Shawn, Tori & Brynna

Disneyland October 2011

2011-10-27T16:57:00.006-05:00

Yesterday we went to Disneyland for Brynna's very first trip. She had so much fun and when she first saw the castle she let out a load "Wow!" It was so cute. We met her three favorite Disney characters Mickey, Minnie and Tinkerbell. Most mornings are spent with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while she eats breakfast and mommy gets ready for the day so she was so excited to meet Mickey, she ran in and gave him a big hug! And me and Shawn deserve Mom and Dad of the year awards since we waited in line an hour and a half to meet him

She woke up this morning and told me she gave Mickey a big hug- so at least it was memorable for her too!
We also got to go through Minnie's house and she absolutely loved the kitchen- we couldn't get her out.
She loves to spin so was loving the teacups
Pixie hollow. Absolutely worth the wait! She was talking away to Tinkerbell all about how she is her (Tinkerbell) for Halloween and got a wand and shoes and a hairpiece. It was so stinkin' cute

Her telling Tinkerbell and Iradesca all about it
Buzz Light Year Ride. She thought she was all that was cool with that gun.

And Tarzan's tree house. She has never seen Tarzan but anything that lets her run around and climb is right up her alley.
It was such a great day and I loved being able to show her around one of my favorite places. Next up: Halloween!

Three Years

2011-03-14T21:07:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago Shawn and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. In some ways it feels like it has flown by, but in others it seems weird that I ever had a life without him. The last three years have been more amazing than I ever thought possible, and it just gets better everyday. Through all the ups and downs there is no one I would rather spend it with.
Since we were married on leap year, our deal was that every four years when it was our actual anniversary we would go on a big trip. The plan is to go to Italy next year and I could not be more excited!
3 years ago I made the best decision of my life, and I can't wait to see what the rest of our life brings!

Mexico

2011-01-31T20:59:00.005-06:00

Early in January Shawn and I, along with my sister Alycia and Greg all went to Riviera Maya Mexico to celebrate them graduating with their Master's and it was amazing!!!! I am so glad we went and that Alycia and I finally talked our husband's into it :o)

These were the Villas we stayed in and they were absolutely beautiful

They had this awesome bar that had swings all around it that you sat in, and I am now determined to do this in my house someday

The beach was amazing- perfect white sandy beaches, water so crystal clear and blue you can see all the way to the bottom

By the way, do you love Shawn's Dunder Mifflin shirt? I think that is his new favorite

We went to the Tulum Mayan Ruins which I have to admit, I was not excited about, but they were amazing! And the beach is one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world so it was very worth the trip. This is Shawn doing his Hulk pose. Don't ask me why, but I love it :o)

This was the beach at Tulum, seriously the most beautiful water I have ever seen

It was so relaxing and so great to be able to get away and spend time in paradise with each other. We love to travel (Well, I love to travel and after all the traveling I have forced Shawn to do, he loves it now too :o), and I can't wait to see where we go next!!

Coming Up

2010-12-04T20:13:00.002-06:00

There are so many things coming up that I am excited for. I absolutely love Christmas and am so excited that Brynna is old enough this year to be excited to wake up and open gifts- already she loves the Christmas tree- and taking off the ornaments!'
Shawn graduates with his masters on December 17th and I am so proud of him! This year has been especially grueling for him so I am really excited that he will finally be done and able to relax!
On January 5th, my sister and I and both our husbands are going to Mexico to celebrate our husbands graduating (they graduate the same day) and I think Alycia is literally going to have a heart attach from excitement. She will randomly call me at work and scream that we are going to Mexico. This should be interesting!
Shawn and I are so blessed. We have amazing family all around us- I don't know what I would do without them, a gorgeous home, and a beautiful, healthy baby girl that makes us laugh everyday. I always have big hopes for each new year, wanting it to be just a little better than the last. So hopefully, next year will be spectacular!

Hallloween

2010-11-01T20:08:00.005-05:00

We had the cutest little pink pirate for Halloween. She was so good and let me paint her nails (although it went against everything I believe in to paint them black). And of course, she loves putting on makeup so loved all the glitter on her eyes and cheeks. She only cried at the first 2 houses and then she figured out the candy thing and was off!

Even as a pirate she looked like a little angel

Her first stop trick-or-treating was Grandpa
This was the first house, cried walking all the way, and excited walking back to show me her candy

She was determined!
And then she was tuckered out and wanted to cuddle mommy. I was not complaining :o)

Busy Brynna

2010-11-01T19:36:00.005-05:00

Our precious little girl definitely keeps us on our toes. She is the ultimate girly girl but loves dirt and being outside. She found the use of the word "no" and just recently she had her first little temper tantrum! But she also loves giving hugs and looks so freaking cute when she purses her lips to give kisses. And, I could not be prouder to say that she is just like her mama- she loves pickles! Yes pickles!She also loves to read- just like her mama too. We can't believe how much she has grown and how beautiful she is, and grows more so everyday. Anytime I am having a bad day and she smiles at me, my day gets immediately better. Shawn is such a great dad and can most usually be found getting down on the ground and playing with her (when he's not studying). I have the most perfect little family
Here are some pictures of our sweet princess

We got a new kitty, which Brynna loves. His name is Charlie and Brynna walks around shouting "Carlie! Carlie" when she wants to play with him. And when he doesn't want to play with her, she carries him around by the neck, as shown above
Her with Miss Sue getting her haircut. She does not really take to strangers, but she cuddled up to Sue right away- that's because we all love her!
I thought she would hate having to sit still and stuff coming at her. But once again, her girly girl came out! She thought she was all that is cool sitting in that chair looking at herself in the mirror

Lately......

