Kellen and Allison

Our Riggin/Diaz Family Thanksgiving

2011-12-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

I decided a while ago that I wanted to cook a Thanksgiving dinner. I love to cook! So we had John, Liz and Hadley over Wednesday for our own little Thanksgiving. It was way fun! I loved cooking for everyone. I made a yummy brine for the Turkey and it turned out quite delicious if I do say so myself. We also had homemade stuffing, pumpkin risotto, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes.

Auntie Liz made this adorable bib for him!

This noisy baby is a happy baby!!!

2011-12-11T21:06:00.000-08:00

This boy loves playing with his little owl friends on the bouncer! He's yells and babbles and laughs...the owl apparently tells great jokes.

Such a cutie patootie.

Another thing he loves is Hadley!

And she loves him too! She calls him Bebe and loves to help take care of him. She gets very concerned when his Bee(Binky) falls out and has to put it back in for him. She's also obsessed with his belly button and we taught her how to give him raspberries so now she loves that too. The other day I was changing his diaper on the floor and she came over to inspect his belly button and when I took his diaper off she showed us the new word she knows..."Nasty!" lol! It was soo funny!

One thing that does not make him happy however...is Tummy Time! He hates it...and I feel so bad, either way, if I make him do it he cries, spits up and smashes his face in it... :/

And I feel bad if I don't make him do it, like he's not going to grow and develop right or something. No winning.

See...much happier on his back...looking up at the TV. My little couch potato.

Ashton's Blessing

2011-12-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, November 6th we blessed our little fella. We opted to have the special occasion in our home since that was the Sunday that worked best for out of town family and it happened to be stake conference. It was a wonderful weekend. Kellen gave a beautiful blessing then we had soup, corn bread and pumpkin dump cake afterwards. I was so happy to see my family! My dad, brothers and grandma met Ashton for the first time. One thing is for dang certain: this baby boy has a ton of family who love him very much!

My little brother with Ashton. So sweet. :)

My cousin Keith and his wife Lynzy also blessed their little girl Grace the same day. Here they are together, she's just 3 days older than him.

Grandma and Grandpa Riggin and Uncles Parker and Koy

Mimi and Papa White and Uncles Alex and Mikhail, and Great Grandma White (We're missing Auntie Liz, Uncle John and cousin Hadley who were in California for John's mom's wedding...we missed you guys!)

Grandma D and Grumpa and Uncle Jordan

Great Aunt Diana and Uncle Joe and Second Cousins Tina, Anita Eric and also Tina's Sam...lol :)

Great Grandma and Grandpa Davis

Ashton: Two Months

2011-12-11T20:27:00.001-08:00

Hey everybody! I'm 2 months old!
Ok so...like I said in the preface a few posts back...these are long over due updates, so we all know he's more that 2 months now. But that's what he's saying in this photo!

At his 2 month check up on Friday, October 28 everything checked out good. He's growing super well!
At 24 1/2 inches he was in the 95% for height and 12.7lbs 75% for weight. That's my big boy! :)

This big, grown up boy loves to smile and tell me stories all day. I never met a happier baby than this one. Every morning he wakes up with a big gummy grin. I just love it!

Another thing he loves to do in true Riggin fashion, is watch ESPN with his daddy. Here they fell asleep all cuddled up...too cute. :)

I Love Me Some Sleeping Baby

2011-11-27T13:21:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things is how cute he is when he sleeps. There's just as much personality as when he's awake!

Announcement and Photo Shoot

2011-11-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

A little photo shoot we did with Elizabeth one night:

Our Little Man's First Halloween

2011-11-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to have a baby to dress up for Halloween! We are Halloween prudes...we never do anything fun or even dress up. Mostly because we just never have anywhere to go for the holiday so what's the point of dressing up. But this year we had a cute, cuddly baby boo to dress up and play with! I had decided a long time ago what we were going to dress him up as! Winnie the Pooh of course! I love Winnie the Pooh and I was so happy when I found this cute costume...on sale might I add!

So our plan for our first family Halloween was to go take pictures at the pumpkin patch, and then later, Ashton and I were going to go trick or treating with John, Liz, Hadley and a bunch of their neighbors. Kellen had to work...booo. But he was able to come meet up with us at our friend Christy's parent's house for dinner and treats. It was super fun to actually have something to do for a change!

With daddy at the pumpkin patch!

Our Halloween family photo!

He's Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh!
Chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff!
He's Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh!
Willy, nilly, silly old bear!

Bringing Home Baby

2011-11-26T23:55:00.000-08:00

We were able to stay at the hospital for 4 days since I had a c-section. Take note: I said we were "ABLE" to...not we "HAD" to. I absolutely loved being in the hospital! Weird? Well:
1. My nurses were awesome! They took such good care of us the whole time.
2. Free all-I-could-eat meals all day long! And the food was actually really yummy.
3. I didn't have to change one single diaper.
4. Everyone did everything for me!
I loved it so much there. So our last day there was the worst. First of all Kellen had to work all day long! Then I was sad because Ashton had to be in the nursery under the lamps for his jaundice.

So we were checking out at 5 when Kellen could finally come pick us up. I got the little cutie all bundled up for his fist day out.

It was a rush out the door because Kellen had to get to class. Everything was such a rush that before I new it I was sitting all alone on my couch with my baby wondering how the heck I was going to get through the next three hours with out any help. Lucky for me awesome Auntie Liz came to the rescue! She sat with us until Kellen got home.
I'm not gonna lie...even though he's awesome and we love him soo soo much, those first few weeks were hard. Just adjusting to taking care of a little fella 24/7 was difficult. But we got through it together!

Welcome Beautiful Baby Boy

2011-11-26T22:29:00.000-08:00

On Friday, August 26, 2011 at 2:00PM we embarked on a journey of ups and downs, pain, sleeplessness, and endless cups of ice chips. That journey ended the following day Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 5:28PM when our sweet little Ashton joined our family.

I'll try to keep it PG but if you don't want to know...sorry...don't read it! ;) Here's our exciting story:
During the "terminal stages" of my pregnancy (Micheal Scott reference) I was being monitored for Preeclampsia because my blood pressure was elevated. During my check up at 39 weeks, the NP examining me asked, "What are we waiting for?" She decided that given all the facts: 39 weeks, 2cm, 80%, and high blood pressure...there was no reason to keep waiting for the little guy to come on his own. She called over to the hospital to talk to the doctor and when she came back she said, "Let's get you delivered!" The scariest, most exciting 4 words I had ever heard. She told me to head over to the hospital ASAP. So I went out to the waiting room where my Aunt Karen was watching my niece Hadley (I had been babysitting) and told her the news! Luckily she was able to watch Hadley for me so I could head off to meet my own little munchkin. It actually turned into a little bit of a panicky mess because I first called Kellen at work to let him know to head home and grab the "GO" bags and meet me at the hospital, then I had to take Karen and Hadley back to Liz and John's apartment. However, once we got there I realized that Liz had forgotten to leave us her house key.....sooooo...we loaded back in the car and headed to my apartment. We left Hadley and Karen there and finally headed off to the hospital. We got checked in and the induction process began at around 2:00.

