Uncle Jake's pics of Liane

My brother Jake has a new camera that rocks and he is always willing to take pics of Liane and the other nieces and nephew... thanks Uncle Jake... you are great!! Here are some of the latest... enjoy!!

Mel's baby..

The evening before we left for Florida (August 14th) my best friend Mel gave birth to her beautiful baby girl Chelsea Ruthe Petersen! I have yet to see her in person, but I will on Monday. I am so thrilled for Melissa and Brad. What a blessing it is to be a parent and I love watching all of my friends go through all of these wonderful life experiences. Melissa and I have been friends for 10 years and have kinda followed each other closely through the big life events... fun little facts... Mel and Brad were married 11 months after Salomon and I and Mel had Chelsea exactly 11 months to the day after I had Liane. Welcome to the world Chelsea!!

We are back!

Sarasota


My friend Maggie

Epcot

Typhoon Lagoon

Magic Kingdom

Resort pool

We flew into Florida on Friday the 15th and came back home on Friday the 22nd. Liane did amazing on both flights and made some friends on the planes. Thank you to all of the people who helped entertain her on the plane - you have no idea how much you helped! I am so grateful for nice people. As many of you probably heard, Florida was/is hit with a tropical storm "Fay" they call her. Thankgoodness it didnt turn into a hurricane like expected, but it was strong and did lots of damage nontheless. We were in Orlando the whole time and saw much rain and some wind, but we were still able to enjoy all that we had planned... except the beaches that is. We did get to Sarasota beach (Siesta Key) Saturday evening and I am glad we did for that was the only beach we saw while there.

Friday we basically flew in and relaxed at the resort... went to the pool which Liane LOVED!!

Saturday went to the Orlando temple and hung around the resort until the weather calmed down and then we drove the 1hr 45mins to Sarasota to go to the beach and to see a friend of mine whom I have not seen in like 8 years!! It was so good to see Maggie and I wish we would have had more time to talk and catch up. Thank you Maggie for taking the day off to see us and for being so patient!! Liane loves the outfits you gave her too - sooooo cute!! Liane loved the beach - the water was so warm and the sand was soft and white - until she got sunscreen and salt water in her eyes... yes, it was all over at that point. Our beach outing was cut short and we left. Whatcha gonna do?

Sunday was church and Liane and I stayed at the resort to get some much needed sleep and relaxation... Liane was kinda struggling due to lack of sleep and being on the go... she needed an "at home" kinda day. That day after we all took naps, Liane had a "first"... she swallowed her first earring! Ahhhhhh!!!!! Talk about heartattack for a parent! Geez! It was a small one, but an earring nontheless. I felt SOOOOO bad! All is well though... she passed it the next day... boy was I happy to see that out of her!!

Monday we went to Magic Kingdom! So fun! We all were able to get on some rides, see a show and took lots of pics. Liane's first ride at Disney was Dumbo. She loved it. The other rides she did well on but was a little clingy and fussy... all so new to her. She played tons and had so much to look at and experience. She took naps in her stroller and grandma and grandpa watched her as Salomon, his brother and sister and I all went on rides. It rained near the end of the day, but only for a short time so we were able to enjoy a full day at Disney! Another first for Liane... a pickle!! Its kinda tradition for me to get a pickle at Disney - they are huge and I love them! So Salomon got one for me -good man- and I shared it with Liane who LOVED it! Like mother like daughter! Thats my girl!!

Tuesday began the continual rain showers... we decided to go to the water park Typhoon Lagoon - we were going to be getting wet anyway right? It was not croweded at all and actually way fun - even in the rain. Some sun would have been nice so we could have maybe dried off and gotten a tan, but it turned out to be a good time anyway. I even went on the slides... I usually chicken out of them, but I thought what the heck?! I gave it a shot and had a blast!

Wednesday we went to Epcot Center - yes, in the rain. Again, sun would have been nice, but it didnt stop us from having a good time. We all had fun going on some more rides, seeing the sights and visiting all of the cool countries represented there. Epcot is a beautiful place - certainly a place you could spend more than one day at. I highly recommend the boat ride that is in the same building "Soarin" is in... it takes you through the Disney gardens - a water garden - seriously the coolest thing!! I want a garden like that!!