2010-07-22T17:13:00.008-05:00

We have been pretty crazy lately. Shawn is getting ready to start his last semester of his master's in August and took his CFA test in June, (which we get the results for next week!) For some reason, we decided to build a patio and finish our basement to add some more fun. I started a new job in March which I am loving- I love actually liking my job! Brynna is growing like a weed and coming up with something new to make us laugh everyday. We fall more and more in love with her everyday! Once Shawn finds out he passed the CFA, he can start applying for his "career" job, and we will finally know if we are moving! Which if we have to,I am hoping somewhere awesome like Boston or London. But who knows. These are just a couple pictures of lately :o)

I put her in a tutu and pigtails and she was loving it! She is seriously such a girly girl- when I put on makeup, she insists that she get some too. She loves purses and credit cards- I think I'm in trouble!

We found her like this one morning after she woke up. Apparently she was still tired, but not tired enough not to play :o)
Paul got a new dog Toffey. You can see them doing this at the patio door and the front door whenever they hear something outside. So flipping cute!
The patio before picture once we started construction. Hopefully, one day I will be able to post the after picture :o)
I think there is only two words for this. Stinking cute!
Grandma and Grandpa Doty bought her her very own chair. She loves it!
"Where's your belly?". She knows
Probably one of the cutest pictures I have of her and Grandpa Doty
Paul's birthday was in May. So we had some fun with his room
Okay, Shawn insisted on taking this very unflattering picture of me. But he knows how high maintenance I am and how much I hate nature, so was ridiculously shocked (and I think pleased) that I decided I wanted to plant flowers. I think he is still shocked
This was in the corner. She found the kleenex box. They were everywhere.

Family Pictures

2010-05-02T13:56:00.003-05:00

I am a Slacker

2010-02-24T20:44:00.003-06:00

I know I have been a slacker lately. But here I go

Seriously, she is the freaking cutest things ever!! I just love that little face so much!

I am so in love with these bows. They are so stinkin' cute (no matter what my husband says) and the lady that makes them- wow. They are a little pricey, but it goes to such an amazing cause and they are so cute!

This was just hilarious. They both looked at us at the same time like, what?

This is Mose's new favorite thing. If she is on the floor he gets down on all fours to play. At least, we hope he wants to play.

She has had her first major bruise thanks to Aunt Alycia. She looked so pitiful with that bruise on her cheek! She was at Alycia's house trying to play with the banister and her hand slipped and she went face (or cheek) forward into it. Poor bubba!

Christmas Vacation

2010-02-24T19:59:00.009-06:00

Okay, so this is really long and wayyyy overdue! But the day after Christmas, Shawn Brynna and I, my Mom and Dad and my sister Tricia and her girls climbed in our cars and drove to Florida for a week. It was so much fun! First day was The Kennedy Space Center, then Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and then Sea World. We are so glad that we went, it really was a blast!

Brynna is truly the perfect child! We drove for 2 days, and she cried once. The first day of driving, she cried right before we got to the hotel. That's it. She is so amazing!

Here she is with Grandma trying to drive her cart. Mom started reversing once and couldn't figure out why. Brynna was on her lap. She apparently felt the need to run over the people behind her

So here she is with The Grinch in Seussland at Islands of Adventure. She did not like him at all! Started screaming the second he looked at her. But he was an awesome Grinch!

She fell asleep in her cart on our shoppiong bags. So precious!

I don't know why we did this, other than it was Seussland- which is freaking awesome! I totally fell in love with it! Could have spent all day there

Grandpa and Brynna having fun!

She loves to cuddle with Grandpa.

Brynna was not a fan of all the characters, but I thought their costumes were awesome

The only ride that she could ride the whole trip was the carousel. And boy did she love it! She could not stop smiling and giggling the whole time.

So this is absolutely priceless. For Universal Studios Christmas parade, they actually own the balloons from the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade and that is what they use for theirs. So they were looking for volunteers to hold the stings. Greg and Shawn "volunteered". Which means we volunteered them :o)

That is hott Ginger!

Believe it or not, Brynna is actually under there somewhere!

Tricia was apparently trying to jump up on the car. I don't know either.

I was serioulsy scared of this guy. He was cool and everything with his costume. But he totally freaked me out

We had so much fun and about 1,000 more pictures, but I have bored you enough.

Santa

2009-12-13T21:20:00.003-06:00

So this is why I absolutely love Nebraska. I was dreading standing in line this Christmas at the mall waiting for Santa. But to our delight, Bass Pro Shop has a Santa. It is an awesome setup! They have crafts and passes so you don't stand in line too long. We had so much fun! My parents, Tricia and her girls, Alycia and her family and Paul all went to Bass Pro on Saturday.

These are the better pictures, Brynna was not exactly excited to see Santa- which we were expecting, and it was still so cute, even if she was screaming!
I took some pictures at home of her in front of our tree, and some came out beautiful! She is so stinkin' cute and we are loving watching her experience all the Christmas traditions we love so much. Even if she doesn't understand them all :o)

Lately......

2009-12-03T20:05:00.005-06:00

For Thanksgiving we went to Shawn's parents for dinner and my parents for dessert. Brynna was loving all the food.

Grandpa Doty feeding her cool whip. THe above picture is her following it when he is trying to take it away
Mmmm.......
She was having some fun crawling around playing with everybody's shoelaces.

All the food just tuckered her out.

This is our Brynna bug at Halloween. She was the cutest ladybug ever!
She thought she was pretty stinkin' funny!
You can seriously never stop kissing her cheeks!

This is one of my favorites. Auntie Trish found her a shirt that matched Daddy's jack-o-lantern shirt. So she wore that all day and her bug costume at night. My little pumpkins!!!

Put Into a Headlock by the 2nd Richest Man in the World

2009-10-09T17:52:00.003-05:00

Yes, that is Warren Buffet, founder of Berkshire Hathaway and 2nd richest man in the world. And that is my husband he has in a headlock. So many comments, so little room.

Definitely something to keep Shawn going through his master's. Thanks Warren!!!

Lots of things lately......