See here...we're still smiling only a couple hours in. We had no idea how exhausted we were about to become!

The induction was a loooooonnng process. It took me all night to get to 4cm and I hung out there for what seemed like forever! I kept hearing...probably around 6am we'll start pushing...maybe more like 10:00...hopefully by 1:00 we can start pushing. I was slowly loosing it! Finally, at 1:00, even though I was not fully dilated at 9cm, we started pushing. It was soo much harder than I ever imagined it would be. I was sick, tired, and sore but had to use all the strength I had to get my little guy out. We spent about an hour to an hour and a half pushing, I was the most exhausted I had ever felt in my entire life. Oddly the part of my body that hurt the most were my arms...never saw that one coming. So after all the pushing my poor baby was just plum stuck in there.

So they started talking to me about a C-Section. That was one of my biggest fears. I never in a million years thought I would need one and really didn't want it. I hated the idea of it putting limits on our future plans to have more kids. It just was not how I pictured this exciting day to go at all and it made me really sad. After some talking, tears, a beautiful blessing from my husband and a talk with one of my best friends and veteran C-Section mom Kimberly, I felt more at peace with however they had to get it done. The doctor wasn't going to be able to get there until 3:30 so we continued waiting and hoping I may still progress to the point that I could do it myself. The doctor got there and checked me out and felt comfortable letting me wait just a little bit longer before going for the surgery. They told me that if I could move him just ONE centimeter lower, they may be able to use forceps to get him out. So we pushed some more. But he wasn't moving at all.
At around 5:00pm, they juiced me up (which made me sooo sick!) and started wheeling me in to the OR.

At my request, they tried to place forceps, just to see if they could. I really just wanted to know that surgery was the ONLY way. So we tried and failed. And I was prepped for surgery. My sweet Kellen was so supporting and loving the whole time, I couldn't have done any of it with out him. Within minutes they were starting. I felt so weird. Literally drugged. I was shaking, nauseous and felt like I wasn't fully conscious. It was the worst.
But then all of a sudden I heard his little cry. I looked over at Kellen, who was looking at him and could tell how great he was just from the look on his face. :) We had our little moment. Then they showed me his tiny feet from over the curtain. So precious. The last thing I remember was telling Kellen to go be with him, don't leave him. And a nurse came to sit with me. Then I was gone.

I woke up back in my labor and delivery room. I was all bundled up and was sooo thirsty. The nurse brought me water and apple juice. That was the best darn juice I've ever had in my life. I hate apple juice.
They wheeled me over to Mother and Baby, and brought him to me.

I later found out the reason my chunky boy couldn't come out on his own:

All in all...it was an amazing, painful, wonderful, exciting, powerful experience. And once I had my sweet baby in my arms I could not have cared less about the pain I went through or was in or how they brought him into the world. I was just so glad he was here.

Ashton Kellen Kupa`aekuponokeikikaneali`iokalani
"Steadfast and Righteous is this Noble Prince from Heaven"

Just a little preface:

2011-11-26T22:25:00.000-08:00

Brace yourselves! Hold on to your britches! (that's bRitches...with an R...just to be clear) Because here comes three months worth of updates in a series of posts that may take a couple days worth of blogging to complete. But here they come!

Nesting has begun

2011-07-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

I have officially started nesting. Even though there is not much for me to do yet. Since moving into our apartment almost a month ago I've cleaned and organized everything I can get my hands on. Our second bedroom is still a bit of a mess with junk we haven't found a place for yet and baby things we have yet to assemble.

Here's a bit of baby things I have slowly but surely started organizing.
As you can see there's no furniture so far...hence the baskets all over the floor. And yes, it makes me nervous that those are all the baby clothes I have so far in that blue basket. Needless to say we have a ways to go, and with every day that goes by I get more and more anxious to get it all set up and ready.

My first day with nothing to do:

2011-06-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today is my first day that I am not working, going to school or having any real responsibilities other than being a baby machine. It is 1:18 in the afternoon and this is what I have done so far:
Vacuumed all rooms [check]
Swiffered kitchen, bathroom and hallway [check]
Folded clean laundry [check]
Washed all our sheets, blankets and pillow cases [check]
Polished the stainless steel in the kitchen [check]
Wiped down counter tops [check]
Cleaned the toilet [check]

I'm running out of ideas.

So busy I'm bored

2011-06-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Seriously so much has happened since the last time I sat down to blog. It's even taken me a few sittings at my laptop just to finish this post. So the major update is that we are back in Utah. It's been a lot of fun to be back. Seeing friends and family that we missed while we were living in California. And going out to all the food places I've been craving since Day 1 of pregnancy!

See how happy I am...getting ready to go get some yum yums. :)

But now we are missing all our friends and family in Fresno...we just can never be totally satisfied! I know, everyone just needs to cater to our needs and move to wherever we are, ok? Sounds good to me. Speaking of catering...lol Kellen has been diligently looking for work since we got here, except for the first two weeks we were here. Oh, did I forget to mention he got pneumonia...again. Poor boo boo. Anyways, he got better, thankfully, and he's had quite a few interviews, surprisingly! Not because he's not a wonderfully desirable employee, but because our experience from last summer told us not to get our hopes up too quickly since jobs seem to be few and far between here. But he's had a few promising interviews! One with a local Cafe looking for a Catering Coordinator. He's got a second interview this week and I'm hoping it works out! I think he'll be great at it and enjoy that kind of job. So, we shall see!
I've been keeping busy taking two summer classes at UVU. I have Drawing I and Humanities Through the Arts II. Both have been fun and interesting, although I'm not sure it was the smartest thing to do while pregnant. Summer semester is double the work in half the time so there's really no room for missing out on anything in class. I've been kind of sick the past week and have missed a few classes. So as much as I'm enjoying it, I'm just counting the days until the end of the semester, hoping I make it with out any other complications.

