Blogger issues

I have a question for all those blogger users. When I'm trying to put together a new post I can't seem to move around the pictures like I used to. It makes me want to throw a fist through the computer screen. Is anyone else having this issue? Every time I try to do a new post I give up because it's so frustrating to me. What's the problem? Is it me or is it blogger???

Unexpect Blessings

Funny how you plan and plan and plan for life and in almost every way possible, things happen completely opposite of the set plan. After all the unsuccessful plans Dan and I have made over the past couple of years, it's interesting that we still feel the need to have one. Then as we look back and contrast our plan versus how things actually turn out, we are almost always grateful for the reality over the failed plan. Probably because it helps us remember who's really in charge and He helps us feel at peace with His plan for us.

With that said, we are grateful to announce, we are expecting child #2!! He or she will join our little family the end of May or beginning of June 2010. Dan is thrilled and I am feeling pretty miserably sick and tired but during the random good days I occassionaly have (like today), I'm pretty excited too. Not to say I'm not incredibly nervous about having two babies less than 2 years apart, but many have done worse so I guess I can't complain. I think I would be a little more nervous if this little dude weren't the most amazing little guy EVER! I'll take a dozen of him!

Are you loving this cool guys outfit, yeah nothing more awesome than sweat pants and vans:).

1 YEAR and a month

We have been eating this guy up lately. He is too much fun. He started walking the first week in September and he hasn't paused since. I LOVE this stage. Some of my favorites...
- He's starting to understand things like "go get your blankie".
- He says "uh, uh" (kinda like "ruff ruf") whenever he sees a dog.
- He gives big wide open kisses
- His dance moves included the squat, spinning, and arm flapping
- He started the 'throw yourself on the floor' protest (maybe not my favorite thing, but still pretty cute)
- He has 4 top teeth and 3 bottom, perfect for taking care of all the food he scarfs everyday.
- He has the biggest pot-belly. We love to let him hang out without his shirt so he can show it off.
- He LOVES the bath. When I take him in and start the water, he goes to his toy basket and makes sure all of his toys make it in the tub before he tries to climb in himself.
- I'm loving his hair lately. Big 'ol semi-curly mop.
- Whenever he sees our friends kids he starts screaming with delight, then he runs over and hits them on the head (we're workin' on it).
- He's impossible at church. That's why we got him some nice Sunday clothes so at least he looks cute while he's running the halls. - He loves other kids especially the older ones, always following them around.
- If there's a ball in the room, he will find it, and don't even think about taking it away.
- Give him anything and eventually he will throw it. It's only a problem in his high chair and at the grocery store.
- He's a momma's boy :)
- Peek a boo NEVER gets old
- He won't sit still while I change his diaper unless I sing, Old McDonald usually does the trick.
- He likes to bring me books to read. I'll start reading and by page 3 he's off.
- He LOVES being outside. What will we do once the rain comes! - He thinks it's really funny when we say "no".
- His current list of words: "kaka" = cracker, daddy, dadu = thank you, bye bye.
- He likes to tackle
- He's a tough kid, not much crying from injuries. Whinning to be held, now that's another story.
- New walker injuries to date: gash in eyebrow and lip, goose egg on the head, and scratches on the face from a face plant into the bark chips.
- Did I mention he's the cutest thing we've ever seen?

My Big News!!

I am extremely excited to announce the launch of my business website www.accentreductioncenter.com!!! CHECK IT OUT!!!!

A huge THANK YOU to the amazingly talented Angela Hardison with SeeSaw Design for her incredible graphic design skills. You must check out her blog, she is one of a kind.
Another huge THANK YOU to Jason McKenzie for building the site with his ever so talented SEO skills. Let me know if you need a good web programmer, I'll get you his info.

For those of you who are hearing about this for the first time, let me explain. The Accent Reduction Center is an online course for non-native English speaking adults who are having a difficult time communicating effective in their profession as a result of their foreign accent. We offer a variety of live instructional courses via video conferencing (100% online, typically about 12 weeks long).