2009-10-09T17:40:00.004-05:00

These are just some random pictures of the last little bit. They are out of order- but still super cute!

This is Brynna's new favorite thing- Super Bryn!!! She loves when you sing Super Bryn and fly her through the air. I will say, my daughter does not like cameras- she usually smiles much bigger than this.
At Papio Bay they had doggie day and we decided to see if Mose could swim. He can- but he doesn't want to. This is one of many pictures we have of him trying to get out of the water.
She wore her first hoodie the other day and it was so stinking cute! I couldn't stop loving on her!

So, Brynna loves sweet peas, bananas, applesauce, pears. But green beans, not so much.

This is her other favorite thing- riding on daddy's shoulders.
And put her in front of the mirror on daddy's shoulders, you get the cutest little giggles!

I decided to start a tradition on General Conference weekend. Big breakfasts- which we don't normally eat. It turned out really well. However, in my wonderful year and a half of marriage to my amazing husband, who spoils me ridiculously and cooks very well, I learned something new this day. He really can't cook breakfast. I asked him to cook the bacon. It burned (I cooked the rest). I asked him to pour the waffle mix onto the waffle maker. He forgot to spray non-stick so they were destroyed. Next year, I will have him set the table :o) (And Paul cooked the hashbrowns. They didn't burn. Mom taught us well).
Even though he can't cook breakfast, I wouldn't trade him for the world! He is too good to me- just ask my family~

Labor Day Weekend

2009-10-09T17:30:00.003-05:00

So on the labor day weekend we went to the zoo and the the Strategic Air Command Museum. Shawn has been trying to get me to go there for awhile, but I knew it would just feed his desire to go into the military. But I finally gave in and it was a lot more fun than you would think! And Shawn was like a kid in a candy store!

This is the only picture I am posting of the zoo- we have a TON on pictures of animals, but you know what those look like :o)
She is so stinkin' cute!
These are Brynna Boo just chilling at the museum. She was really good and just kept looking around at all the planes.
Ashley thought it was really cool that she could touch actual planes- Don't ask me.
This is the sign when you walk in. We have a lot of really cool pictures of planes and and signs and memorials but there are way too many. The museum is worth the trip and they have updated a lot apparently from a few years ago.
She got tired waiting for Daddy and Ashley in line.
Ashley and Shawn in the simulator getting ready for their "adventure". Shawn said it was pretty cool, but the B-2 simulator was better.
In the cockpit of the plane. There are way too many buttons in that thing. Probably a good thing I am not a pilot.

Bunny- 5 months

2009-09-01T18:34:00.004-05:00

So here is what makes me sad everyday. She is so much bigger!!!

This was her first picture with her bunny that we took. She was so little!
Here she was at 3 months. Still those skinny little legs!
And now here she is at 5 months. I cannot believe how big she has gotten. She is rolling over and pulling herself up with anything she can get her hands on (including your hair!). It is so cute to watch her little personality come out. But boy is she obstinate (nothing like her mother!)
She wanted that carrot so bad and I kept moving her arm to get her away from it- she was none too happy with that
I just thought this was cute- she loved how soft the bunny was. Never noticed it before but before I put her down on the couch with it I rubbed it against her face and she just started smiling! And then she was just running her hands over it!
This I caught by accident because what she was actually doing was flinging herself face forward off the couch. I think next time I might have to do this on the floor :o)
And this is so funny. Everytime we feed her or she goes to sleep she has to do this with her hands. I am half tempted to buy her one of those sleep masks!

I get so sad to think how quickly she is growing but I love watching her experience and realize new things. As much as I would like her to stay little bitty, everyday there is a new joy to experience with her and Shawn and I are so grateful that we get to be the ones watching her

New Pics

2009-08-14T17:42:00.002-05:00

We have been super busy lately - nothing major but just daily life. But we did get a bunch of adorable pictures of Brynna along the way!

Her loving her Daddy. They are so adorable together- she always lights up when he picks her up!
We bought her a jumper and she loves the toys on it. But she gets mad when she looks around after awhile and realizes we are not giving her our full, un-divided attention. She is nothing like her mother :o)
I love this picture- posing already! And only 4 months old. I think we are in trouble!

I posted this picture because I would like some feedback. Everytime I put a headband on her someone takes it off because they don't like it. Daddy, both grandpa's, uncles, everything. I however think it is so adorable and would like to see if it is just me.

My birthday is next week and Shawn is taking me to a hotel downtown- I am really excited. He has even said he will try new foods (he is a really picky eater!) so hopefully I will have some good pictures of that- Happy Birthday to me!!!

Brynna's Camo Hat

2009-07-09T21:36:00.002-05:00

Shawn's Dad was very proud of this. He bought this camo hat that ties in the front to make a bow, since he knows how much I love putting bows in Brynna's hair. She looks so cute!

Recent Pictures

2009-07-09T20:29:00.006-05:00

We have been doing a lot lately and I have WAY too many pictures to post so I will just do some highlights.

So, these pictures of the 4th of July were pretty much what was happening all day. There was a lot of running away from the smoking, flaming, renegade (some would shoot sideways when they were suppose to go up) fireworks. It was a sight to behold. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the Bag of Death, but plenty of other people did :o)

I, however, was not outside when my husband decided to put 20 zips in a metal bucket and the zips came shooting sideways out of it and my dad had to dive for cover. What a photo opportunity that would have been!

We also went to Cocoa Keys with my sister Alycia and her family and had a blast! It was Brynna's first time in water besides her bath. She really didn't have a lot of reaction, just chilled in the water. But she did not like when the buckets of water dumped on her had, not one little bit!
She got pretty tuckered out

Her first time in a swimsuit with Aunt Alycia
I just adore this picture!! Brynna loves when Shawn reads to her at night and now she is really looking at all the colors in the books. So cute!

