The Start of Something New

Back Into It

2012-02-24T22:02:00.002-07:00

Photography that is!! I've been doing a lot of work lately on my picture taking and editing. I'm doing more, learning more and having fun while I'm at it. I've been working on updating my photography blog and you can take a look at it here. It's been fun working with pictures again, feeling like I'm ready to take on clients and that I'm good enough. I often struggle with comparing myself to my professional photographer friends, but through their encouragement I have realized that I should find my own style and don't worry about anyone else. Not that I can't get inspiration from others, but really I need to be my own photographer. So I'm feeling pretty good about things and am hoping to do some more photoshoots, maybe make a little money and grow my portfolio!

My little model! This was taken today after her nap. Wow, I love her so much!

I love you Tansley

2012-02-19T23:33:00.001-07:00

Tansley, you are such a joy to us. You are so fun, you laugh so easily, you are getting more determined in what you want (although still distracted pretty easily if it's a no no), you turn the heads of strangers with your smile and beautiful blue eyes, you are amazing.

Our Little Nerd

2012-02-19T23:04:00.004-07:00

Is that a mean title? I'm just saying it in a funny tone, can't you hear it?
Scott gave Tansley the 3D glasses we got when we saw Avatar and this is what happened...

This picture reminds me of that old guy who danced in the commercials for some Theme Park, you know the one I'm talking about?

Practice Pictures

2012-02-18T17:35:00.002-07:00

I've been really trying to work on my photography lately. Taking lots of pictures of Tansley, working on indoor light, my camera settings and getting good focus. I feel like this is going to be a learning process that lasts for a long time. But that's ok, and I'm having fun taking pictures and editing them as well. Here are a few shots I've taken in the last few weeks.

I can't take credit for this picture...Scott took it, I just edited it! Tansley was playing peek-a-boo with Daddy. So cute!

This is Tansley's friend, Libby. She came over for a photoshoot and here the girls are just gabbing after we did the pictures!

My Brother's Hat

2012-02-18T14:58:00.001-07:00

I wanted to make Zack something for a late Christmas present, and I remembered that he likes to wear this style hat.

And since I've been doing so much crocheting, I thought I could probably make something like that. So, I searched around for a pattern, and found one for free (the best kind!). I made it just like the pattern and when I had finished it, I had a few concerns. For one, it seemed way too big. So I ended up giving that one to my grandpa, after a few minor tweaks. I wish I had a picture of him in the hat, cuz he looked really cute!!
Anyway, I still wanted Zack to have a hat, so I got started on another hat, same pattern, I just used a small crochet hook. It turned out great and I think Zack really likes it!!

Arizona Vacation

2012-02-11T01:21:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a nice trip down to AZ! My Grandpa turned 89, we had a baby shower for my cousin, Ellie, and had a Super Bowl party all in one weekend!!
Scott and I rented a house with my dad and Sally for a week. It was fun to be together and we rented a pretty cool house. It had a great back yard with a pool, hot tub, sand to play in and even a putting green. Unfortunately it was too chilly to swim and we only got the hot tub warmed up one night.

Here are some pictures of our time in Arizona. The pictures aren't really in order, but you get the idea!

New Crochet Things

2012-01-24T23:06:00.002-07:00

I've been doing some crocheting along with my photography adventures, here are a few of my new favs!

An Unexpected Cuddle

2012-01-24T22:06:00.001-07:00

Tansley has been seeming really tired these days. We have gone to one nap most days and she gets pretty tired around noon. So today we got home from our mom's group and I was just holding her and checking my email, she was being so cuddly, it was nice. Then I felt her body get pretty relaxed, and she was sleeping. She slept on me for about a half an hour, and then all of a sudden she popped up and was ready for lunch. Silly girl. It was nice though, I'm going to miss her sleeping on me.

Project 52

2012-01-24T22:01:00.001-07:00

I've decided to take on my first photography project. I have found a great photographer online and on facebook that I sort of follow and she has made something called Project 52. You take a new photo each week that goes along with a theme that she has given. I've done 3 out of 4 weeks so far. I'm not going to stress myself out, if I feel like I can't get it done one week, that's ok. So far it's been good, I will be excited when this winter clears a little bit and I can start taking some outdoor shots. But for now this is what I have so far.

The first week's theme was "sharing."
Tansley was pretty captivated by these little ear buds that made music! She was grabbing one and putting it up to her ear, it was so funny.

The third week's theme was "Open Space." I learned about Open space this week. When looking at a picture, it's the space where the eye can rest. It's the space that doesn't compete with the subject for attention. I like it and may have been using it a little before, but I know now I will be trying this more. Oh and I titled this picture..."She really likes to get on top of her music."

Tansley loves that Scott got his old keyboard out so she can play it whenever she wants. She is so cute, she has learned how to turn it on and she plunks on it with her hands and as you can see, with her feet also!

The theme for week 4 is Unexpected Perspective. This is a good exercise in looking at things in a new way. It's feels normal to take pictures straight on, of smiling people (at least we try to get them to smile). But the more I'm learning about photography, the more I'm seeing different ways to look at a scene and that natural (even if that's not smiling, or even looking at the camera) can be great.

I'll keep you posted with my new pictures from the weeks ahead.

Baby Brooklyn

2012-01-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to practice some newborn photography last week when my friend had a new baby girl! I headed over to their place and was hoping for a sleepy baby to photograph, but little Brooklyn was wide awake the whole time. As much as a sleeping newborn is adorable, they are just as adorable when they are awake. I didn't get to practice some of the sleepy poses I wanted to try, but I think the pictures that I got worked out well. Take a look.

Tansley's 1st Birthday

2012-01-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my blog last night and realized I haven't posted anythin from Tansley's birthday, which was Nov. 19th! Opps. I had lots of fun planning her ladybug birthday, making the big cake and little cake for her to smash into. We had the whole Alberta family over, our fullest house yet. But I'm so happy with the layout of our house that everyone fit in here just fine!
Here are some pictures of Tansley's special day!

Starting with the decorations!

It's really hard to get red frosting really red. But I was pretty happy with the end result of the big lady bug cake.

This is Tansley's little cake to eat.

Tansley is blessed with a pretty amazing Canadian family. She loves her Nana and Papa.