This business idea was first introduced to me about 3 years ago by an amazing woman who was my supervisor in the schools. Although she was unable to pursue it herself due to family health issues, she was supportive of me as I started looking more into it. In March I got serious and started spending every free minute researching and eventually started working on the business development. I spent the summer getting trained, writing content for the website, and getting my program ready for actual clients.

I started my first 3 clients about 3 weeks ago and I start a 4th client next week. It's been going extremely well. We've had a few small tech glitches but nothing we haven't been able to fix. I'm completely confident in my program and truly enjoy working with these incredibly intelligent and motivated adults. So, if you know anyone looking for a quality, online, accent reduction program, direct them to the ACCENT REDUCTION CENTER!

My nieces are SO cute!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!

Happy 1st Birthday my amazing little boy! I just can't get enough of you! Almost walking...
His cousins did a great job celebrating with him!
Happy Birthday to cousin Tilly who turned 1 only 5 days before!
The actual day of his bday we made a visit to the doctor (poor sick kid) then went swimming with some friends and then out to Famous Dave's for dinner. I think he enjoyed himself even though he probably would have preferred to go home and get some sleep.

Happy 1st bday little boy. How about a big kiss!

Andrew walking

Sorry about the lack of posts this summer but hopefully this video will get the ball rolling again. Enjoy!

All moved in!

Boxes are unpacked, pictures are hung (mostly), and we are into our routine here in Sherwood. We are definitely loving it so far. Andrew seems pretty happy with it all... Dan and I both have our home offices set up; his in our bedroom and mine in the extra room. What a great guy to let me have my own space. We've spent some good time in the pool at our apartment complex plus we still find our way over to Grandma and Grandpa's pool every once in a while. Andrew loves the water and gets a little upset whenever we have to get out.
We have met some wonderful people here already. We met a great couple at the pool our first week and ended up at their house for a BBQ that night. We've done a number of things with them since. They are a ton of fun, we love hanging out with them! It helps that we are interested in a lot of the same things, including photography! I'm so excited to have a friend who likes to go play with the kids and our cameras. Doesn't hurt that she has kids this cute...
And that she is this beautiful!

Plus now I can finally get some good pictures of ME and Andrew! Thanks Jen!We also discovered the Sherwood farmers market last Saturday. It's close enough to walk plus we found out about this elderly group who make delicious doughnuts downtown for $.50 each. We couldn't resist. We came home with fresh strawberries, a bag full of veggies, and this amazing bouquet of flowers for only $10. I can't tell you how much I loved the smell and the feel of having these in my home. Bliss. Have a good one!!

Audrey's Wedding

Miss me? I knew you would:). Once you get so behind in blogging it's hard to get the motivation to get back into it. But today I did!! Hooray for me! My motivation was sparked by these pics I took for Audrey's AMAZING, MAGICAL, PERFECTLY PLANNED weekend of friends, love, and oh so much fun! (to learn more about Audrey, go here)

Dan, Andrew, and I flew into SLC on Saturday the 23rd of May. Dan dropped me off to meet up with the girls at a spa. We got Sushi for dinner then headed over to the melting pot for dessert. I LOVE these girls! It was so fun to be together with the 3 A's again plus we had plenty of time to bond with the Heidi's and Amy.

On Sunday I spent the day (my 26th bday) at my sister Julie's in Layton. My parents and sister CL made it as well. We had a great day with a fabulous meal, delicious cake, and a whole lot of quality time.

On Monday we enjoyed a fun picnic with Audrey and Josh's families. We felt pretty special to be included. Both of them scored when it comes to in laws, greatest families ever! After the picnic we freshened up a bit and made our way over to Red Butte Gardens for a quick wedding rehearsal. Then it was off to Josh's parents home for the rehearsal dinner. The setting was beautiful and the food was AMAZING. We had a great time sitting around and enjoying all the family and friends. These two were the most fun to watch, the little love birds. As the evening was winding down the 3 A's (Audrey, Ashley, and Annie) were able to steal away for a little while. I was taking pics of Audrey... Then it turned into Audrey and Ashley...