We went tanking (those pictures are below), we were only an hour from where Shawn grew up. O'Neill, NE, population 3800. I have been dying to see it since I met him! I didn't get many pictures of the town but I had to post these of his house there. His parents designed it as well as the landscaping of their 3 acres. I am a city girl and can't imagine not having neighbors, but this had me convinced. It was beautiful!!

This is tanking. The redneck version of whitewater rafting. You get into plastic horse troughs with picnic tables in them and float down the river for 2 1/2 hours. I was skeptical, but it was fun. (And Ginger looks hot in that hat!
This was the van used to transport us to the river from the parking lot. I was scared for my life.

It amazes me everyday how absolutely beautiful she is.
Playing in the water with Daddy
I love this picture of her laughing! She is such a happy baby!

Ridiculous!

2009-06-14T22:15:00.003-05:00

Wow, it is truly amazing how fast she grows. Bottom one was taken when she was 3 weeks old and the top one is 12 weeks. It is true- it goes WAY too fast.

Thank you to Shawn's Dad for reminding me to do this- I was so busy getting other pictures I forgot to do these ones! :o) But I will definitely do them more consistently now

Blog Update

2009-06-06T19:54:00.000-05:00

I did a bunch of new posts because I never am able to remember everything I want to post when I sit down at the computer so sorry it is so long!! But enjoy!!

Earrings

2009-06-06T19:45:00.003-05:00

So being the brilliant mother I am - I decided to get Brynna's ears pierced the same day that she had her shots. It wasnt't planned so I didn't have my camera but I was at Sandie's the show her Brynna after her doctors appointment and decided to just do it there while Alycia got her hair done. First of all I cried when she got her shots- it was so sad. But she cried so much harder when she got her ears done!! I felt so horrible for her. But luckily she stopped crying about 5 minutes after once everyone started playing with her!
Here she is in her new church dress with her pretty new earrings. She is so beautiful!! But of course I am biased!

Downtown

2009-06-06T19:35:00.004-05:00

Last night Shawn and I went downtown. It was so much fun! They had the taste of Omaha so all these different restaurants had booths that you could sample different food and they had this whole band setup. It was so cool and such a perfect night to walk around the Old Market!
We walked around different shops and the booths and then had dinner at the Upstream- I absolutely love where I live! And am so grateful that I have a husband that loves to do these kinds of things!! We had such a blast- as usual :o)

Celine Dion

2009-06-06T19:22:00.004-05:00

I know these are way late but in December Shawn and I got a new Nikon D60 camera that I LOVE! so I don't really use my other camera unless I can't lug that one around, like at a concert, so I forgot these were on here. Alycia and I went to see Celine Dion in February for her birthday and oh my gosh it was amazing! I wish I had half of her talent! She put on an amazing show and I wish I could go again. This one is of her encore singing the Titanic song- AMAZING!
One of the things I love about her is that she uses violins so much- I love listening to violins- they are so beautiful!

This is Alycia in the car on the way there. I mad her smile for it because she was getting extremely angry. We left to get there an hour before the concert and it should have taken us 20 minutes to get there- it took us an hour and a half. Stupid construction for stupid new stadium!! There were times I seriously thought she was going to cry. But luckily Celine had 2 openers so we made it in plenty of time. I wish I had known that before Alycia made me run about a mile across the parking lot and through the building- 8 months pregnant!! But it was all worth it!

Play Time!

2009-06-06T19:19:00.003-05:00

Another gift from Auntie Ginger! She loves playing at this little activity center and just laughs every time she makes the toys move and the music play! But we have to put it against the wall because every time she kick it she pushes it away!

Grandma and Grandpa Doty

2009-06-06T19:13:00.003-05:00

It's not like Brynna is loved or anything :o) Whenever we go out to Shawn's parents Brynna is so spoiled and doted on.

I love this shot of her smiling at them. It's like she knows she has them wrapped around her little finger- just like the rest of us :o)

Smiling Brynna

2009-05-24T19:31:00.003-05:00

So Brynna has been smiling for awhile now but I have been too slow to catch it on camera. But she smiles a lot more lately so I have been able to get it! The best is her singing ladybug that Aunt Heidi bought her. She absolutely loves it and as soon as we put her in her car seat she looks around for it.
This is my favorite- she was actually laughing at it!! This girl melts my heart everyday!

Shawn held her up in front of the mirror and she finally focused on herself and apparently thought she was funny!!
I have no idea what she is smiling at here but it is so cute! She totally looks like she has chipmunk cheeks here :o)

Aunt Alycia

2009-05-24T19:14:00.003-05:00

I have to say this girl will never starve for love! Alycia, Ginger and Tricia all tell Brynna when they hold her that they are the favorite auntie. Well, Brynna absolutely loves being sung to and will stop crying immediately, go to sleep or just stare at you- it is so adorable! And Alycia is always willing to sing to Brynna- I think if Brynna hated it Alycia would still sing :o)
Alycia came over to work out and picked Brynna up and started singing and Brynna just rested her head on her and listened, it was so cute!!!

Pictures of Brynna

2009-05-22T19:46:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to post some pictures of Brynna. I got bored one day and decided to take some pictures myself and see how they turned out. I will not be a photographer anytime soon! But I thought these ones were cute. Poor little thing. She has had a cough and been sneezing a lot for a couple weeks so her eyes are red in them but I will try again as soon as she is better!
i
I love this one because it looks like she is figuring out how she can eat her fist

This is my favorite one and I don't even know why. She just looks so little and the binky is half the size of her face! She is only seven weeks old and already I can't believe how big she has gotten! I love watching her grow and seeing the new things she discovers everyday! We are so blessed to have her in our life!

Changing Brynna

2009-05-14T10:45:00.002-05:00

The other day I made Paul change Brynna's diaper. Apparently he has never changed a newborn before so it was quite entertaining. I wish I had had my video camera- it would have gone to AFV!! I love this one because he is trying to figure out how her outfit works. He looks very intent
I did not get a picture of Paul standing as far away as possible trying to change her with the tips of his fingers- hilarious! That will teach me to leave the camera in the bedroom!