So in baby news...Picture at 25 weeks.
I'm officially in the third trimester! That's crazy...time has gone pretty quick, now that I'm looking back on it but I still feel like there's a long way to go. We had our second check up with the perinatologist, the doctor who checks up on any issues, such as the calcification in baby boy's heart. She said that everything looks alright. The fluid in the kidney's is gone and the calcification is not threatening. She confirmed that while the chance is still there for some kind of chromosomal disorder, because all other factors look good, the odds are less that 1% that there is an issue. They got all kinds of cute pictures of him and we got to see his cute little nose and mouth pretty clearly. Overall, he's measuring normal, at about 28 weeks but his head however....is measuring the size of a 30 week baby. So, we have a slightly large headed baby here, not what I wanted to hear. I blame Kellen...seeing as how his head is rather large. Hopefully over the next 10ish weeks everything evens out. I am definitely counting on a below average sized baby for my petite body's sake!
Also this week, I survived the glucose test and the RhoGAM shot. Barely. Drinking that stuff wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it made me feel super icky about 15 minutes into my hour of waiting. My blood sugar or whatever they are checking was good, however they did find that I'm low on iron. The RhoGAM shot for being RH- wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting, still unpleasant though.

Poor habits be gone!

2011-05-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm nearly 6 months into baby production and I have made almost no effort to be any healthier than I was before. I go on brisk walks with my mom a couple times a week but even those are getting slower and more rickety.

And as for my eating habits.
Ladies and gentlemen, I will just come out and say it:
They are atrocious.
So I'd like to say publicly (so that I can be held accountable for this) that I am kicking things up a notch!

I don't want to be a nut or anything but I am thinking some kind of chart might be helpful...I need to keep track of what I'm taking in so I can make sure I'm getting all the fruits, veggies, protein and so forth that I and my little nugget need.

It's times like this, that I miss my iPhone...I'm sure there would be an app for that...

A Must Read for All the Moms

2011-04-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

"Dear Lord my Shepherd,

I am a mother.
You have called me to assist you in
Shepherding a few dear lambs of the flock.

Their value is without price.
My abilities are imperfect.

Teach me to care for them as you care for us all.

I read the pattern of your perfect care
In the words of King David,
Royal shepherd of Palestine.

Help me to follow your lead."

This is a beautiful book of poems based on the twenty-third Psalm and written with mothers in mind. Anyone who is, will be or has a mother should read it! It is so sweet.

Do you ever sleep in there?!

2011-04-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

A lot to write about...where to begin.
I'm over the hill! Past the halfway mark of pregnancy, that is. 21 Weeks today. It really has flown by but at the same time I feel like I still have a LONG way to go. September seems so far away. I feel like this is all I talk about...sorry. All you mommies out there probably understand though. What's more exciting to talk about than your kids? Besides, he is seriously on my mind 24/7 so if I don't talk about it, I drive myself nuts! Ever since that first night I felt him wiggling he really has not stopped and it's just getting more and more powerful and frequent. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely fun to know he's exercising in there but man! He's got me thinking, Do you ever sleep?! He wiggles when I'm hungry, he wiggles when I'm full, he wiggles when I'm watching TV, napping, sleeping, walking...
The Riggin side of the family will be pleased to know how active he is. I'm sure a sport of some kind is in this kid's future!
Yesterday I worked a kind of weird shift 12-4pm and I brought snacks but I didn't get to eat lunch until I got home and I guess by then you could call it dinner. He kicked straight out at me the whole drive home. And as I was sitting there thinking, I know you're hungry I'm hurrying! I got this image of him crying in there because he's hungry. That made me feel a bit like a monster... :( Kellen always tells me I need to eat more. Now I feel guilty when I don't. I have gained a whopping 7 lbs so far. The doctor says that's fine considering my little frame. But I should start gaining more starting about....NOW. A pound a week, I believe, for the last 20 weeks. For a grand total of 25-35 lbs. I'm shooting for 30, right in the middle. Not too little, not too much. But I'm really not counting or keeping track. I just eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. I try to eat good things but lets be honest fat and sugar taste the best. They sneak in there. :D

So, in other news: the answer is Yes. We are moving back to Utah. Most of our family and friends already know that but I don't think either of us had come out and said it publicly yet. We came out here with the plan to be down in LA for Kellen's schooling by this time but stuff happened, plans changed. Kellen got some school done here at Fresno Pacific but after taking this semester to really think it all through, we decided Utah is the cheapest, fastest way to get Kellen done and moving on. So that is where we will go. Was it a waste of time to be out here? We don't think so. I mean, like I said, our original plan was very different than what ended up happening due to finances and the school in LA closing. But all in all, we have really enjoyed spending this time in a different environment and being near my family for a change. It's been a good experience. But now we have our own family to consider and we just need to move toward our future in the most efficient way possible. I'm excited and sad. The same way I felt when we left Utah. I'm mostly going to miss my family. It's been so great to be near my three bestest friends, Mommy, Liz and Hadley. I will miss them so much. And I'm not sure how I'll feel about finishing out my pregnancy and having baby boy without them to help me. That will be rough. But we are both feeling optimistic about the move! It will be good.

My mom and Liz are throwing together a baby shower for me before I leave! Here's the cute invite Liz made, she did such a great job! (Even though it took Costco's photo center three times to print them right...)

I am so happy! It'll will mostly be great to get all my buddies here in Fresno together before we leave. And if you did not get an invite in the mail do not fret! Like I said it's been last minute so I'm sure we forgot some people or maybe just didn't have the addresses. But seriously DON'T BE SHY if you are in the Fresno area and would like to come, COME! All the info is above.
It will be so great to see everyone one last time. :) But....I can't lie...I also had fun registering for baby stuff! :) Is that tacky to say? Sorry...I like presents! I'm excited to have all kinds of little boy things to play with! lol I had heard about Diapers.com and so I went on there to check it out and they actually have a lot of great stuff at good prices so I decided to register there as well as the traditional Babies R Us. I figured since we are moving it would actually be easier for people to get stuff off Diapers.com since they can just mail it straight to us in Utah. And they had this cool thing you can register for called Diapers for a Year. It's where people can just pay for a gift certificate and we can buy diapers with it! I thought that would be the best present ever, since we'll be needing a lot of them for the next 2-3 years!
Anyways. Signing off for today. Time to be productive.

Just a little scare.