Scott turned into Uncle Magic Trick for the party. He put on a pretty amazing magic show for the kids!

Look at all of those wowed faces!

Time to open some presents

And the best part...the cake! Tansley wasn't sure what to do with her own little cake until I gave her a taste of it. After that, this happened...

Definitely needed a bath after the cake-fest!

All clean and ready for bed!

Our Morning

2012-01-14T16:11:00.004-07:00

The girls are home alone this morning, and we sure miss Daddy. I have realized that Tansley loves the way her daddy plays with her. He tosses her up, gives her horsey rides, rolls around on the floor with her and just makes her laugh and smile from ear to ear. I should try to be more like that, although I can't really compare our relationships with Tansley. They are just different and that's ok.
I took some pictures of Tansley this morning and made a collage in photoshop. Practicing and learning and trying to grow in photography! Enjoy!

I'm trying to learn how to make these collages in photoshop and I'm seeing that one isn't very clear. I'll have to tweak the pixels a bit I think. I guess you get the idea of the pictures and how cute Tansley is!

Photography

2012-01-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot with pictures theses days, taking some, editing some (new and old pictures). I wanted to share with you what I've been doing!

Before and After

2012-01-04T11:57:00.003-07:00

As you know I've been working on getting to know my photoshop elements program. Here are a few more pictures I've worked on. I have a better before and after format now, so you can see the differences. I'm enjoying doing this stuff, but it's a lot of work. I'm sure the more I practice, the easier/quicker it will be.

So, what do you think?

It's like a whole new language!

2011-12-13T15:35:00.002-07:00

So, I've been getting back into photography lately, thanks to Mysea's photography blog that has inspired me! You can see her stuff here http://hazelb.myfotojournal.com/

Also, Scott got me photoshop elements for my birthday so I have been trying to learn the program. It's like learning another language! It's not the kind of program that you can just figure out by trying things...at least I can't! So I've been watching lots of youtube videos and other training videos trying to get a handle on things. Here are a few of the pictures I've taken to practice editing on. I'll show you the before and after so you can get an idea of the difference.

I feel like I'm learning, but I have so far to go to get the quality looking pictures of the pros! But I guess that also has to do with the before picture...so I'm working on that too!!

I've been so busy!

2011-12-05T21:01:00.001-07:00

So as you know, I've taken up crocheting and I have been doing it a lot!! My sister in law and I had a huge home business party and I got the chance to set up a table full of my crocheted hats and other little things. So, since I had that goal, I was a little crochet crazy! Here is my table, you can see what I mean!

I ended up selling 4 hats at the party.

My favorite hat of all is the sleepy owl, but I really love the yellow adult hat (that was one that sold)

I'm having tons of fun making new things. I'm also trying to get into selling the things that I am making. So far I have just set up a facebook page with all of my things, and that's all I'm doing for now. I may try harder at some point, but for now this is a fun hobby!! I have a facebook page that I made and decided that my "company" name is going to be Yoya's Yarn. https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Yoyas-Yarn/282686675105770

Crocheting

2011-11-04T12:03:00.002-06:00

I've found another craft that I'm getting addicted to!! I finally figured out how to crochet, after years of saying how I wanted to learn. I found a lady on youtube that teaches and shows how to make projects really well. So, I would watch a video, pause it and try it out for myself, then play again for the next part, and so on. After I finished my first hat, I was hooked. I've been crocheting up a storm! I'm toying with the idea of possibly trying to sell some stuff, but for now I'm just enjoying the process, loving the outcome and building up some supplies. Here are the hats that I've made so far. I'm in the process of trying some little animals and I can't wait to see how they come out!

Here are the girl hats

Some boy hats, and learning how to make earflaps

This was the first hat I made for Tansley

And one for me!

Edmonton trip

2011-11-04T11:33:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we took our first long driving trip as a family. It's about 4-5 hours to drive down to Edmonton, but we found that even just adding Tansley it took more like 6. But that's ok. She did great on the drive, slept some, talked some, sat around some. By the time we got there she was ready to be out though!! We made a stop at Ikea when we got there and then got settled in to our hotel. I wasn't sure how things would go with all of us in one big room, but we had a playpen for Tansley to sleep in and we just pushed it in the corner near the door where it was the farthest away from us and darker. She did amazing, it took a little adjusting, but all in all it was just fine. We went swimming in the hotel pool, headed out to the Edmonton Zoo, had supper with a friend who lives there and went shopping at the West Edmonton Mall. It was a fun filled trip, and just nice to get out of Grande Prairie for a weekend.
Here are some instagram pictures of our trip!

Eating some lunch in our hotel room

This is how I relaxed at night

This is how Scott relaxed at night

My two favorite people at the zoo

Watching Lucy the elephant

This seal seemed a little lonely. It sat by the glass while were there the whole time!

These little monkeys were bouncing off the wall, so fun to watch

Here's my store!

Stroller nap at the mall

I just thought this hat was too cute

Lunch at the mall

And here are some pictures that I took with my camera through out our trip!

Checking out the animals at the zoo

Watching with mommy

Having a swim at the hotel

Supper with Jeff at Red Robin

Tansley got this tunnel at Ikea...it's a big hit!!

Swim Class

2011-10-15T22:35:00.001-06:00

Tansley and I are enrolled and enjoying swim class!! My dad and Sally were able to come see our first class and got to take a few videos and pictures. Here are a few of my favs. Oh and Tansley is doing great in her class and she still seems to love the water. And she is so cute in her little purple swimsuit!!

Look at that little cutie!

Look Mom, I'm swimming!

Opps, she just splashed herself in the face!

Someday I'm hoping she'll be the one blowing the bubbles

My friend and her son are in the class too!

We are having a lot of fun so far, and we have 6 more weeks to enjoy!! It's also nice after class we can go warm up in the baby pool, or stick our feet in the hot tub.

Pre Birthday Birthday!

2011-10-10T22:06:00.000-06:00

My dad and Sally came up for a visit so we had a pre birthday for Tansley, whose birthday is Nov. 19th. They took us out to The Keg, which was more for mommy and daddy than Tansley, but she did so great there. She ate her supper and then just kind of hung out while we ate ours!