Then Ashley's hubby Derek came by and took a few of the three of us. Which ALWAYS turns into this...Then this...
And finally after at least 15 or more not-so-flattering belly laughing shots, we are able to pull it together for this... Oh man, I LOVE THESE GIRLS!!!After the evening came to a close, I kissed my hubby and boy goodnight and went off with the girls to Audrey's house for a night-before-wedding sleepover. Fun stuff. I can't tell you how much fun it was to be with Audrey the night before she got married. What a special time in life. She was so giddy. After all the girl talk and some super flattering just-before-bed pics, we finally made our way to bed. We got up early the day of the wedding and went for a little run somewhere up in the SL mountains, beautiful view, wish I had my camera. Then we went back to Aud's got showered then headed to get our nails done, followed by hair. A serious day of pampering. While Audrey was getting her hair done Ashley and I went to get her ring cleaned. I, of course, took my ring off and put it in my purse and proudly wore Audrey's big 'ol diamond the rest of the day. Don't worry, I gave it back.

On our way back we picked up Audrey, threw the dresses in the car, and headed to Red Butte. All the girls got ready together then headed for the big "production". The most amazing moment of the ceremony was watching Audrey "walk down the aisle" or pathway in this case. There wasn't a dry eye. She was beaming and there could be no other person in the world that deserved that level of happiness then Audrey. She was beautiful and she finally found someone who, like her father said in his toast, could "bring the light back in her life".

After the ceremony we did pictures then enjoyed Italian soda's while waiting for them to take their own pics. We had an amazing dinner, every detail of that dinner hall was gorgeous.

During dinner a few of Audrey and Josh's family and friends made toasts to the newly weds. They were a beautiful combination of tender and hilarious. They made the obvious case that these two were meant for each other and will have an incredible life together. Welcome to the family Josh!

CONGRATULATIONS AUDREY AND JOSH!!! WE LOVE YOU!!! PS. The MVP husband award for the weekend goes to DAN!! He was the most amazing, supportive husband in the world. He took over baby duty for almost the entire 5 days and let me enjoy every minute I could with Audrey. Not only that but he did it with a big smile and not a word of complaint. Thank you my dear, I LOVE YOU!

Beach house

We made it over to the beach house for the last time a couple weekends ago. Dan's parents are selling it this week and we will miss if very much. Our great friends Abraham, Sara, and their little Penelope joined us. Good times.

Cowboy Caviar

A few friends were asking for this recipe so I thought I'd share it with the rest of you. I got it from my sister Laurel. It's a pretty delicious chip dip...

Cowboy Caviar

11oz can Shoepeg Corn

12oz can black beans - drained

2-3 diced tomatoes

1 bunch green onion

2 avacados chopped

1/2 - 3/4 Cup Cilantro

1 pkg Italian dressing

1 1/2 lime juice

1/4 tsp Cumin

Garlic Salt to taste

Click Chicks Weekend

On Saturday my wonderful hubby took the boy while I went over to the coast with some of my photographer lady friends. Seriously the coolest group of girls ever!! We talked photo at the beach house then walked over to the beach for a little photo session. We didn't shoot for long but I got some great tips to take home and play with. We took turns being the model. What a SASSY group of girls!!!

Dianne's McGiver move... yeah, she's THAT good!

A little fun with post processing...

I get to 2nd shoot a wedding in August with Sara Gray (3rd from the right). THANKS SARA! CAN'T WAIT!

Change of plans...again

Over the last year our "plans" have changed just about every couple of months. Things have been a little up in the air to say the least. It doesn't help (or does, depending on how you look at it) that Dan and I are quick decision makers. When we feel good about something, we don't mull over it for too long. This last week was no exception. On Friday night we got talking about our next move and realized that we needed to go with our original plan and move to Sherwood. On Tuesday we went rental shopping. On Wednesday we applied and our application was accepted. On May 15th we'll be moving into an apartment in Sherwood...decision made.