First Church Dress

2009-04-28T22:30:00.005-05:00

2 weeks ago was Brynna's first time at church and I just had to post a picture of her little dress. She looked so cute and adorable!

Her cousin Taylor and the rest of the Hughes family came out here for spring break and Taylor spent the night a lot. She loved spending time and holding Brynna- and Brynna sure loved her! Plus, how cute that they matched without even trying!!

Sleeping Triumph!

2009-04-28T22:21:00.002-05:00

Since we brought Brynna home from the hospital we have been putting her in her bassinet at night to sleep. She never really slept well and I thought it was just her being a new baby which I am sure some of it was. I knew she liked to be bundled so we always made sure to swaddle her but she would like it when we put her in there and then the next time she woke up would immediately kick it off of her, no matter how many times we re-did it.
I didn't want to try the swing because I thought I should find a way to make her sleep in the bassinet, but 4 weeks of barely any sleep will make you try anything! Last night when she woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep I finally brought the swing in the bedroom and wow! She slept for 2 1/2 hours the first time and woke up to eat, and then 3 1/2 hours the next time. I never thought I would think that was a lot of sleep, but you would have thought I won the lottery. I was so happy with how much she slept and so energized today. I seriously spent all day today cleaning every nook and cranny of my house. People who have been here would not recognize some of it right now. You can now actually walk in to my walk in closet!!!
So here is to hoping the magic of the swing works 2 nights in a row!!

Easter Bunny

2009-04-16T14:24:00.003-05:00

Brynna was a little too young to get an Easter basket but Grandma and Grandpa Doty bought her her first Easter Bunny. We decided to take a cue from Heidi and take a picture of her next to it every month to see how much she grows. It was a little hard to place her on it so this was the best we could do. But she was happy with it :o)

Random Pictures

2009-04-10T20:59:00.004-05:00

We have taken so many random pictures of Brynna that only we probably care about but wanted to share some of my favorites. It still hasn't hit me that she is mine- I am so used to being an aunt! But she is so gorgeous and precious, I already can't imagine my life without her. This picture is how she sleeps every night. We call her Brynna burrito, she will not sleep unless she is all bundled like that!
She loves sleeping in her boppy during the day. I am trying to get better about letting her sleep in it. I am really good about not putting her in bed with us at night so I don't start that habit, but during the day if I see her sleeping, I have to hold her.
This is my favorite picture. I came out of the bedroom and they were sleeping. I can't believe how much I love both of them, it is ridiculous. He loves holding her and always picks her up right when he gets home from work.
Ashley has decided that she is an aunt instead of a cousin. I think it is funny how much she loves to hold her because when I was pregnant she thought my stomach looked like there was an alien every time Brynna moved.

Lots of Firsts!

2009-04-10T20:45:00.006-05:00

We gave Brynna her first bath and she was not happy! She has gotten better each time we have given her one, but she still is not impressed

And I have to say that Shawn was not very impressed either when right after he took these pictures, she pooped and peed all over the towel. We cleaned it up while he had his shirt over his face. I wish I had been able to get a picture of that!!

She's Here!!!!

2009-03-30T21:58:00.003-05:00

She is finally here!! Brynna Marlene Doty was born on 3/30/09 at 12:27 a.m. I was scheduled to be induced on Tuesday but my water broke at home on Sunday at about 4:00 p.m. 8 1/2 hours of labor is much better than what I was expecting! She weighed 6lbs. 4 oz. and was 21 inches long.
Here is Shawn and I after she was born. That hospital gown is the hottest thing I have ever worn!! Shawn looked so cute in his Daddy scrubs that my sisters got him. I have to say I was very impressed. He was so into all of it, none of it phased him!
This would be my 3 nosy sisters. We could see the Emergency Room entrance out my window so everytime an ambulance came in they had to see the drama!
Brynna all cleaned up and sleeping
She was so alert as soon as she came out. I just can't believe how tiny she is!!
Me and my sisters/ nurses. Yes, they all got matching scrubs with their names and which # sister they are embroidered on them. They actually came out really cute and all the nurses were very impressed! Things went great today- I know everyday won't be this easy so I am going to enjoy it while I can! More to come later :o)

It's Official!!

2009-03-17T16:19:00.002-05:00

I went to my doctor's appointment today and they scheduled me to be induced on March 31st. I was really excited all the way to the car and then got in, started it, and then it really hit me. Next came the laughing hysterically and crying. It was so much easier when I knew I was going to be a mom at some distant, not specified time in the future. Now I have a date. I have been nothing but excited up to this point, now I am excited and scared out of my mind! But according to the doctor he wouldn't be surprised if I went sooner because of the way I am progressing. That was good to think about in the middle of my panic attack let me tell you!
So 2 weeks from today hopefully I will posting some pictures of my new, beautiful baby girl. As terrified as I am, I can't wait to meet her. And as Tricia pointed out, what did I think was going to happen? :o)

Mose- Sweaters and Snow

2009-02-15T20:20:00.002-06:00

Aunt Trish bought Mose a cool new sweater- and he loves it! Apparently she thought he wasn't misbehaved enough and so thought to encourage him.

Yes, it says 'Sup Dawg and has a "gold chain" on it with a gold bone. But I have to say, the funniest part is that it is made to be baggy on him so he can be "gangsta". He loves it- why am I not surprised.

We got a ton of snow on Friday- the really pretty powdery kind. We thought Mose would do his business and come in as that is what he usually does- he doesn't like being cold. Oh no, he thought it was great. Of course the first thing he did was stick his whole face into it and then just started running around the yard.

I love the pictures of him running with his ears flying. He looks like he is going to start flying!