2011-04-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

We had a little scare yesterday.
2 paramedics,
1 ambulance ride,
4 hours in the ER,
and 1 IV later
baby and I are doing fine.
Poor Kellen got the world's worst phone call from my manager while I was at work telling him that they had to call 911 because I collapsed. I'm not sure which one of us looked worse when I was pulled out of the back of the ambulance at the hospital and he was waiting for me. Scary day. But all things considered it turned out pretty good. The doctor said I'm not drinking enough water and I need to take more breaks at work. He said since I'm petite and pregnant, blood pools in my legs more easily and if I don't sit down every now and then my blood pressure will drop way down, which is probably what happened. So that made me feel kinda dumb. :/ Seems like something I should have been doing anyways. So now I'm resting all day under the strict care of Dr. Husband. And he is strict! He keeps my fluids replenished, keeps me eating and makes sure I am not doing anything too tiring. Love him. :)

What am I? Part II

2011-04-05T12:40:00.001-07:00

Today we had our second ultrasound!!! And here's the verdict:

Can you guess? Lol

My dad and Liz both guessed it! They win! We are so excited and it makes it so special to be able to think we have a son in there! Not just a questionable fetus...lol
Here are the great snap shots the ultrasound tech got for us:

His sweet little profile :)

A front face shot

His cute little feet

And last but not least his tell tale little you-know-what! haha Sorry if that's gross but I think it's cute! ;)
Turns out he's a shy and flexible little guy. She really had to poke and prod at him to get him to uncurl. She said his brain and organs look good and like they are working properly. One little hiccup, she said there's a little mass in the muscle of his left ventricle but that it's pretty common and she's never seen that turn into a problem. His heart rate was 157 exactly...again! That was exactly what it was the first time. So he's consistent. After all the measurements she said I'm actually about 19 Weeks, which is 4 days ahead of where we thought I was. So that's good. That moves the due date up to September 1 which I am ok with! Heck, let's make it August! lol

Kellen Turned the Big 25

2011-04-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Kellen is now a quarter of a century old! For his birthday we went to Big Hat Days in Old Town Clovis with John, Liz and Hadley which was very fun. It was a nice warm day! I love spring weather in Fresno...if only it lasted. Here's a few snap shots:

The boys with their JUMBO CORN DOGS
The real man's corn dog...

Later Liz and I worked on a delicious dinner of Fillet Mignon, Parmesan Risotto and Asparagus. And at the request of Birthday Boy, my mom made him a Birthday Apple Pie!

Happy Birthday Sweet Kellen!

Who are you in there?

2011-03-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

I'm getting so dang giddy about next Tuesday morning! We have our 2nd ultrasound appointment and we'll get to find out if our little nugget is a girl or a boy! I'm also just excited in general to see him/her again. It was so cool the first time to see a little human bouncing around on the screen and I can't wait to see it again! It feels like when you haven't seen your best friend in a long time and then they're coming to visit! I can't wait. :)
He/she's been nudging me all week. I felt that for the first time last Friday night at around 11 and the kicks and rolls have seriously not stopped since.
I lay down to relax=kick.
I eat something yummy=roll over.
I take too long to eat=head butt.
I sneeze=karate chop.
The list goes on and on. It's making me a little nervous that we may have a very active/bossy kid on our hands here. But for the most part I'm enjoying the company.
So I can't decide which it will be....at first I was really leaning towards boy but lately I've been thinking girl so who knows? 50/50 right? (Hopefully it's only 50/50...there's always that slim chance it's BOTH!ah...) I would really enjoy either, some days I want a little mama's boy and sometimes I want a little girl to doll up. Kellen really wants a little daddy's girl. :) The only worry I have is that if it is a boy...he may or may not end up nameless since I hate all boy names. And the ones I do actually like Kellen hates so, this will be interesting.
Pick a team!

An unproductive day

2011-03-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

After laying in bed until 10:30...then sitting in bed on Facebook until noon, a funny conversation took place via text message between Kellen and I:

Me: I feel lazy and unproductive today.
Kellen: Yeah...well you could straighten up our room...I know your lovely husband would appreciate it...
Me: Hmmm. That's a thought. But I said I'm lazy and unproductive...not bored looking for something to do...
Kellen: But maybe if you start cleaning you will start feeling energetic and productive!
Me: Hmm interesting notion. I hate cleaning our room because there's so much stuff that has no place to go...
Kellen: But we must organize it so that it's not all over the floor. If you just separate our laundry I'll fold/hang up all my stuff...and there's always papers that are useless and need to be thrown away.
Me: But I never know which papers we don't need to keep.
Kellen: Ok. Just organize them in a neat pile and I can go through them when I get home
Me: Haha...so now my task has morphed from cleaning the room into preparing the room to be cleaned by you. Hahaha...that's funny.
Kellen: Yeah...

He didn't find it as amusing as I did. Can anyone guess who the messy one is and who the neat one is? I just don't see the problem with a messy room...sure it's nice when it's clean, but if you just don't look at the mess then it's like it's not there. Right? Am I right people?!
No, I'm not. I know I'm not. lol But that doesn't make me want to clean... ;)

Someday we will have a house with organizational structures like this. Someday.

Update....(I'm tired of coming up with cute titles for my posts)

2011-03-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

So we had an interesting little boost of faith this week. Kellen had been planning on going to Cleveland Chiropractic College starting this past January. And that was kinda the main reason we decided to move to Fresno in August. But once we got here we started thinking about how expensive and stressful it would be to live down in LA were the school is located. So Kellen decided he could just finish his bachelor's here in Fresno then worry about transferring to whatever grad school he wanted whether it be chiropractic, medical, dental, or whatever. This was all well and good but to tell you the truth it sort of made me feel like, well why the heck did we move all the way down here to Fresno and move in with my parents just to end up doing something we could have done up in Utah?
But this week, Kellen found out that Cleveland Chiropractic College in LA will be closing this August due to the economy and decrease in student body! So that was a slap in the face saying, Hey, Heavenly Father's looking out for you! Because let me tell you, it would have been not fun to move all the way down there, pay all that money, find jobs, etc, etc...just to have to come back in less than a year. So, we are counting our blessings, specifically that we were able to be realistic and make good choices about our future with the help of smart family.
In other news:
We had a baby check up yesterday! I had originally thought when we made the appointment that this was going to be my second ultrasound so we were getting all giddy thinking that we would be able to find out if it's a little Miss or a little Sir. But when we got there the doctor just used the heart monitor to listen and make sure all was well. It was still really cool to listen to the heartbeat! It took her a minute to find the little bugger. I guess, even though the baby bubble, that's my less graphic term for uterus/womb, goes all the way up to my belly button now the baby was still hiding down low. (Is it lame that I don't like using body part words?...they're just really odd words. Seriously, who came up with the word uterus?...it's just not cute)
We asked about the heart rate because we had heard that you can guess if it's a boy or girl based on how fast the heart rate is. Girls tend to be faster, closer to 160, and boys tend to be closer to 130. The heart rate was 157, so place your wagers people! But she said that method is pretty inaccurate unless you are able to watch the heart rate for an extended period of time to see what the average is. We made our appointment for the next ultrasound (except for reals this time) for April 5th and she said unless there's something weird going on we will for sure be able to find out then! Yay!
We also found out that I am Rh negative. Which she explained to mean that if Kellen is Rh positive then the baby could be too and that would be bad because my body would think the baby is a disease...or something like that. So I would develop antibodies to the baby's blood and that would be bad. So at 28 week's I'll have to get a lovely shot that will keep my body from going crazy on my baby and if it turns out that the baby is positive, I'll get one more shot after birth. Then it will be fine. She said it's fairly common and no big deal as long as it's taken care of. So that's good. But I am not a needle fan so that won't be fun.
One last note before I go off to start the homework I've been procrastinating for hours now:
I've been taking belly photos mostly for me to see how I'm changing week to week. But now that I am starting to see a little difference I'm wanting to share! :) But I took them of my bare belly and I'm not sure how I feel about posting them for anyone to see...I dunno if anyone wants to see my bare baby belly or if I'm the only one who thinks it's cute lol so I don't know...cast a vote: to post or not to post the growing belly photos

Call me crazy!...I dare you...