After our awesome supper we went home and Tansley got to open a few presents. My dad and Sally brought up some stuff from Tansley's Uncle and Auntie and cousins. It was her first time opening presents so I didn't know how she would be. We read the cards first and then enjoyed checking out the gifts. Thank you so much Uncle Zack, Auntie Rachel, Samuel, Audrey, David and Joshua.

It was a great pre birthday birthday if I do say so myself! Thanks you guys!

Instagram

2011-10-03T20:51:00.000-06:00

I have recently gotten a new ipod touch and am having lots of fun with all of apps. One that is super fun, is instagram. You can take a picture and then apply different filters to get an edited photo. Here are some of my favorites that I've taken over the last couple days. Of course most of them are of Tansley! :)

Sunday Morning

2011-09-25T15:34:00.001-06:00

It's fun to dress Tansley for Sunday mornings. I feel like it's always a good day to try something new. I have been waiting for Tansley to wear some of the cute things she's gotten when she was younger. Today's tribute is to my friend Tania. She gave Tansley this hat, a hand me down from her daughter, and this sweater and cute boots are from her as a gift to Tansley. Thanks Tania. She looked so so cute today!!

I love this one!!

Love my daddy!

10 months old!

2011-09-24T12:11:00.001-06:00

I cannot believe my baby girl is already 10 months old! Here is her growth picture with Alf!

She is getting this cheesey face when I pull the camera out.

The ninth month is flying by...

2011-09-13T12:23:00.002-06:00

I have tons of pictures of Tansley from this month to share, with no rhyme or reason. I just want to post some, so I am going to!! That's the beauty of the blog, you can do whatever you want!! So here are a bunch of pictures for you...enjoy!

I love this picture, Tansley's smile, her jammies...just too cute!

Tansley got these Sesame Street jammies from Papa, they are so soft and they fit perfectly!

Silly girl, climbing up mommy

She's growing up so fast!

I love this little munchkin so much. She is such a joy to me!!

Playdate

2011-09-12T11:37:00.001-06:00

I finally felt like our house was ready to have a playdate with the girls from my old work and their kiddos. I had invited 5 mom's and 6 kids, and they were all going to be coming, until the actual day and two mom's couldn't make it. So we ended up with 3 friends and 4 kids. By the time they were here it was a full house. So it ended up being just fine. It was fun to hang out, but it's getting a little more tricky to keep track of Tansley. She has started pulling hair and not just mine....look at this.

Tansley, Don't pull hair!

Tansley, DON'T PULL HAIR!

Bentley was just lucky he didn't have any hair to pull!

Here is my friend Jenn, and her little guy, Tiberius

Erin and her kids, plus Tansley. Tansley got tons of clothes from Erin's daughter, Kinsley.

Tiberius was trying out Tansley's hand as a little teething toy! :)

Here is Bentley and Tiberius having a little chat!

We had a fun playdate and I'm so glad that I have a house that works well for this.

Life is good

2011-09-12T11:23:00.000-06:00

Here's what we've been up to.

Tansley's first time checking out mommy's guitar

She is really getting into books. She doesn't just chomp on the pages, she actually looks at the pages and listens. It's super cute!

I love those two together!

Even Uncle Curtis gets some book time

Tansley and Abigail are going to have a fun time growing up together,

right now they are just trying to figure each other out.

Doesn't she look like such a big girl!!

My first swim

2011-09-10T12:02:00.001-06:00

We were invited to Timmie's 3rd birthday party and Tansley got to try out her first swim in a big pool!! Eric and Jana rented a hotel pool for an hour, so we had the whole pool to ourselves. It was a hit! Tanlsey had a great time in the pool, she was able to borrow a floatie and it was awesome. Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries right when we got there, so I only got a few pictures of her going in the water.

The showering before getting in the pool was different for her.

First dip

Hey Daddy, what are we doing!?

I can't wait to take Tansley swimming more often. I think she really loves the water!!

Suitcase cake

2011-08-29T16:19:00.000-06:00

I was really missing making cakes when one of my friends from my old work called me because she needed a "we'll miss you" cake!! I was excited to get back into cake making and had this cute idea to make a suitcase cake for her. So I got to it and was pretty happy with the result, except for my writing skills. I really need to work on that!

Tansley 9 months

2011-08-29T16:01:00.000-06:00

By the time I'm posting this blog, Tansley is almost 9 and a half months, but I just love these pictures of her and can't wait to put them all together for her 1st birthday!Now that we are in our house we have Alf back as a measuring stick for Tansley's growing!

My 9 month old sweetie

She's getting a little more grabby with Alf :)

Getting settled in

2011-08-28T11:58:00.000-06:00

We'll we've been in our new house now for about a month. We've been busy since we've been here, but good busy. My mom and Allan came up for a visit and helped so much with unpacking, mowing the lawn, putting up shelves and just being with us. It was a lot of fun. And then the next day my grandparents flew into town from Minnesota. They spent a week up here, having so much fun with Tansley and I even got my Grandma to make a quilt while she was here!! So, now we are getting back to our normal life. I feel like we still have a lot to do in our house, but for now we are sort of taking a breather.
We are all a little under the weather right now. Tansley has popped out her second tooth and Scott has a cold and even I'm a little sniffly. But I'm looking forward to tomorrow to Tansley's cousin, Tim's birthday. They have a pool booked for an hour so Tansley gets to have her first swim. I can't wait, I think she's really going to love the water.
Here are a few pictures of what's been going on lately. Enjoy

Love these two so much!

Ready for the day

Having a fun time swinging at Dunvegan Garden

Timmy loves Tansley

Great Grandma walked Tansley all around while I was picking raspberries

I bet that felt good on her new chomper

Grandpa was giving me a hard time on all of the pictures I was taking,
so he got this shot taken of himself!

Such a great picture

Love this smiley girl!

10 on 10

2011-08-14T22:32:00.000-06:00

I finally tried my first 10 on 10. Taking 1 picture every hour for 10 hours on the 10th day of the month. It was fun to do while my mom and Allan were here for a visit.