The only bad thing is, everytime we let him out, we have to give him a warm bath because this kind of snow won't just come off- it sticks to his fur in big clumps!

Pregnancy Pics

2009-02-15T20:13:00.003-06:00

So this is me at 32 weeks. I am mostly posting this for my Taylor because she keeps asking how big I am. The answer- big. I really hope I don't get much bigger but everyone keeps telling me that that is wishful thinking.

I have to say, now that I am getting closer I have started reading the labor and delivery part in What to Expect When You're Expecting- and am seriously wondering why anyone does this more than once- and I haven't even gone through it yet!!

31 Weeks

2009-02-02T19:00:00.002-06:00

I am officially 31 weeks pregnant today. Now, the reason I bring it up is because if you say that to my husband, he starts hyperventilating :o) It is so funny! To me, it seems so far away, but to Shawn, he thinks I should be around 12 weeks.

I will say this though- when he gets through the mental block at the idea of being a dad, he is so adorable! He is not allowed to go anywhere near the baby section at Target anymore because he will literally buy everything. He found a pink pea coat the other day that he thought we just HAD to buy. It was a 4T. Tricia bought us a bunch of kids books for Christmas so he also has to read to her every night Also for Christmas, Heidi got us this ladybug with the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star whose cheeks light up. Well, he read that she can sense light and can hear, so he has to hold it up to my stomach so she can hear it. It is seriously our favorite toy of hers so far so thank you Heidi!!

I just love watching him when he talks about her. Makes me fall more and more in love with him everyday. But like I said, if you are ever bored or just need a laugh, call him up and tell him how close the baby is to arriving- so funny!

Brad Paisley

2009-02-02T18:47:00.002-06:00

So on Saturday night Mom, Tricia, Ashley and I went to the Brad Paisley concert. Now, I have been to a few concerts but I have never had an experience like this. You see, we didn't decide to go until Saturday morning so we bought our tickets that day. Needless to say, we were not front row. We were literally at the highest point of the arena. Even so, I think it is the most fun I have had at a concert. I love Brad Paisley, and it was fun to watch Ashley drool over Dierks Bentley who opened for him.

He really was amazing to watch- he had a different guitar for every song. And wow- does he know how to play it! I am so glad we went- especially with Mom, whose most recent concerts were Neil Diamond a few years ago (where 80 year olds were dancing in the aisles with oxygen tanks) and Barry Manilow when I was 4.

Thanks Tricia for coordinating- I love you living here, it has certainly made my life even more exciting :o)

Auto Show

2009-01-25T13:54:00.005-06:00

We went to the Auto Show yesterday with Shawn's dad since we both love cars. Now don't get me wrong- I like them because they are pretty- Shawn actually knows about cars and engines etc.. But nevertheless it allows us to go to these things and me not be bored senseless!
I always thought Hummers are stupid but I sat in the H2- it was pretty sweet. I don't know why you would buy the H3- it is such a joke compared to the H2
Don sat in the Saturn Sky and actually liked it- he is usually a muscle car person-the older ones but I think I am swinging him towards the new sports car side a little bit
My dream car. I will have one one day. Eventually. Thankfully, my money conscious husband wants one too so I actually have a shot. He is way better at planning and saving for things than I am so since he wants one too we actually have a plan to get the 50th anniversary edition!! I'll believe it when I see it but it is nice to think about :o)
Since we are saving for my Mustang (he says ours but let's be honest) we also have to save for this one. Shawn's dream car- the Lexus ISF. Even I have to say it is pretty awesome. I actually really want him to get one so that he does not want to drive my Mustang. If you are going to dream for one sports car, why not dream for 2! Easy as pie right?

Now on to being preactical- my dream family car the Jeep Commander. I really wanted one when we bought our Patriot but since it was double the price we were practical. Not my strongest trait. But it is so roomy and has tons of seating. It is just pretty!
He took a lot of pictures of this one so I thought I better post it. The Camaro. It is pretty sleek looking but there are better cars- especially for the price!
The Subary WRX. Shawn had to sit in it since he had one and traded it in on our jeep. He misses his little turbo charged car but he will have another one one day. He says he could have this or the ISF- but this one is a lot cheaper so knowing Shawn0 he will go with the Subaru
Another picture of the dream :o)

Brynna Pictures

2009-01-25T13:42:00.004-06:00

Here's a picture of her little feet. I know they are probably only cute to me but I just love looking at them

I went to the doctor the other day to make sure everything was okay, I hadn't felt her moving around hardly at all for 2 days so the doctor asked me to come in and get an ultrasound. She was fine- turns out she is still breech and she was suppose to have turned by now. They did say she still has plenty of time to flip- and she better because they told me what they do if she doesn't and that is an experience I can live without! So I will go back in for another ultrasound in a couple of weeks to check her progress. But the plus side is I got some more pictures of her. I decided to post a picture of her 3-D ultrasound because she does look better than the last one but I had to show it- she looks like she has a HUGE nose! I just thought it was really funny and cute

New Year's Eve

2009-01-03T17:50:00.003-06:00

For New Year's Eve we went to my parents with Alycia and Tricia and their families. Dad got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas and had not played it yet so we decided to break it in. Alycia gets very competitive so she only played 1 game of Mario Kart as it was getting nasty

Dad decided to wrestle with Sam which then cause the couch to fall over. Sam was very concerned and made it a point to let his mom know that it was Papa's fault and not his

Shawn and Dad played Super Mario Slugger and Dad was getting very annoyed because he didn't understand at first that you have to play every position, not just batter or pitcher. Shawn was concerned that he wouldn't like him anymore after he beat him 5-0
For some reason Alycia and I decided to play Twister with the kids. I learned that it is a lot more difficult than it looks! And being pregnant doesn't help your flexibility!!!