2011-03-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

Call me overly anxious....but I think as of today, I'm showing! Maybe I'm seeing things, but there's a little something there that wasn't there before and I'm pretty sure it's not flab cuz I cannot for the life of me suck that baby in! I've heard of girls not showing at all until like 20 weeks so I was not expecting to see any changes this soon.

Kellen says he can't see it and I look the same...maybe he's just being careful not to make me feel fat. (Thoughtful boy) But I see it!

Hello down there! I'm the mom...Can't wait to meet you!

How I knew he meant it.

2011-03-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

So when I woke up this morning, Kellen was getting ready to leave. I continued to veg in bed while he got dressed and did his hair and whatnot. Then when he was ready to go he came over to shower my with kisses and love before he left.
He said, "I love you sweetie!"
And this is how I knew he meant it:

When I got up and looked in the mirror, this is what I found. hahaha
And yes, I have strategically not shown my face because that was even worse than the hair...if you can imagine that. Don't try. I implore you. It's horrific.
But he loves me.

Happy Days Ahead!

2011-02-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping a journal ever since I found out I was pregnant. The first entry was happy...because that was week 5. At week 6 the sickness set in. So the next 6 weeks worth of entries were pretty grim. It helped to vent about it, I do tend to be a bit of a complainer, and I definitely don't want to just be a downer to everyone I talk to about it. So the journal was my complain-to friend. But last night I was so happy to write a nice, excited happy entry.

Everyday gets easier and easier. I like food now! I'm just so happy to want to eat! I still have to take my little magic pill in the mornings so I can keep my breakfast down. But once I get started, I can eat almost anything I'm craving!

We are both getting very excited to know if the little peanut is a boy or a girl. That will be the next step to feel like this is really happening! I may eat these words soon...but I'm also excited to start showing. At 13 weeks now, I'm just feeling a little...chubby. It doesn't look like a baby bump yet, just like a beer belly. lol

I'm excited for all the happy days ahead.

My super balanced pregnancy diet

2011-02-15T15:52:00.000-08:00

So far my super health conscious, ultra balanced pregnancy diet has consisted of:
Because I'm suddenly lactose intolerant...neat?Disgusting, I know. But they actually settle my stomach. And...

That is all. Because it's all I can keep down. And yes, I am slowly withering away due to malnutrition. But my doctor assured me that the baby will be fine, since he/she will simply suck the life out of me for survival. I feel like such a precious vessel...

Riddle Me This...

2011-02-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

THE RIDDLE:

THE ANSWER:

It's me!!!

with this inside:

Month of L.O.V.E.

2011-02-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

Ok so January did end. Even with all my mellow-drama...it did end. :)
Here's to hoping February, the sweet month of Love will bring me more positive vibes and happy times!
Maybe I'll even cook something...
this is a hobby I have neglected since moving in with the family. Mom seems to always beat me to it, darn her and her fabulous housewife-ness!

Just keep swimming...

2011-01-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

Ever feel like the days go by in slow motion? I couldn't believe how fast 2011 came and now it seems it will be here foorreverrrrr. January is creeping by and I cannot lie, it's depressing me. I have been thinking a lot lately about some of the good ole days. Like three years ago, when Kellen and I were just fresh newly weds getting used to married life, living in that teeny tiny apartment on Center Street in Provo. It was such a sweet, happy time. Not that now isn't happy. I've just been feeling a little lost in reality lately and not enjoying it very much.
I know I really have very little to legitimately complain about but that doesn't stop the downer thoughts from creeping in. We live with great family who love and support us, Kellen is getting a good education to support our family, I have a job that pays the bills, and I'm nearly done with my associates. Maybe being more grateful for all of that will help me get through this funk I've been in lately.
I spent a lot of time over the past few years living in the future because it always seemed to wonderful and promising. Lately, I've been dwelling a lot on the past, like I said about the newly wed times and even just this past year when we were still up in Utah going to UVU, living in Springville. I suppose I have to admit that I didn't realize how much I enjoyed our life until we drastically changed everything. Again, that's not to say that moving here and doing what we have been doing isn't a good thing. I just can't help but miss the way everything was. This has been a big adjustment for both of us. And there are still more to come.
Uncertain futures make me uncomfortable, as I'm sure they do for most people.
Well, that's enough for now. I wish I had more happy things to say but this is what's been on my mind lately. The End.

Icky #7

2010-11-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

I have this thing with the number 7
It's just an icky number for me. It's like in that movie, Where The Heart Is with Natalie Portman.
If I were having a baby in aisle 7 at Walmart...I would use all my strength to crawl away from that aisle. Seriously.
Ironically I was born in 1987, which I guess is good. I don't remember if there was any reason to hate that year. But I'm sure if I could have a sit down with my one month old self, there would be something.
When I was 7 my second grade teacher, Mrs. Thatcher was mean! (With my 23 year old retrospect, she really wasn't that bad, but man at the time... life was no bueno) I swear she only ever saw when I rolled my shorts up a little higher, which was totally in fashion at the time. But when the cool girls did it she didn't even notice!
In 1997 I turned 10. That's such an awesome age. At the top of "kid age" but not a stinky teenager yet. I was so excited because my mom planned a great party at the Zoo! I wasn't aware at the time, but 1997 would never have let it be a good birthday. I had a soccer game that morning and ended up being late to my own party because I had to go home and change, which happened so quickly that I didn't have time to pick out a good birthday outfit and I ended up looking homeless in my least favorite shirt and jean shorts. Then when we got there we didn't get to feed the hippos like in the commercial! Which was all I really wanted to do. False advertisement.
Being 17 was the worst age ever. High school drama. I was a stinking brat, so I was always in trouble with the parents. I just remember it being a vary angry year for me. Not good.
I don't know about 27, but I nervously await what that age will bring for me.