12 pm, we were all doing stuff on our computers

1 pm, time to get up Tansley

2 pm, Tansley is finishing her lunch and mommy is starting

3 pm, GG getting kisses from Tansley

4 pm, Having some fun with mommy

5 pm, Having a nice supper at Boston Pizza

6 pm, Even Tansley gets a little icecream from Daddy

7 pm, My mom unpacked so much and was awesome

8 pm, Checking out pictures

9 pm, Unpacked and ready to go to bed

GG and Allan's visit

2011-08-14T21:39:00.000-06:00

It all started when my mom and Allan planned to take a camping trip with their motorhome and said motorhome had other ideas. When the motorhome broke down my mom was looking for a plan B so I said, come on up here!! So, my mom and Allan packed up their car and drove up here. We had a great 5 days with them, they did so much to help us unpack and get settled in our new place. Allan mowed our lawn twice in 5 days, my mom inspired some creativity and helped me so much getting things set up in the kitchen, dining room and bathroom. We also had tons of fun with Tansley, had some supper with Wayne and Dorothy, and even had Arlen and Tanya's family over to our place last night!!

GG had a lot of chances to feed Tansley

Our first meal in the dining room

I just can't get enough of this girl!

Grandpa Allan having some quality time

Tansley is getting lots of love

I love this picture of Tansley and her Daddy

Tansley is getting her first tooth (bottom right to us, left to her!)

Story time with GG

Having fun with her cousins, Alyssa, Abigail and Jordan.

The past few months

2011-07-28T22:04:00.000-06:00

Scott and I have been able to live with Mom and Dad Brown for the last 3 months. It's been amazing to be able to be here and work on our new house with out having to live there and work on it at the same time. It's also been really nice to be here, to see Tansley grow with her Nana and Papa around to see all of the fun milestones. We are excited to be in our new place, but will miss the time that we've had here with Wayne and Dorothy. They are such amazing people, as parents, grandparents, as a couple, as friends, as mom and dad in laws. Here are some memories from our time here!

This picture was taken on June 3rd. Nice summer hey!?

It took Jasper a little time to get comfortable here, but I think as you can see, he has found his comfort zone!

These beautiful flowers are from Dad B's backyard. He grows beauties and put them together like a pro!

Poor Jasper gets taunted most nights from his "sister" cat. We think it's the neighbors cat, but she looks just like Jasper. There have been many times where I do a double take thinking Jasper is outside.

This was actually our first day at the house. Tansley has grown so much!

Papa and Tansley having a swing out on the new deck.

Nana and Papa have lots of visitors...they are such great Grandparents.

We got to surprise Papa for his 65th birthday. The kids love to help blow out the candles.

First time in the jolly jumper

Dawson is good at sharing toys with Tansley

Tansley got to try out the swing at the park for the first time

Daddy and Tansley had lots of opportunities to practice piano

Tansley learned how to sit during our time here

So many firsts for Tansley, and us here. Thank you Mom and Dad B. for opening your home to us. Making us feel like it was our home too. You are amazing and we love you so much!!

Friends

2011-07-28T21:16:00.000-06:00

It's gonna be so fun to be in Sexsmith. I feel like I am gaining more and more friends and even Tansley is getting to hang out with her new buddy. Janna and I went for a walk a few nights ago and she brought her daughter, Libby. These are probably the cutest pictures ever! :)

These girls are about a month and a half apart in age. How fun that they will be able to grow with each other!

The house is almost ready!

2011-07-25T11:38:00.001-06:00

So last week we finally got our new carpet installed in our house. The painting is done, that darn railing is painted, the kitchen cupboards are up and I'd even hung some curtains. We were just waiting for our carpet...and we are happy to announce that it's in and it's awesome. I really love the stuff that we picked, it's super soft, great for learning to crawl, the color is flecked, so there are a few different colors in the rug that match our walls and home very nicely! I know, I know, you want pictures. So here you go!

It's fun to have it so open and nothing in the way right now, Tansley can roll wherever she wants.

The white railing, though a super pain to paint, looks pretty good with our new carpet!!

My handyman putting on the new hardware on the fresh, newly painted cupboards

A bit of the finished product!!

The kitchen with the newly painted cupboards and even a glimpse of our new, not uncovered yet, fridge!

Here is the master bedroom with everything but the trim

And here are a few before pictures so you can have an idea of what has gone on for the last 3 months!

We are planning on moving into our new/old pad on Saturday!! It's so exciting, but also realistically a lot more work! But someday we'll be done and will be able to put our feet up in our new home!

It's been awhile

2011-07-25T11:18:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything and now my baby girl is 8 months old! Wow. She's changing a lot too, sitting up like a pro, she's starting to rock on her hands and knees, which I know will soon turn into crawling! Her hair is coming in a little more, she's started eating cheerios and a little yogurt too. Tansley sure keeps us smiling with her fun moods and smiles all around!

Tansley was a little sick on her actual 8 month birthday

Feeling much better and getting her picture taken for her 8 month growth

Look at those adorable, smiling eyes. Love this little girl!!

Oh Canada

2011-07-03T21:56:00.000-06:00

It's fun that every new holiday is a first for Tansley. She had her first Canada Day which included a parade where she actually got quite a bit of candy. I'm not sure why peope would see a baby and think to give her candy! :)
Tansley actually had a little fever, a side effect from her 6 month shot, but she was a trooper. Here are a few pictures from our day.

7 Months and So Cute!!

2011-06-24T12:43:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe that my baby girl is already 7 months old!! I feel like time is going so fast, but it's good too. Tansley is becoming quite the little munchkin. She is sitting up like a champ, finding her voice which is so cute, but becoming louder and louder each day. (it's not that loud...I've heard way louder!) She loves people and any attention she gets is usually met with a big smile. Tansley is sleeping anywhere from 6-9 hours a night before her feeding and then 3-6 more hours until I go in there at 9am. It's a pretty good schedule for me, but I think it will be cool when she sleeps all night with no feeding. I know that might make for earlier mornings, but that's ok!

I am loving being a mom, and being Tansley's mom!

Here's my sweetie in her 7 month growth picture.

Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:34:00.000-06:00

Scott and Tansley both had their first Father's Day today. Daddy got Tansley up today and then she gave him his Father's day card. It was so cute, it said something along the lines of, "this is your first Father's Day and it's mine too, I'm working on my cooing so that I can say that I love you." There was more to it, but how sweet is that. Tansley is such a good daughter, giving her dad such a nice card. :)
Scott is such a great dad to Tansley and she loves him so much. It's so fun for me to watch them together. He thinks of fun ways to play with her and her face lights up! They love playing the piano together and it's super cute!!

Aren't those two super cute. What an awesome family I have!!

I wanted to get some family pictures today so we could have a more up to date shot. We did a few on our own with the timer and then we had Geoff take a few at church with Lexie making Tansley smile! Here is a great one we got at church.

I'm calling this our new family picture

What a silly little girl!

And here is one that we tried to do on our own

The New House

2011-06-05T22:02:00.000-06:00

Scott and I have bought a new (to us) house in Sexsmith, AB. We are excited because that is where our church is and a lot of Scott's family with kids are in the town as well. It's a bedroom community, meaning there aren't any chain restaurants or big stores, it's mostly just a town made up of homes. So, we bought this house, it's about 30 years old, split level, finished basement and in pretty good shape structurally. It was in need of some updating, paint/carpet stuff like that. That is what I have been doing for the last 3 weeks. Tansley and I go out to the house and while Tansley naps downstairs I paint upstairs. We are getting close to being able to move in, the upstairs is 85% painted. We are getting our new appliances this Friday and carpet will be coming soon. It's an exciting time, but I'm also getting worn out. I had a mini melt down on Saturday, my patience level was pretty low and I was getting frustrated while painting a closet!! But I took Sunday off and will be getting back to work on Monday, I'm liking the progress. You can see some of the work below.

Here is the entry way before

Here is the entry way in progress. The hallway is now painted, new light, new thermometer. I am going to get started on painting the railing white this week!

The kitchen before...love all of the cupboard space

The new wall color and lights and the cupboards are in progress of being painted white

I love this new light. I've never had anything like this before and it's so fun!

The dining room before

The living room before

The living room is painted and waiting for new carpet

Here is the dining room painted. You can't really tell, but the window wall and back wall are different shades of brown. I thought it would be more dramatic that this, but I like it.

Tansley's room before

I choose this sweet yellow. It's called Under the Sun. How cute :)

Here is the light that was left in her room. We are totally keeping it...it's perfect

The bathroom before. (not sure what that little niche is for!)

You can see the difference in paint color in this picture. I stopped by the shower because we are going to tear that out and I am going to tile the shower walls. Wish me luck!

So there is a little peek at our new place. I'll post more when we get everything done!

Hanging Out With the Grice Cousins

2011-05-30T22:25:00.000-06:00

Tansley and I got to spend just about a week over at Zack and Rachel's house. It was fun for the kids to get some quality time with Tansley and I. Although when Rachel picked us up in Centrailia and drove us down to Vancouver, Tansley cried almost the whole way there. She is not used to other kids, and louder noises. :) I wasn't sure how the week would go after that little episode, but I am happy to report that it was a great week. Tansley and I got in the grove and had a blast with the kiddos and spending time with Zack and Rachel. My mom and Allan also made a trip over to spend a few days with us as well. All in all it was a great success.

Samuel and Audrey, what a pair!

David and Tansley having some tummy time!

Samuel and Audrey drew themselves

It's a cousin sandwich

Samuel took this picture of us

Tansley and Grandpa Allan

GG and Audrey are ready to go to Ester Park

Samuel was learning all sorts of new tricks

Even Joshua was getting in on the hanging!

One sleepy little girl

I love catching Zack and Rachel together

Tansley became a tummy sleeper on this trip. This was the second time she fell asleep in the middle of everything going on. She's so adorable!

Can't get enough of story time

A great picture with all of GG's grandkids

My little smiler!

More stories and this time it's Star Wars

Thanks for the great visit Grice's. I can't wait for your trip up here!!

Tansley the amazing traveler!

2011-05-25T16:11:00.001-06:00

Tansley and I got the chance to take a 10 day trip down to WA to visit family. I was kind of worried about traveling with Tansley all by myself, but I have to say...I had nothing to worry about. Tansley was a complete dream. We flew down to Edmonton and then onto Abbotsford, and Tansley just hung out, slept and smiled at everyone. My dad and Sally picked us up in Abbotsford and we spent 3 days hanging out with them. It was so fun to see my dad and Sally interacting with Tansley. They made Tansley smile, Tansle made them smile and it all made me smile!!

Here's Tansley in her new shades, hanging out on Grandpa's lap

We had a beautiful day for pictures in their yard

I also had a chance to hang out with my best friend Tania and her kiddos. Cayden is just a few weeks younger than Tansley...I think they like each other! :)

I didn't get any pictures while we were traveling, but she was sure a champ!! And we had a blast visiting with friends and family. All in all it was a complete success.

2011-05-06T15:36:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to share with you that I may be the luckiest person in the world. :) It's just about to be my first mother's day and I am thrilled to be a mom, to have an amazing husband and a wonderful family that surrounds us.
Tansley is such a happy baby, I love her so much. Her smile, her cute sounds, her good sleeping, her cute little hands and feet, her hair that is starting to grow, her beautiful blue eyes, I just can't get enough of her! Just thinking about her makes me smile.

Look at that adorable smile!

Cuddling with my sweetie while she found her thumb

Look at those cute little hands

Practicing piano with Daddy

What a little munchkin

Happy even on the changing table...got those toes!

Tansley's 5 Month Shot

2011-05-06T14:59:00.000-06:00

Well, it's a little late, but here is Tansley's 5 month growth picture. Now, don't be sad, but I don't have Alf right now because he is packed in a box. But I think this picture may be the cutest yet!!

Well Hello Blue Eyes!

2011-04-25T10:15:00.000-06:00

So much going on!

2011-04-22T18:16:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but a lot has happened in the last few weeks. First of all, we sold our house, bought another house in Sexsmith, packed up our house and moved in with Mom and Dad Brown until we can do some work on the house that we bought. It's awesome that we can stay here as long as we need to, so that we can get new carpet, paint and a few other little things on our new house. The only bummer is that we have to move twice. But you do what you gotta do right!?