Funny Picture

2009-01-03T17:42:00.002-06:00

I just had to post this picture because it was funny. Everyone decided to go sledding and Jason was not going without his goggles. Seriously, I think I could just sit back and watch my family and be entertained for days!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-03T16:56:00.003-06:00

On Christmas Eve we had Shawn's parents and grandma over for dinner. It was a lot of fun (and would have been more if Shawn and I weren't sick). Here are just a couple of fun pictures.

And just a side note- Shawn and I got a new camera a week before Christmas and so I have about 100 pictures of different events that he took- it is not so much fun to go through and pick the 2-3 to post!

Shawn got me some awesome fuzzy socks for our Christmas Eve gift. Seriously, you would have thought he got me a boat- that is how much I love fuzzy socks!

Mose loves his grandma. He does not leave her alone from the time she comes into the house. She just doesn't get it :o)
His grandma got everybody (including herself) lottery tickets as a bonus gift. She was a little confused about how they worked!
Since Mose is such a little dog but thinks he is so big we decided to let him continue to think that and bought him this huge bone. He loves it but will sit and bark at it for a half hour because he can't pick it up when he wants to move it!

B-2 Trip

2009-01-03T16:45:00.007-06:00

From the time I met Shawn he has wanted to join the military. Part of the reason he has not is because of me- I don't relish the idea of raising a family by myself while he goes on leave. But it always gets steadily worse when he listens to my dad tell stories from his Air Force days, or talks to some of the people in our ward that are in the military. Well, this time it was even worse. My dad arranged a trip through his home teacher to take my brothers and Shawn down to Whiteman AFB to see a B-2 Bomber. They got to take a tour of the cockpit, watch a weapon simulation and go in the flight simulator. Jason and Jon killed everyone and Shawn and Paul ran out of gas so I think all of them would do well with some training! Needless to say, his desire to join the Air Force has increased 100 fold!

Baby's Room- Before and After

2008-11-30T21:26:00.001-06:00

We went on our first Babies R' Us trip and bought the bedding for the baby's room. Here are some before and after shots. The room was originally a spare room/ Paul's room. But we moved him to the other spare room so we could set everything up. Here are some before pictures

I even cleaned out the closet since I stuffed a lot of my boxes in there and then add Paul's clothes- it was a disaster. But now all that is in there is my wedding dress so I feel very accomplished.

Thank you Ginger for giving us your crib and changing table!! Saved us lots of money!!

Still have a couple finishing touches to put on it and I have some boxews in there of stuff I want to put on shelves- once I get shelves and I need to decide on a rocking chair. But for the most part- it is all waiting for her to sleep in. Even though she will sleep in our bedroom first :o) I'm just a little excited if you can't tell~

Oh sure, he looks cute................

2008-11-30T21:15:00.000-06:00

So, as many of you know, my dog and I have a love/ hate relationship. He really has gotten a lot better since we got him a year ago but he is still just a puppy. Shawn absolutely adores him and since he really doesn't do anything that bad when he is being naughty Shawn mostly just thinks he is hilarious. And I have to admit, when he body slams himself into the bedroom door for fun- I have to agree. But this, this has gone too far.

Since we built our house we got to pick out everything in it from the cabinets and doors to the doorknobs and light fixtures. One of my favorite things that we picked out was our carpet. I absolutely love my carpet. It is soft and thick and multi-colored so you can't see dirt. I absolutely love it. Mose sleeps at the end of our bed in his kennel. There is a tray at the bottom of it that he likes to push out so he can sleep on the carpet. Apparently, he likes to do more than sleep on it

It's A Girl!

2008-11-04T17:18:00.000-06:00

So we went to the doctor today and found out that we are having a girl! I am so excited!! Although Shawn and I had just agreed on a name we both really liked for a boy. But we will hopefully have one next time. Now our goal is to go through all the girl clothes that Ginger gave us and put them away.

We did get a 3-D Ultrasound done and it was really cool to see that- we got to see her moving around and she poked herself in the eye a couple of times, but just looking at the pictures, they are kind of creepy :o) So we will just post the regular sonogram pictures.

We do have a couple of names picked out but nothing for sure, the one I want Shawn is not really that fond of so we are still at the drawing board at this point

Baby

2008-10-19T21:10:00.000-05:00

There is no big news on the baby front except that I am the worst pregnant person ever. I seriously think I am dying when I have a cramp or something. It will be a miracle if we have another one! Shawn of course does not help matters. He is so cute- always telling me to call the doctor or making me lay down and getting me drinks. I have a feeling that he is not going to be this way with the next one :o) But I love that I have a husband that is so concerned about me- and he reads What to Expect When You're Expecting every week to see how much the baby has grown and the new features it has. It is so adorable! He is so excited for this baby, but I have to remember that he has never been around babies or pregnant people so it is all new for him

But, we find out what it is in 2 weeks!! November 5th- I seriously cannot wait! So, I will keep you updated on that~

Maddy

2008-10-19T20:50:00.000-05:00

We were at Mom and Dad's for dinner tonight and Maddy wanted to make sure that she would not be left behind when they moved to New York. The only question is, would this be allowed as a carry on?

Then she climbed on my lap so I would sing itsy-bitsy spider- I didn't expect to hear the laugh I did when I got to the end of the song and tickled her. She is so cute- you are forever on my bad list Ginger for taking her away from me!

Scrapbook Convention

2008-10-19T20:41:00.000-05:00

I only had 1 picture from the convention- we had our shirts made and everyone wanted to make sure we got a picture in them. The only problem was we kept forgetting so right before bed we had to throw them on over our PJ's and ask some guy in the hallway of the hotel to take the picture. We were all pretty tired at this point!

We had tons of fun and I am so glad that Tricia was able to fly up. Of course, her and Ginger talking and laughing histerically at 4 in the morning didn't help those of us trying to sleep :o)

Mose

2008-09-17T16:31:00.000-05:00

Shawn took this funny video of Mose. He let him outside while it was raining. Apparently, he thinks that the rain is attacking him so feels the need to attack back. Side note- I am new at adding videos so I didn't split it. You don't have to watch it through to the end- trust me!