2007
I had a lot of reasons to hate the year 2007. It was a year of...blah and whateverness. Which is as deep as I like to go into the many reasons why that year is a year I don't want to remember.
However There was one really great, unforgettable, awesomely amazing thing about 2007 and his name is Kellen.
In 2007 I reunited with, dated and married the best guy I've ever met! And that is once in a lifetime! How could I possibly hate 2007 when that's the year Kellen became mine? :)
On the 20th we will have been married for three years. It's gone by in a flash. I remember each moment of it like it was yesterday. Happy happy times.

Life in Transit

2010-08-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

The past 3 weeks have been a blur!

1. We shared our house with the Diaz family from August 6th to the 20th and while it was fun to be able to spend so much time with them, it is not a very big house...plus we were packing and it was just a bit of a mess.
2. We both finished up our summer semester and with flying colors I might add! Kellen got A's and B's which is fantastic in his tricksy computer classes! And I somehow managed all A's for the first time since Freshman year of high school. Yay for us!
3. We spent an entire 24 hours scrubbing our townhouse from top to bottom. We had a ton of help from John and Liz which was great because it was A LOT of work!
4. We packed every one of our possessions into our cars, a lot easier said than done. And the last thing, my super duty vacuum, had to be left behind... tear
5. Started the trek to our new temporary home in Fresno and stopped in Henderson for the weekend. (I'm so glad we didn't have to drive the whole 10 hours in one day!)
6. Completed the journey last Monday. While it is nice to be here, I feel far from settled.
We finally managed to unload all our stuff and I have been organizing ever since. I feel like I'm turing into my constantly cleaning german grandmother! I can't walk by anything in this house without stopping and spending an hour reorganizing it. Maybe it's just my way of feeling at home. It's odd to come back to the house I spent half my life in and feel like a visitor. I've never lived in a house that doesn't belong to someone else. I can't wait to find the place where Kellen and I can have our own HOME.

P.S.And, boy do I miss this face!

I got used to seeing her smiles every morning! Missing her is not helping with my homesick-out-of-placeness syndrome.

Silly Kellen

2010-08-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I was at Springville Museum of Art looking for a piece to write a paper on. Kellen called and the conversation went like this:
Kellen: Do you know where my shampoo is?
Me: I don't know, in the shower?
Kellen: It's not there.
Me: I don't know then.
We figured it just got moved, since Liz and John are staying with us, the possibilities are infinite.
So when I got home I went on a search for the missing shampoo.
I looked in cupboards, drawers, closets...and finally made my way back to the shower. I just stood there staring at the corner where it usually is...
Here is what I saw:

Then I noticed something...

I went down stairs and revealed what I found. We all laughed. And it was epic.

She's da baby...gotta love her!

2010-07-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Look who came rollin into town this week!
The Diaz Family
Here's just a taste of the fun we've been having:

We've been trying on pretty bows....

Sucking on some delicious thumbs...

Nearly going cross-eyed while playing with the camera...

Experiencing drastic mood swings...

Making memories while....

playing on big mountains....

Laughing at silly Uncle Kellen who, as it turns out, is hilarious...

You see what I mean? He's a regular comedian that one! We've just been having a grand ole time spending our last few weeks in Utah with them! Wish they'd be there to enjoy Fresno with us too... :(

It is OFFICIAL

2010-07-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today we received a beautiful, fantastic, and long awaited letter from
CLEVELAND CHIROPRACTIC COLLEGE
telling us that Kellen was accepted into their program!

The school is located in lovely Los Angeles

So we will be finishing up our summer semester on August 13th. Then we will promptly shove off for California!

California.....california.....heeere we cooooooome!

10 Things I Love About This Summer:

2010-06-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

#1
Every morning 9:00-10:00
#2
At first I was nervous about doing summer school because it's split into two 6 week blocks...meaning all of the classes are DOUBLE TIME
But it's turned out to be very chill. And I love that I'm getting twice the amount of work done in the same amount of time!
The first block will already be over next week! Then we start second block which goes til August 13th...
Done in no time!
#3
We've had a rainy June this year. (Better than a snowy June, which I HAVE seen!) As long as it stays warm, I love a good summer thunder storm.
#4
We have had soo much fun going to our first Parade of Homes!

One home had a movie theater with stadium seating and second kitchen with a cafe-like set up! It was amazing to see all the creative things people do with their homes!
Check out this luxury shower...with a Kellen inside LOL

#5
I would watch this all day long if I could!
My favorites are:

Giada at Home and Triple D
#6
Believe it or not...I love watching the guys play on the PS3
They are always nice enough to ask me if I'd like a go at it...but honestly it's more fun for me to watch them actually win.
#7#6 is most often accompanied by #7 which is...

#8ART CITY DAYS

For those of you who don't know...
Utah county does this thing in the summer where each city has a parade to like...kick off the summer, I guess :)
I'm not sure about other towns but Springville has Art City Days at the same time, which is like a little fair. We went last....Saturday, I think it was...with our side kick Ryan.
First, we got there and found a great VIP parking spot, walked over, decided we needed to eat some rich fattiness, went to the ATM and discovered it was out of order! (probably not so good, since it was the only one in the whole fair)
So we went back to the car, ran to Reams to get some cash and finally got back. We got our food and found a nice set of bleachers to sit on while we ate.
We'd been sitting there for probably 5 minutes when a Monsoon decided to hit!

We had to book it back to the tents to try and wait it out. We eventually decided we needed to just make a run for the car...
but not before we stopped to get Funnel Cake!
#9Getting things DONE
Nothing makes me happier than a fresh, clean, organized house!
When I'm both going to school and working, our house is usually in disarray...
But now that I have all this time on my hands, I've stocked up on Lysol and rubber gloves
and the house has never been cleaner! Yay!

#10Lastly....
I absolutely LOVE having so much time to spend with this sweet fella!

What would you have done?