Also, Tansley is now 5 months old. My little baby is growing up!! She is getting stronger and stronger, she's hanging out in the excersaucer and loving it. She's rolling over from back to tummy and tummy to back! I'm trying to get a video of it, but haven't had the camera at the right times. Tansley is finding her cute little voice, telling us lots of stories. She is just so cute!!

She really likes to stand and is getting so strong!

So glad we tried the excersaucer...she loves it!

And everything is going in the mouth

Do We Look Alike?

2011-04-07T21:46:00.000-06:00

When I look at Tansley there are a few angles where I think, "I remember when I looked like that!" Just kidding, but I have seen a few of my baby pictures where I think we look alike.

This is one of them...this is me at 4 months.

This is Tansley at 4 months.

We're not a spitten image or anything, but I see a resemblance. Our head shape is definitley different, but there is something about the nose and cheek bones that are similar. What do you think?

The Fourth Month is Flying By

2011-04-07T16:02:00.000-06:00

I can't believe in just under two weeks Tansley will be 5 months old! A lot has been happening since she turned 4 months on March 19th. We have sold our house, are trying to pack it up and find a new place to call home. In the midst of packing and house hunting Tansley is starting to sleep more like 7-8 hours a night for her first stretch and then another 3-5 hours after that. So that's pretty awesome. Just in the last week or so she is starting to reach up and grab at her toys when she is on her playmat. It's so fun to see the learning and the progress. Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks!

Our first walk outside. Scott's first time using the snuggli and Tansley's first time out in the elements of the Great White North!

Daddy and Tansley love to dance around. This always puts Tansley in a good mood!

Sweet girl hanging out in the bumbo chair

"What mom!?!"

It's fun when your own hand can be entertaining!

Life

2011-03-27T22:55:00.000-06:00

We are getting into the swing of things around here. Life with Tansley is pretty great, if I do say so myself. She is a good girl, happy for the most part. Scott is an awesome dad and Tansley loves him so much. I love the way she looks at him, it makes my heart smile!

I have recently purchased this baby sling, hoping to take this on my upcoming trip to WA. It's pretty cool so far, there are lots of different holds I can do, but this kangaroo hold is the best one for now. I'm looking forward to Tansley getting stronger so I can use this when I have her on my hip. Anyway, it's nice for me to have her close and have my hands free to do what I need to do!

Scott is so good with Tansley, I feel so blessed to have such an amazing husband that even though this is all new, he's good at it!

See how she looks at him!! So sweet.

My two favorite people...I love you both so much!

Tummy time

2011-03-27T22:43:00.000-06:00

I've been having Tansley do more tummy time lately now that her little neck is getting stronger. I had her on her tummy one morning and had the camera out, snapping some picture, taking a few videos, and on the last video she was laying there, getting kind of antsy and all of a sudden she rolled over. She had no idea what had just happened, but it was fun to get it on camera. I wish I could put it on here, but I never seem to have luck with videos on this blog. But here are a few pictures of tummy time.

She always has tummy time on the quilt that her Great Grandma made her. It's awesome because it's so colorful, she likes to look at all of the beautiful, fun colors.

Our baby girl is 4 months

2011-03-27T22:28:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's been 4 months since Tansley came into our lives. We are getting into a routine around here. She's starting to sleep for longer stretches at night, which is nice. Here is her monthly picture with Alf. She's getting bigger and bigger and still super cute!!

I've Been a Little Preoccupied Lately

2011-03-15T10:52:00.000-06:00

So, I'm probably really late in this revelation, but I've recently found the Pioneer Woman's blog. I know she's been around for a long time, but I've never really gotten into it until now. I've been looking around her site for the last week, reading her love story of how she met and married her husband, Marborol Man, checking out her recipes and her helpful posts about photography. If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out. http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ She's smart and funny, a regular woman that lives on a ranch, has 4 kids, and is getting pretty well known with this site and a few books that she's written.

Other than that, Tansley has her first cold. It's so sad, although she's in pretty good spirits. I've been having her sleep a lot, longer naps and she's sleeping 7+ hours at night instead of 5. Her little nose is running and she has a little cough, that if I knew she wasn't kind of miserable would be pretty darn cute.

My sis in law, Lexie let us borrow her bumbo chair now that her boys don't need it anymore. It's pretty cool and I think Tansley likes sitting up in it. It kind of make me laugh because she looks so cute in it, especially from behind.

Here is what she looks like from the front!

The only problem with the bumbo chair so far is that she doesn't fit in it well when she has her cloth diapers on. They are higher up on her torso, so she has a hard time bending to sit up straight!!

But we still like the chair and thanks Lexie for letting us borrow it!

Cloth Diapers

2011-03-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

I have gotten a few new cloth diapers lately now that Tansley is finally growing out of her extra smalls!

I sent this picture into the website where I bought the diapers (http://www.dapadiapers.com/) to be entered in to win a $20 gift certificate to their site. I would love to win. They sell seconds, which are the diapers that are discontinued so they are way cheaper.

I got this diaper cover at a diaper service here in Grande Prairie (http://www.diapersnaturally.net/) It's actually just down the street from where I live. The diapers are brand new, but are kind of expensive so I only get a few. I like these covers that go right over my prefolds that Rachel gave me. I do the newspaper fold (fold it in thirds) and lay it right down the middle of the diaper cover. I like that because it's super easy and there are more layers and I haven't had a leak yet!

I am enjoying using cloth diapers, although when we were on vacation and using disposables I thought of how easy it is just to toss out the dirty diapers. But I really don't mind washing them every other day or so and I like the idea that I'm doing a little bit to help the environment and to help my baby's bottom!

I Just Can't Resist

2011-03-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

Now that Tansley is in our lives I have so much more to blog about. She's so much fun to take pictures of and what better to do with my pictures than share them with you.

Today I put her in her homemade sweater, courtsey of Heidi Fehr. Tansley is finally big enough to fill out the amazing sweater that Heidi made. Oh and there is a matching toque that is too cute for words! It's also really nice to have the sweater fit Tanz now because it's so cold in our basement that I have to bundle her up to go hang out down there!!

Isn't she just so cute sitting like a big girl in her high chair.

And I can't forget about the back of the sweater. I just love that Heidi put a flower back there, I love those kind of details!

And this picture just makes me laugh.

Tansley is such a sweet smiler. I love her little dimple and the way that her eyes light up.