Thursday we spent some time in the Florida mall, ate Pollo Tropical for the third delicious time and packed to come home... sniff, sniff, sniff...

We had a wonderful vacation and fun together as a family. We were all able to work together to get things done and make best use of time at the parks especially. It was wonderful to see how well Liane did and all the fun she had. She is a very good little girl and did better than I expected. She is truly amazing and so flexible. I love being her mommy - I feel so blessed. Even people on the planes commented on how well she behaved. Thankgoodness!! Coming home from vacation is always a challenge, but truly there is no place like home.

Packing for Floida...

K we are leaving tomorrow morning for our trip to Florida... we are going with Salomon's family (who is already there). This is our first flight together and with a baby... awe Liane's first flight. Too bad she won't remember it. We are going to some beaches, Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center... way excited. I will also be meeting up with a friend of mine whom I have not seen in like 10 years! A trip to remember for sure!!

Baby Steps

Yes, Liane took her first steps today!!  She has been "walking" for a while now... holding onto things of course, but today is the first day she let go and took steps on her own!  She started off by hanging onto my pant leg as she usually does and all of a sudden she let go and tried to take a step, but her foot caught and she fell.  So I decided to help her out... I sat down and stood her in front of me and encouraged her to come get me - which of course she did and sure enough she took two steps to me!!  When Salomon got home from work we sat down and had Liane walk back and forth between us.  She had such a blast and of course mommy and daddys claps and cheers made her want to keep going.  She will be 11 months old in 2 days... learning, growing and developing so quickly!!  Congrats Liane!  We love you so much!!  xoxo

My Passions

Salomon and I had this discussion the other night - about what our passions are... here are some of mine...

Being a Mom and Wife!
Family/Friends
Children - loving, teaching, raising, standing up for, encouraging, supporting, building self esteem, creating opportunities for, etc...
Teaching
Traveling
Islands/Water
Organizing
Decorating
Being creative
Tolerence
Overcoming
Planing/Preparing
Being positive

oh I know I have so much more... but here are the tops ones I guess (not that I am good at any of them...)

Questions...

Ok so I have a few questions that I would like to get some feedback on... if you have an opinion or expereince please let me know... just like to get others thoughts.... thanks!

Flying with small children... any tips?

What things do you do on Sundays to keep the day holy with small children?

Ok so I thought I had more questions but I guess I dont... lol... thanks for your input!

Mel's Baby Shower

On Saturday July 26, 2008 we had a baby shower for my best friend Melissa to welcome the upcoming birth of her little girl Chelsea Ruthe. We are all - not as much as Mel- so excited to meet her! Mel and I were talking the other day about how we have been friends for 10 years and all of the many things we have been through together in those 10 years... laughs, tears, boyfriends, breakups, road trips, flights, dances, moves, temple/mission, marriages and now babies... can't wait to see what these next 10 years brings!! Love you Mel!

Pics of Liane

My bro Jake took some great pics of Liane the other day as she was eating a homemade popsicle and during other activities. He just got a new camera and has been trying it out on everyone's kids... we love uncle Jake!! Notice Liane's two little teeth - you have to look close to see the second one...

Our little Crazy Monkey!

Liane makes us laugh everyday.. she is a funny little girl and we try to capture as many of her funny moments that we can... here are a few recent ones...

Oh Liane loves the popsicles mommy makes for her... ya sorry, Im not one of those moms who buys sugary sweets for her baby - if you are im sorry to offend- I make these in 5 minutes... take yogurt, banana, and berries - blend and pour into molds... ta da! No excuss for the sugary stuff now moms!!

Liane loves to climb onto ot into anything she can... this is what she discovered she could do in the bathroom the other day... silly girl!

Oh my... leave her alone for a minute and just wait and see the damage this lil' tornado can do! Ya, I caught her in the act of leaving the scene of the crime... lol

Liane discovering who that beautiful baby in the mirror is...