Quilting

2008-09-17T16:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I think Paul has already blogged this but I had some cool pictures. The ward had an activity to make quilts. Well, since Paul is on the activities committee he blackmailed us to go. Don't get me wrong, I would have gone but who wants to go quilt at 9 in the morning on a Saturday?

Paul of course had to make a shirt~
The best part was Dad. He was on a mission! He brought his iPod and jammed the whole time

This is my favorite picure. Dad is all business and Mom is trying to fix everyone else's errors (mostly mine)

Alycia and Sierra. We were mess up buddies. Mom and Ginger didn't want us to help them because we weren't "skilled". Whatever, I helped

Ginger was mad that I took this picture- but I had to show the lengths she will go to to "overachieve" :o)
So it was succesful and the ward got all 25 quilts done. But the problem is everyone thought our family was so entertaining that ever since ward members keep asking to be invited to family dinners. Sometimes, we feel like freak shows

Baby's First Picture

2008-08-14T17:01:00.000-05:00

Shawn and I went to the doctor today and got our first ultrasound. I am six weeks and 3 days and my due date is April 6th. Gives you a little panic attack to see proof of it!

All I have to say is, it better be a girl :o)

Heidi's Tag

2008-08-07T19:01:00.000-05:00

I am also taking Heidi's challenge. And I am apologizing to Dad- I know I have to clean!!

The Fridge
The closet ( Yes, that is a red, white and blue, mullett wig for Shawn. Thanks Ginger, for supporting THAT habit!!!)
Self-Portrait. That one was just mean
My favorite room. Comfy couches and love saq and my flat screen. Perfect place to curl up with a book or watch my favorite show, The Office!! 5th Season, yeah!!!!!!
My Kitchen sink. I am waiting for the dishwasher to finish, I promise!
Toilet in the master bath

My favorite pair of shoes. I LOVE that they have polka-dots!!!

I can't currently take a picture of what the kids are doing- but I know she is probably sleeping because I am currently 5 1/2 weeks pregnant!!! So pictures of that coming in about 8 months :o)

And my dream vacation is Italy- Someday!

Mose Graduation

2008-08-07T18:54:00.001-05:00

Mose graduated from training class on Monday. I know everybody says I should be proud, but let's face it. It's PetMart. I don't think anybody fails. However, it was nice taking the class because there were a couple of other dogs there that were worse than Mose. Worth the money I guess
Here Mose is with the trainer. She was really sweet and didn't get mad when Mose would jump on her, constantly!

Shawn was so proud of Mose. At least one of us was! As you can see, he doesn't like hats so Shawn has to hold it on him

Jonas Brothers

2008-07-26T18:11:00.001-05:00

For some reason, I decided it would be a great idea to surprise Taylor and Savannah with tickets to the Jonas Brothers. For some reason, it never crossed my mind that I was actually going. 10,000 screaming pre-teens in one arena. All I can really say is Wow.
I love these pictures of Savannah and Taylor.Taylor is in absolute awe and Savannah is trying to look cute for Nick

4th of July

2008-07-26T17:55:00.001-05:00

I know it was awhile ago but I am finally getting around to posting my pics from 4th of July. These are the fireworks that Shawn and I got from Missouri. We always say we will only get a few but then go overboard.

I love these pictures of Paul. The sad thing is he knew something was going to go wrong so he kept covering one side of his face.

I never see Shawn as happy as he is on the fourth. I have no idea what it is with men and blowing things up. I have stopped trying to understand
As you can see, Alycia got a very interesting gift for her birthday from Anne. (yes, that is a candy bra)
We were just unaware that she was going to model it for us.

The kids love the sparkelers at the end of the night. It's finally something that doesn't make a loud crash

Playstation 3

2008-07-26T17:50:00.001-05:00

So, they finally came out with an 80GB PS3. We had budgeted for it but of course Shawn couldn't justify spending that much on a game system. But of course those of who that know me know that I have no problem spending money. Of course, as you can see, Paul is his new best friend :o)

Vail

2008-06-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

Shawn just got a job with Edward Jones as a Financial Advisor. We were pretty excited because it is basically his dream job. About a week and a half ago we went to Vail, CO for his Regional Meeting and oh my gosh it was gorgeous. We rode up a Gondola onto the top of the mountain (and I was scared out of my mind because of the height) but it was all worth it. The view was absolutely breathtaking. We had a lot of fun and are defnatately enjoying the perks of his new job! Pretty soon we get to start going on diversification trips so Milan and Ireland, here I come!!!

Honeymoon

2008-06-29T09:48:00.001-05:00

Shawn and I decided to go to Orlando, FL for our honeymoon, because as many of you know I am a bit of a Disney freak. We did discover, however, that even though we had a ton of fun, Disneyland in California is way better. And now I can check that off my list of where I want to travel.

Mose

2008-06-29T09:35:00.000-05:00

So for Christmas Shawn tried to score some major points and bought me a dog. We decided to get a small dog because I wanted a huskie and Shawn wanted a little dog and we didn't exactly havc a lot of time to train him since we were engrossed in wedding plans. I was unaware however, of what a little terror he would be. He is absolutely adorable but his mission in life is to make mine unbearable. Here are some pics of our little demon.

The House

2008-06-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

Shawn and I were fortunate enough to have our first house built (one of the perks of living in Nebraska, homes are pretty cheap:o). It was pretty cool to be able to see the process from start to finish and choose all of our fixtures. Here are some pictures of the process.

Our Wedding

2008-06-28T19:07:00.000-05:00

These are some of my favorite wedding pictures. Eric Richards did an amazing job and I am so happy with them. The pictures definately come in handy since I only had 1 hour of sleep the night before so a lot of the wedding day was a bit of a blur.