Tulip Festival

On Saturday we took our little family to the annual Tulip Festival in Woodburn. Unfortunately we weren't the only one's who thought that was a good idea. It took us 3 1/2 hours to drive 40 miles to this great event. Totally worth it! Andrew loved ...... eating everything. We could NOT keep him from grabbing everything within his reach and putting it in his mouth. We call him our little ninja cuz he's so fast! We were fishing thing out of his mouth all day! And after skipping a nap, he was pretty ready to go home.
HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!!!

Social Contract

This last week there have been two separate situations that have caused me to sit back and analyze myself a little more. Now, I'm fully aware that I can be pretty blunt, sometimes a little too honest (some things just shouldn't be said), unintentionally insensitive, and quite competitive but I don't think I realized to what extent.

The first situation was a conversation I had with a good friend of mine. We got talking about first impressions and she filled me in on her first reaction to me. A couple of years ago when we first moved here we spent New Years Eve playing games with this couple. We were playing death Jenga (a little spin on regular Jenga to make it more interesting). Of course, I got all into it because it's a game and I'm a little competitive, okay, a lot competitive. I guess in my mind,that's what makes games fun. Well, my friend couldn't feel more opposite. She told me that after we went home she and her husband had a conversation about me. Apparently she took my playful competitiveness as if I was trying to be rude or mean. Her husband told her "I think what you see is what you get with Annie". That's really what it comes down to for me. I don't have ulterior motives, I am just a little rough around the edges. I'm glad he said what he said because thankfully she gave me another chance and now we are great friends.

That conversation got me thinking which led to an in depth conversation later that night with Dan. Dan is wonderful, he definitely counters my abrasiveness. He is a wonderful communicator and always finds a way to soften what I say. He was able to give me some good honest feedback and I realized that I really needed to focus on being more sensitive. I think often I get in my head what I want and then go full speed ahead towards it without taking into consideration the feelings or opinions of others. That's not okay and I need to work on it.

A few days later I was watching an episode of "House" called "Social Contract". If you haven't seen it you should go to hulu.com and watch it. Basically this guy has a neurological disorder and can't filter what he says so he ends up being brutally honest with everyone, not abiding by societies "social contract". The main character, Gregory House, has the same tendency and really has only one friend who is okay that they don't have any kind of contract. I'm definitely not THAT extreme but it did help me realize why I've always had a hard time clicking with other girls and why it takes a special person to be my friend.

So, for all those I've unintentionally offended, I apologize. I'm not a mean spirited person, I just don't have enough of a filter, but I'm working on it! A big THANK YOU to the friends I do have, you are pretty special people.

SALE PENDING!

That's right, there IS someone out there who can buy a house and they chose OURS!!! We are thrilled and feel great about the price. We will be renting a newly finished duplex around the corner for a while until we can figure out our next move.

I'm a little sad to leave this great home but this is such a huge blessing for us right now. YAY!

7 MONTHS

We're still here and this little boy is still growing! We've notice he has tapered off in the weight department but we've seen such a change in his "look" and development. He's definitely more active and interested in the world around him. His latest tricks.... full turn-abouts on the belly, scooting backwards, big reaches for toys with a little help from the back foot, he can go from sitting to a full side reach back to sitting again, etc. etc. He's getting to be so fun and interactive.

The one "trick" we (I should say "I" since I'm the one who listens to it all day) just LOVE is the high pitch scream he does every few seconds. It's not a cry, more like he discovered his voice and how high and loud he can get it and he REALLY likes the way it sounds. I literally have to put ear plugs in my ears because it physically hurts, it's that high and loud... and constant. He also likes to do a low growl, I like that one a whole lot more. Makes me smile every time. Besides the vocal play we are enjoying this little guy SO much. It blows me away that we get to keep him! He really is such a great baby. Very easy going, not much ruffles his feathers. Andrew and I were "on the road" to AZ, Utah, and Idaho for 3 of the 4 weeks in March and he was a champ. There were a few sleep issues but even with not much sleep he continues to have such a sweet disposition.