2010-06-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was let go from the salon I've worked at for a year. The story goes like this:

For a while now, I had been feeling like the experience of working at this brand new, very nice salon wasn't all it was cracked up to be. In the last 6 months it had changed quite a bit, which I guess is to be expected with a new place. They're figuring out how to run it and what's best for them. But as time went on I kept feeling like it just wasn't the place for me. I kept quiet about it though and just toughed it out thinking maybe it would get better and also out of fear that trying to find a new place to work wouldn't be any better than just sticking it out there. After a year of woking for practically nothing, sitting there waiting for walk-ins that never came for free, I might add. It was commission only, which means I was only paid when I had a client--not often enough! I was just fed up and needed to move on. Not to mention all the transforming of the salon into a Bumble and Bumble retailer, a high end and expensive hair care line, made me feel like a used car salesman! And to be honest, I don't care if you use BB., Purology or Paul Mitchell hair products as long as you're taking care of it! I definitely do not care about selling "Bumble culture" which became an all too familiar saying around the salon lately by the co-owner boy who doesn't even do hair!
Anyways, so all of that had been building up and I casually starting looking for a new place to hopefully rent a station so I could take more of a profit home.
I should also back track a little and throw in this side note: In March a new booth renter, Sonja, started at the salon and we hit it off right off the bat. She was probably one of my favorite people there even though she'd only been there a few weeks, just because I felt like she was one of the more genuine girls. But after her "30 day trial period" was up, which by they way doesn't really make sense because she was paying to be there and also under contract...so why did she have to do a trial? I didn't get it but whatever. Turns out it was just because they didn't like her very much and went looking for reasons to get rid of her, like she wore jeans on a day she wasn't supposed to... remind me who cares about jeans? oh yeah, no one!? But who's going to argue with you when your daddy owns half of Provo? So anyways, she got fired, under very fishy and unprofessional circumstances.
Then, a few days later Sonja called me telling me she had a brilliant idea to open her own small, booth rent only salon! So, great! I wanted in! Because I liked her style and attitude about being a employer. She sees it how I see it: If you're paying to be there, shouldn't you be able to feel like your kind of in charge of yourself? We think so.
So I started helping her out. Getting details set like how much rent would be, how it would be run, what kind of people we would ideally like to work with. It was all sounding so perfect! So next, we just had to find people to hire. I helped her post an ad on craigslist. About a week later, I got a lengthy e-mail from a girl wanting to know more about the salon. I had put in the ad to call Sonja for me details but since I had posted the ad it was linked to my e-mail address, so i figured why not just answer her questions and let her know to call Sonja for more info? So I did, I told her a little bit about the place and us and the kind of work environment we wanted to have. I got an e-mail back with even more lengthy questions and started to kind of wonder, ok who the heck is this girl and why is she so concerned with random things like how big my and Sonja's clienteles are? Who cares?
As it turns out, this mystery girl was by boss at Salon K! She was creeping around getting this info on us all sneaky like! Awesomely professional of them, don't you think? So when I showed up to work on Wednesday they came out and met me at the door and asked me if I was helping Sonja open a new salon. I was so stunned that I didn't know what to say and I settled with denying it. I just figured what business was it of their's who I was working with after I quit there? I had already put in my two weeks notice and was going to be done in 3 days! I hadn't mentioned anything about working at another salon because A. I didn't want them knowing my business and B. I knew they would do something exactly like what they did next being the control-freak, drama queens that they are. And I just wanted to leave in peace!
NOT BLOODY LIKELY
So after I denied it, she just said "Ok, well we're just going to have you be done. We found your replacement." I asked what about my clients that I had booked the rest of the week and her reply was "We have it covered." There's another key thing they don't understand, my clients come to me for ME. So she handed me my last check and I went in to get all my stuff, luckily they had set a pile of boxes on my station for me! Thanks? I guess. Need I say it again? Ok, I will...DRAMA QUEENS.
So that was it. I said farewell to the place I waisted a year of my professional life at. In retrospect, part of me wishes I had just owned it and told them where to stick it...but that probably wouldn't have helped either. (
Sonja gave me some good advise: You just have to laugh and feel sorry for them.
It's true. And I do. Because they will never know how ridiculous they are. I do feel sorry for people who are selfish, ignorant and will never know the difference. Is it really such a mystery why I chose to work with her over them?
All things considered, it was a great learning experience for me as a new stylist. I learned what's important to me about my career:
A. Taking care of my clients
B. Being drama free, I tried so hard to stay away from it all, and it still caught up with me!
C. Working with people I have both professional and personal respect for..."Respect....iiiissss niiice." -Michael Scott
I also learned what is NOT important to me:
A. Being a salesman...I didn't go to hair school so I could be pushy about product sales, I did it to help people be the best them and be happy with their appearance.
And lastly I learned the kind of professional I want to be: Not someone who's selfishly only looking out for number 1. I want to be helpful, respectful, and courteous.

Lucky for me after this bad day I still had a wonderful husband to take me to get a Tiger's Blood & Cream Snowy to make me feel better... (

Goodbye little Zippy...Hello Big Rig!

2010-06-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

About 6 months ago, my sweet little 2002 Rav4 started having transmission problems. Boo. We finally posted it on craigslist and 5 minutes later we got a call from a guy who wanted to pay cash that day! So we cleaned her up, and sent her on her way. [I shed a tear or two]. We've been through a lot, Zippy and me...she was my little mobile home for most of 2007.

I was sad to see her leave me.
But this last weekend we got this monstrosity!

Thanks to great in-laws!

In with the beautiful!

2010-05-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

Progress has been made towards having a beautiful backyard!

I was so happy to find Lavender at Lowes but
I wasn't able to find Asters...so I had to settle for those cute pink
Gerbera Daisies
And it's ok cuz by purchasing them I supported

Susan G. Komen for the Cure
It's a small start, but I'm sooo excited!
Now all we need is:

Green thumb anyone?

2010-05-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

So I've decided our backyard needs a make-over!
We've lived in our cute little townhouse in Springville for a year now
and our little yard has remained untouched
But I want to be able to enjoy it this summer gosh darn it!
So I made a quick trip to trusty walmart to get some weed killer
and gloves...

Last fall, before all the snow, there was this big ugly, green weed that grew behind our shed. I ignored it along with the rest of the yard. But now that I'm getting
down and dirty back there I realized it's a big sticker weed!

These are all those tiny sticker things that get stuck in your feet
and hurt like heck! I have no idea how I'm ever going to get rid of all of these!

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Out with the ugly
SECOND: In with the beautiful

Here are my beautiful flower ideas:
Tulips

Lilacs

Asters

Poppies

and finally....
Lavender

So you've seen the nasty before pictures...I can't wait to show the after shots!

A world of pure imagination.....

2010-04-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

So, this commercial came on the other night and I'm just sitting on the couch, looking over at Kellen. The song starts, he perks up, his eyes widen and zero in on the screen. I'm sitting there, trying not to laugh because I don't want to disrupt the moment...(he hasn't realized I'm staring at him) Then it's over. He turns to me and just says, "I love that song..."

I think I laughed for a good 5 minutes.

2010-03-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hadley Margaret Diaz

this is our new little niece.
born: march 10, 2010
she is so sweet and smells like candy lol
i love her. :)
we were able to go visit for a week. it is so fun to be an auntie!
i'm missing her already.

Superbowl Party!

2010-02-08T10:15:00.001-08:00

This was the first party we hosted at our house! Good times. We had 4 votes COLTS and 2 indifferent

Gang's all here! Eric, Adam and Kellen snuggled on the big couch.

