Easter is not Easter without bubbles!

I went to Target yesterday to look for a fan for my husband. (Paintings are taking 3-4 times as long to dry here as they did in Utah so by trial and error we are trying to correct the problem.) Of course I to stop and look at the baby clothes. I saw the cutest Easter dress for Niev and just had to have it (plus, she is down to only two dresses that fit her and only one barely fits her). So that got me thinking about Easter and Easter is not Easter without it being spring. And spring is not spring without bubbles! I realized Niev had never played with bubbles before. I love kids discovering bubbles for the first time. It has such magic to it that you don't see in adults. We seem to hide that excitement and pure joy of simple things behind a mask of nonchalantness.



It was so cute to watch her belly laugh at the bubbles floating away. She was totally enamored by what was happening. I hope I remember this day forever.

When we got home, I wanted to show Ian that the dress was totally worth it so I put it on Niev. Just when I went to take some pictures she found a wrapper to a fruit snack. It was empty because she ate it earlier and I would not give her another one. She through a royal queen-bee conniption fit. Caught her in the act.


Oh yeah, it was a good one!

No more caveman!

Niev used to walk like a caveman (according to Melissa) or like she had been riding a horse for about a months straight (according to Mom). She didn't bend her knees really so she would have to swing her legs wide in order to be able to take a step. It was hilarious, but a turtle would have beaten her and a good breeze could knock her down. Niev is a fast learner so she quickly realized that there was a better way. She is now walking like a normal toddler...well, sort of. You be the judge.

She loves to dig through her diaper bag (scouting out for a binkie). When she found these sunglasses that we bought for her a year ago, she was as proud as punch. She would try to put them on, stab herself in the eye, walk to me, have me put them on her and just saunter around gloating about her fabulous sunglasses. Isn't she cute!

She has also found our curtains to be a good hiding spot. I was taught not to ever play in our curtains as a child, but Ian has convinced me that life will go on and that I just need to breathe sometimes. Plus, these came with the house and we are not the biggest fans. I love her squeals!

Something old, something new, something blue

Since we found out that we were expecting with Niev, I have been so excited to get a crib set. Ian has very definite opinions on design, color, etc., but since we didn't have a crib, we couldn't very well justify buying a crib set. Now that we have a crib, I was finally able to get a crib set. I LOVE it!
I know Niev is a girl, but I am not that partial towards pink. Plus, being a teacher and all, I love the numbers/letters print (my babies will be geniuses).

Just so you know that I do dress her in pink sometimes, here are some pics from church last Sunday.

She's got moves like her mother!

I don't know if I have explained just how adorable Niev is. She loves music more than eating (which is saying quite a bit). As soon as music comes on, she is dancing. I think she belongs in the ghetto, dancin' with the little girls on the street (side note: why is it that an african-american three-year old can shake her booty and hips better than I can ever dream of doing?). Her whole body says and jives. It is pretty cute. Well, tonight we put on Raffi and she loved it. At one point, she actually tried to grab at the microphone through the TV. Hilariousness ensued.
This was taken as we were unpacking her room. I was very excited to move and one of the first things I spotted that could be easily packed were most of Niev's toys. She hadn't seen some of these toys in over two weeks...enjoy!


We also put her crib up and she loved jumping in her new crib. She no longer sleeps in a playpen! She now has a soft, comfy mattress thanks to my brother and his wife. She loves her HUGE bed.


She loves to swing, go fast on slides and recently we found out she likes to go sledding (I had totally forgot to blog about this when it happened with all the moving and stuff. This is a week or so before we left Utah).

We put her on a bunny-type hill that we found with her buddy, Tyler. He was very uncertain how he felt about everything and Niev was too cold to even give a real smile. (I didn't realize that we had been out in the cold for over two hours! Time flies when you are having fun. Yes, her cheeks were very chapped. Neglectful mommy.) Too cute though.
Niev's aunt, Kelley, and grandma buh went in together and got her a rocket-bike for her birthday. It is too cute to see her waddle on it. I can't help but laugh. She has learned to get off and on by herself (sometimes with a bit of a crash) and therefore, no longer get stuck on bumping a wall. She is the cutest baby around....no contest!