I have been waiting for Tansley to get big enough to wear this onesie. I think it's pretty funny. She likes it too, you can tell right!? :)

Happy Birthday Tania

2011-03-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

My best friend Tania is turning 32 today so I wanted to do a little post in her honor. We have been best friends for 20 years....is that right!!? We met when we were 12 so I guess it's right! We have been through so much together, making it through middle school and high school and even college. We were roommates in college, but knew there was a point where we needed to branch out a little. I love that in our friendship we could realize that we needed some space and were ok with that. Tania and I have a great time together, we've laughed so hard we couldn't breath, we spent nights sleeping over at each other's houses, staying up late eating cookie dough and talking about boys. I remember one time we even slept in until 1pm...we both couldn't believe it. Now as we are adults and living 16 hours away from each other we don't get to spend as much time together, but the time we do have is like we never left. I love that I had my first baby and Tania had her 2nd just weeks apart from each other. It was so fun being pregnant together and now having baby's together.

Tania I am so impressed with your life. You amaze me with your signing and I love that you found something that you love and are so good at. You are an amazing mom, Paytyn is such a good girl and so cute. Cayden will love having her as a big sister! You inspire me with all of the races that you run, and I love that you and Paytyn make t-shirts to go along with your races. You are so creative and fun!

You're a wonderful friend and I love being in your life! Happy Birthday!!

3 Months and Counting

2011-02-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

Tansley is getting so big and so cute. Sometimes I just look at her and think, you are so cute! I haven't had a check up with her since her 2 month shots, so I'm not sure how much she is weighing these days. I may just go into the Health Center and weigh her one of these days. But here is her growth picture with Alf!

She is such a great smiler now...I love it so much!

Nephews, nieces and cousins

2011-02-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

It was so great to have some quality hang out time with the Grice kids. I hadn't even met Joshua in person yet and he's 1. It was so great to get to know each of the kids better. I hope I can get down to WA more often to see them, to see as they grow into amazing young people. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Tansley's cousins!

Samuel liked to make this face when I had my camera out!

I had so much fun getting to know Audrey. I can't wait until her and Rachel come visit us up here in Canada.

David wasn't even walking the last time I saw him, and now he's such a sweet little guy, chatting with everyone. He made me laugh so much, his voice is so cute and the things he says are so funny!

Joshua is a busy little guy. We had to be aware whenever he was on the loose. He so cute!

The kids play so well together, and their imaginations are so great!

Audrey loved holding Tansley. How cute are the girl cousins!!

David loved coloring in his new Star Wars coloring book that Uncle Scott found him.

I loved it when Samuel would sit and talk to me. He's such a funny kid and totally has a sense of humor.

Grandpa Grice is giving Joshua the claw! :)

Best Friends

2011-02-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

Tania and I have been best friends since 6th grade and now we have kids that are just a few weeks apart. It's Tania's second child and my first, but we are pretty sure that they are going to get married in 25 years so we can be in laws!

Cayden and Tansley already have lots to talk about!

Ok, so maybe Cayden isn't as smitten as Tansley! hee hee Tansley is sporting Scott's favorite onesie by the way!

Tansley's first trip

2011-02-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

The Brown family got to spend a week down in Washington visiting my family and friends. It was Tansley's first trip to the states, her first airplane ride and her first time meeting her cousins Samuel, Audrey, David and Joshua...oh and her Uncle Zack and Auntie Rachel. It was so good to see everyone. The Grice kids were all together at my mom's house and that was so great. Emily was on her break from teaching in Korea and Zack was able to get a few days off from flying to join us as well. Tansley got lots of cuddles and loving while we were in Washington and I know she misses it! Here are some pictures from our time down south.

Grandpa had no problem cuddling a sleepy Tansley

GG read Tansley her first book, a present from Zack and Rachel and family

She even had some quality conversations with Daddy

GG can't resist kissing that sweet girl

Neither can her cousin Audrey

Audrey loved holding Tansley, she had lots of ideas of how she should hold her so we could take pictures of them.

Her smiles are coming quite easily now. So cute!

The girl cousins on the Grice side

Auntie Rachel was having a hard time concetrating on the book with Tansley's smiles aimed at her

Grandma Sally had her fair shares of sweet cuddles too!

I hope we are able to travel down that way often, to keep connected to my family while Tansley grows. It was so much fun, I love and miss you all.

Such a sweetheart

2011-02-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

Tansley has been giving out the smiles left and right these days and let me just say....ADORABLE!! Scott and I were playing chess the other night and she was just smiling away...so I grabbed my camera hoping to catch some and boy did I! She is going to be a great little model for my photography I just know it!

She has such nice skin and those eyes are becoming more beautiful each day!

This is my new favorite!!

Scrapbooking

2011-02-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of digital scrapbooking lately. I'm making pages to go in a book for Tansley. I've started at her birth so we can remember what a crazy, amazing, emotional, wonderful time that was. Here are the pages I've made so far.

I never really got into traditional scrapbooking, but I'm loving this digital stuff. I can print these pages at costco and they look so nice. I would recomend it to anyone, it's creative memories.

One evening

2011-02-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Scott got home from work tonight and Tansley was in such a good mood. I had my camera out taking pictures of our house for our ad online as we are trying to sell. Buy anyway, our little sweetheart is smiling and cooing more and more and it's so cute! My friend Heather has lent me a baby wrap and I have been using it a bunch during the day. It's nice because it's comfy, Tansley likes to fall alseep in it and I can be hands free. Even as I'm writing this, she is sleeping in it on me. I do love these times!

Daddy and Tansley are reading about how we can get some tax money for Tansley joining our family!

Here is the sling that she is sleeping in right now. It's amazing what you can do with a piece of fabric!

Tansley is starting to enjoy her playmat that she was passed down from her cousins in Washington.

What a beautiful little face!

We feel so special

2011-01-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last week Tansley and I were blessed to have two baby showers. One from the girls at my old work and one from our church. It was fun to see my friends that I used to work with and to show Tansley off. And our church shower was awesome. So many ladies came out to support us and shower us with such cute clothes. Seriously, Tansley is and will continue to be one stylin kid for a long time! Scott and I feel so fortunate and blessed with all of the things we have received for Tansley.