We had all the basic essentials: homemade Guacamole, Frito Boats, Julia's SUPER YUMMY potato skins, and last but not least Lil' Smokies!

Boo! for the not one but 2 massive interceptions! But overall...
good game+good company+good food=GOOD NIGHT

a day in the life...

2010-02-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

so. you're probably wondering what is going on here.

let me tell you all about it
i was pulling into the parking lot at walmart to do some friday night grocery shopping when i found the perfect spot. you know the one. it was the first spot after the handicap spaces. VIP! as i was pulling in these fine folks you see photographed here were walking to their car.
then, being fully aware of me and my pursuit of the perfect spot, they proceeded to load their groceries for 5 minutes while standing in the middle of my spot. not hurrying at all...wifey-poo there wasn't even helping, just texting away. don't mind me people. (Please note: 5 minutes is a long time when there's a line of cars waiting for you!)

i hate when people are inconsid-didit...
just another day in the life of Allison

ps. i'm also 78% sure i witnessed some prostitution in the parking lot on my way out. lovely. just lovely.

food for thought

2010-01-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

as you see i have added a new layout
and as i was going to different blogs dedicated to templates
and whatnot
i couldn't help but notice that
every one of them
had something indicating that they were members of
the church of
JESUS CHRIST
of latter day saints
so apparently we LDSers are the only people who take
blogging
seriously enough to blog just about blogging

you can also see that i'm learning how to use all this cool html stuff
so hopefully I'll keep up on the posts better and it'll be nice and spiced up for ya'll

enjoy

The long awaited....UPDATE!

2010-01-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...I would totally loose the blogging awards. Or just win the "Worst at Blogging" award. But here it is, an update! 2010 has been a wee bit hectic to say the least. We got back from an amazing 2 1/2 week visit to the much missed family and friends in Fresno on January 4th and started our semester January 6th. Kellen is well into his major now and the load is getting heavier with classes such as: Macroeconomics, Business Stats, Calculus, and Accounting...but he handles it like a champ! :] (I's so prouda he!) I'm loving my classes this semester. They're still all GEs, so nothing too terribly fancy. Although, I did decide I needed to loose some flab and general laziness by taking a yoga class and thus far...I am feeling the burn! But the real reason I know you all showed up here to look at my blog.....pictures! (who wants to exert the mental power to read about our boring life...just show pictures, right?!) Ok ok...I only have a few but here they are:

Not sure when this was or where we are...but hey, we're dang cute right! I know.

And this....(hehehe) is me and my sweet little blue pig friend! Twins.

This was actually our anniversary, we went to dinner and then went and walked around Tie Pan Trading (soo unsure how to spell that properly) pretending we had oodles of money to blow on home decore. :) Someday!!!

He's so cute! (FYI this was a wifey-forced picture, such a good sport)

Here's a small taste of our Christmas vacation. The rest of the photos will be posted pending little miss Lizzie girl posting them on Facebook first so I can steal them. So harass her about it!

So....I have some news....I'm NOT seven months pregnant! But in the unlikely and far in the future event that I was, that's what I would look like. (Bueno, or no?)

Adorable little Misha boy, me and John Michael Diaz (aka: my favorite brother-in-law) getting ready for one of our many very long nights of Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples and my personal favorite Cranium!

The stunning Mrs. Diaz!

Aaaannd....ME!...with a mouth full of food. oh yeeah.

So there you go, soak it up. I hope you've learned to savor these updates, you never know when you'll get another.

I miss her.

2009-09-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

"Not sisters at birth but we knew from the start God put us together to be sisters at heart."

Hurray!

2009-08-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

It's official. I have decided to go back to school! I'm sooo excited! I turned in my application for UVU on Friday (one day before the deadline!) I've got it narrowed down to BS in Art and Visual Communication with emphasis in Photography, Graphic Design, or Interior Design. That will be the tricky part, deciding which one of those I enjoy most. The best part about this is how dang excited Kellen is to go to school together... so cute. :] I'm super excited too, just one more thing we get to do together. Although I do recall a certain hatred for homework... Kellen assures me he will help me out though. Good thing.

Hiking

2009-08-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today we hiked up the little canyon behind the Provo Temple and found a little cave that had an awesome view of the valley. But, boy, did we have to work for it! I only fell twice. : )

Day Off Picnic!

2009-07-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Day's off are so magical and far too rare. It's funny that we spend our whole youth waiting to be grown up and when we finally get there all we wish for are the easy days of no bills, no jobs, no worries. I'm looking forward to retirement...only 30 more years!

Picnic at J-Dawgs

He's a hungry little fella...

Hurry up with me beverage!

Summertime and the livin' is easy. (on day's off)

Summer came like cinnamon....

2009-07-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

So by now you've noticed that these posts are few and far between. :) No internet at home is a pain in the butt, life goes on. I can't even believe it's already the last week of July! This summer came so fast and it's leaving just as fast. The fact that it was raining until mid June didn't help! (sometimes I hate this state.)

Updates.... Work is going...better? We've picked up since opening but there's good weeks and bad weeks. And Kellen has had a few promising interviews the past 2 weeks so hopefully that will all work out sooner rather than later. Kellen recently got some rather neat news from his grandma, because he's 1/4 Hawaiian he can get a full scholarship to go to law school at University of Hawaii. Assuming he keeps his GPA up and pass the LSAT. So that's the plan as of today. But our plans have been known to shift dramatically from time to time. Yup and that's all I can think of to update on. Man, I don't know what the heck I would write about if I did these posts as often as say...Becca. : ]

Getting a move on!

2009-05-13T15:04:00.001-07:00

Monday was my first day at Salon K, a brand spankin' new salon in The Riverwoods. It is so much more fun than being in school! Being paid isn't too shabby either...

Kellen's just gonna be working all summer so we can save up all our $$$ which is much needed given the fact that I haven't worked since August.

But the BIG NEWS is....drum roll....we're moving into a townhouse June 1st! Oh yeah! This is exciting for the following reasons: 1. It's not an apartment 2. We don't have to listen to everything the people above us do 3. It's not an apartment 4. It has a little backyard (I'm making a garden!) 5. It's not an apartment!!! So yeah, we're a little stoked. And it's in Springville so it's close enough to everything but not at the heart of BYU. We're just not so much into the whole single's ward part II thing.

Ohhhhhh BOY!

2008-08-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

So Kellen's starting back into school here soon....(oh boy!) the 27th to be exact. He's, um, excited? about it I'm sure. I'm just same old, same old. Devoting my entire life to finishing school so I can devote the rest of it to working. But it's ok, at least it's fun! We're coming up fast on a year now which according to most means the "worst" is over. That's about all that's new and exciting in the life of the Riggins.