and Grandpa's

We left Arizona on New Year's Day to start heading back home. After spending the night with Dale's mom, we continued northward to the Great Hibler's home. We are so greatful for the time we were able to spend with the Grandparents and Aunt Caroline.

Great Grandma Jackie had tons of little things out for Brighton to play with. It was like Christmas all over again!

Scoping out more gifts under the tree.

Playing with mommy while she read Grandpa's memoirs. Great Grandma Jackie and Great Grandpa Ed used to teach a memoir writing class.

This ball is really cool- you bounce it up and down and it lights up!

Great Grandpa Ed, Dale and Brighton.

Clockwise from top: Aunt Caroline, Great Grandma Jackie, Dale, Brighton and Great Grandpa Ed. Now answer me this: Dale won't dress up for Halloween, and he won't wear a scarf or gloves when it's freezing outside (even when I beg him to) but he'll wear a bear hat for a photo? I suppose he's just humoring Grandma.

Great Grandpa Ed, Me, Dale and Brighton.

Brighton, getting ready to eat some dinner!

Aunt Caroline, setting the table.

Just checking up on Granny, making sure she doesn't need any help with dinner.