Most of the time...

Oh man, this one melts my heart.

What's the HAPS?

Here's what we've been up to:

• Dan has been working his tail off trying to get his business up and running. He was working all last weekend (Thurs - Sun) at a home show in Portland. This is his 3rd home show and hopes to do one almost every month. Makes for a long week/weekend for both of us, but is usually worth it. He has also been doing several remodel projects. I'm not sure I remember what it's like to have Dan home at night. I'm sure grateful for his hard work, love that man!
• He just got his trailer wrapped with graphics, looks pretty cool if you ask me.
• Our home is officially up for sale. We've been official for a few weeks but have had only 2 not-so-promising showings. Apparently it's not a great time to sell a home. Who knew.

• I am starting up a private speech practice from my home. A former client was wanting me to see her son privately so I looked into what it would take to bill insurance, etc. It's looking pretty promising so I'm going for it. The business is called Clear Communication: Speech Therapy Services. I should be ready to go in the next few weeks. Wish me luck!


• I've been getting in touch with several wedding/portrait photographers from the Portland area. We are going to start getting together once a month. I'm thrilled to get to know these women. They are all amazingly talented photographers and I'm WAY out of my league but I'm eager to learn and what better way then to network with the BEST! Here are a few: Missy , Deyla , Melissa, Jenni, Megan. Here are a couple pics from some of my recent shoots (besides what's on my photo blog).
Amazing that 1 year ago our little 'P' has gone from this...
To this adorable little thing...

• I've been getting crafty lately for bdays. I've made a frog, birthday banner, and a personalized memory game. I'm reminded how much I LOVE to sew! I forgot to take a pic of the memory game but here's where I got the idea.


• Andrew and I are headed to Arizona on Sunday to babysit 6 of my fantastic neices and nephews for a week while their parents go to Hawaii. Oranges....Sunny skies.... family.....Mesa....CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


• I am in charge of planning our ward activities. Our next activity is this Saturday. We divided up the adults in the ward to go to different families homes for dinner. We are then meeting up at the church for dessert. We have 74 adults participating. Should be fun. I like planning parties. Next up, ward lip-sync :)


• Andrew is all smiles and giggles lately (besides the week of croup). Peek-a-boo is a hit!

6 MONTHS!

Happy 6 months Andrew!!

Technically it was yesterday, but I had to make sure we had the stats:

17.8 lbs, 56%

26.8 inches, 63%

Andrew celebrated his 6 month birthday with a case of croup, poor little guy. Gave us a good scare the other night but he's doing much better now. Hopefully he'll be back to his happy, content, smiley self in no time.

We sure love you, boy!

What a weekend!

For Valentine's Day we spent the weekend at the beach house with our good friends JP and Brittany. We had the greatest time! The weather was amazing, Andrew was a doll, and JP and Brittany were hilarious. Here's a recap:

• Got out the door a little later than we wanted, corn dog hut was closed, corn dog hunt continued..


• Rocked out all night playing ROCK BAND. Dan has crazy mad beginner skills on the drums, Brittany must stay home all day practicing the guitar - EXPERT 100%. JPizzlnizzle's avitar was hot and everyone sucks at vocals, although I think I got extra points for the running man.
  
• Andrew slept like a champ


• Lazy morning, great chats, out the door by noon.
• Incredible hike on the Cascade trail. Perfect weather and perfect baby in the Bjorne.
• JP fulfilled his bucket list dream of driving on the beach, and never felt cooler.
  
• Sand dunes, the cape, and new territory.

• My zen moment of nursing Andrew at the edge of the cape. I was one with the universe:)
• Fat Freddies - burgers, fries, milkshakes, and CORN DOGS - mission accomplished!
(seriously, don't ask me why the obsession with corn dogs)


• Relaxing at the beach house, great conversation, and homemade pizzas.


• Oh yeah, and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! - Dan managed to sneak a little V-day treat and card in, how sweet.