Movin' and Groovin'

I can't believe it has been so long since the last time I blogged. I know, I know Melissa, for YOU it seems forever, but to me the time is flying by so quickly. Ian's mom, Paula, came to Utah to help us with the last minute packing, cleaning and watching Niev. We rented a 17-foot truck and filled it to the brim (literally, when you opened the back door a mattress would fall on top of you!). I don't know how we ever managed to live in such a tiny apartment. Paula rode with me in the car and help tend to Niev's every desire. Niev actually was a great travel buddy and she was very happy for the majority of the way. We stopped in at my mom and dad's house in Parma, Idaho (YEA!). We were graced with great beds and fabulous meals. Did I really expect anything different? It is always great to see Mom and Dad; they are the best! We were pleasantly surprised to also find my grandmother at the house. If you haven't met my grandmother Thora yet you are missing one of the sassiest, hilarious people this world has ever laid eyes upon. We played games and had a gay ol' time. The next morning, we went to Craig and Maria's to drop off a painting that they had commissioned Ian to paint. Ian had worked tirelessly and was very stressed as he had NEVER done Christ before and felt that He needed to be perfect. I was very impressed with his skill and dedication. He can't really include it on his website so here it is (please excuse the horrible picture) :

To zoom in on the picture, just click on it.

Finally, we were off to Washington! We made it here just in time to meet our 15-20 "moving crew" from our church's elder's quorum. It was great to get such a warm welcome of happy helping hands! Ian was very cute and carried me over the threshold. We quickly got the truck unpacked and Ian's sister, Kelley, shows up from Portland to help us out.

That night, Paula and Kelley gave Niev her first bath in her new bathtub. Reader, please note that she had been taking a bath in a TINY tub in the middle of the kitchen floor at our old apartment. Niev went WILD in the bath! She flailed around until all of us were worried that she would hurt herself. I was too busy unpacking/cleaning to grab the camcorder, but let it be known: She loves her new house! Here is a pic a few days later of her in the bath:
For the first week or so, she just wandered around the house excitedly yelling and rolling around on our carpet. She loves exploring all the new cupboards and drawers. It is so fun to watch her.

We love our new house and are so grateful for this time in our lives. It has been an adventure and I'm so glad that I did this with Ian. He is a very calm and collected guy most the time. We were very patient with each other and talked through any stresses or tenseness between us. I truly love my husband. What a good father and buddy he is to Niev.

Construction Zone

Ian worked endlessly on his garage. When I say endlessly, I mean endlessly. He worked non-stop starting Monday at 7:30 a.m. and didn't rest until the garage was done the following Monday at about 6:00 at night. Each day he would work from 7:30/8:00 until almost midnight, only taking a short lunch and dinner break. What is he doing to a GARAGE, you may ask? Ian's new art studio is the garage. In order for him to work in the garage, come wind, snow or rain, he had to insulate and board up the garage. With the help of his dad (directing by phone) he decided to not drywall, but to put up particle board so that he will be able to hang anything anywhere. This was a very exhausting project, but the garage looks amazing now that it is finished!These are different sides of the garage, but oh well!

Before:

After:

After the garage was all done and beautified, I was a bit bugged because the inside of the house, the place where I go to work every day, was exactly the same. (I can be such a selfish brat sometimes.) I was complaining to Ian and so I told him the list of small changes that I would like done. He helped me with these and one of the items on the list was the knobs on our cupboards.

They remind me of Arizona for some reason. Ian let me replace them with this knob. Much better!


As you can tell, our cupboards are old, but they look much better with the knobs on them.

Niev is still very happy in her home and loves being outside. Her face is changing so much because her teeth are rapidly coming in.

We have moved!

Finally, we have moved in to our new home in Kennewick, WA. Ian's mom was kind enough to fly in to Salt Lake and drive with us all the way to Washington. As we crossed the Washington border, I couldn't help but get a little choked up thinking that this will be the first home that Niev remembers. We are excited about our new house and it is just as good as we remembered it being. More will be written later, but I must go clean, unpack, feed Niev and Ian, run errands.....

Niev with Melissa at our "going away" party. I will miss my best friend!