Look at all of this stuff!! We got two awesome learning toys that I really like. I would've have gotten them at some point and now I don't have to! I put the clothes in piles of sizes. We are pretty much set until Tansley is 2 or 3! Wow!

Can't resist a few of the super cute footware that we got. Those little pink puppy slippers fit her now and are so very cute!!

Thank you to everyone who celebrated Tansley's new life with us. We love all of her loot, but we love even more those of you who are in our lives!!

Growth update

2011-01-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

Tansley's 2 month old date went by and I kept forgetting to take her growth picture. So a few days later I finally sat her next to Alf and snapped her picture! This is take one, taken quickly before we went out for the morning. And take two is later in the day when she was a little bit more calm!

So it looks like she is going to be bigger than Alf soon!

Here are a few pictures I've taken the last week or so. My daughter sure is cute!!

Look at those chubby cheeks. You would never know that she was only 5 pounds not that long ago!!

Ah, I love to capture her cute little smile. And double chin to match!!

Just hanging out on her playmat wearing her new shirt that I got from a gift card from one of my amazing baby showers. We were so blessed, I think I'll post another one showing you what we got!!

2 months

2011-01-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Tansley has been with us for 2 months now. The time is going by quickly, and yet it also seems like she's just been here. I love, love being a mom. I love my little girl and feel so blessed to be able to experience this wonderful gift. Tansley is definitely growing, she is now up to 9lbs 12oz, with her clothes on, and she is 20.5 inches long. Compared to when she was born at 4lbs 14oz and 16.5 inches long! We went to the health center today for Tansley's 2 month shots. I was not looking forward to it, I was worried I was going to cry! :) We got there and as Tansley woke up from her sleep in the car, she was so happy and smiley and I was just thinking...you have no idea what's coming next! But we made it through. There were tears...just Tansley, mommy did just fine! I'm glad it's over, but know we have to go back in two months! NOOOO! hee hee, just kidding.

I took a few pictures of Tansley yesterday and today, she is so cute I can't stand it!

This is my new favorite picture of Tansley. She looks so happy!!

Read the onesie...it really says it all!

See what I mean!

You can see she is filling out and working her cloth diapers! A few more weeks and I bet she'll be in the next size up! She also has a hernia, that's why her belly button is so big. It's supposed to heal itself and not really bother her. I'll be happy when it's healed and back to normal.

My baby doll

2011-01-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

My friend, Heidi from church is an amazing crocheter and I have been waiting and waiting for my baby shower because I know she is making Tansley a toque. I realized the other day that Tansley doesn't really have any warm clothes so I asked Heidi to make her a sweater. She matched it to her new toque and I picked them up on Friday. They are so adorable!! Tansley wore them to church on Sunday and I thought I would dress her up in her first dress and baby leg socks. When I was dressing her I was chuckling because she is so so cute!! I didn't get a picture of the sweater, that will come later, but I got some pretty cute pictures of Tansley in her new toque and dress. She really does look like a baby doll!

So big

2011-01-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

We went to the Dr. yesterday for my 6 week check up. It was kind of a gong show. We waited for the Dr. for over an hour and when you get there, they weighed Tansley in her diaper and said we should keep her like that so the Dr. can check her. So here we are sitting in the waiting room, wrapped in a blanket, getting hungry....you can imagine I'm sure. Anyway, the whole point of this post is to let you know how much Tansley is growing. She is up to 8lbs 8oz! I often wonder if she's getting enough food, but obviously she's getting what she needs.

Look at those chubby cheeks!

Happiness

2011-01-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

Tansley has been sleeping most of the day today, so I had a chance to make this.

First Smiles

2011-01-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Tansley just turned 7 weeks old yesterday and she smiled at me for the first time!! It was so awesome. Then the next day I had the camera out and guess what....she smiled again! I can't wait until this becomes an everyday occurance, but for now it's such a joy to capture each one.

Tansley's growing!

2011-01-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted and since then Tansley has been growing and growing. She came out of the womb at 4lbs 14oz, then was up to 5lbs 13oz when she was 4 weeks old, then at 5 weeks she shot up to 6lbs 7oz, and finally at her 6 week weigh in she was all the way up to 7lbs 6oz. Normally you wouldn't get your baby weighed every week, but since Tansley was so small to start with we wanted to make sure that she was gaining weight. And as you can see....she totally is! She is starting to get chubby cheeks and everything. Such a cutie! You wanna see!?!

Here is Tansley at 6 weeks and 1 day old. She's almost as big as Alf!!

This is the new play mat that my mom got her for Christmas. It's great for tummy time.

My grandma made Tansley this amazing quilt. We got it in the mail a few weeks ago and I love it!! It's so bright and fun and the back is this super soft fabric that I'm so glad she chose! Thanks grandma.

That looks like it's the start of a smile. We have been waiting and trying to get a smile out of our little girl, but so far I don't think it's happened. Besides just gas! Can't wait for that milestone!

Before and After

2010-12-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

I like these pictures that I have been taking with sort of a before and after theme. Since Tansley was early and I have been taking pregnancy pictures every couple weeks I took my 39 week picture. Here it is.

Mom Brown gave us this super cute onesie at my shower and today Tansley wore it!

Just a side note, I love putting Tansley in tiny pants. I only have like 3 pairs that actually fit at this point, but I love them!! Don't get me wrong, sleepers are super cute too, but there is something about an "outfit" that I really enjoy.

Photoshoots and Christmas fun

2010-12-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to take some pictures with Tansley and Scott for awhile now and I finally got it together to take a few last night. Tansley wasn't really in the mood, so we just did a few, but the few we got were pretty good. I also just took some more of my sweet girl, so I'll add a few of those too.

You may or may not know that I have been working and playing with Creative Memories digital scrapbooking for the past few months. I never really got into traditional scrapbooking with paper and all of that, but this digital stuff is definitely for me. I always enjoy doing "creative" things on the computer. The cards from my post before this are some examples. Now that I'm taking lots of pictures of Tansley, I have more to work with for my scrapbooking pages. Here is one that I made for Christmas...it's pretty cute.

Here's another family shot that I really like. I don't know how we got Tansley to look at the camera, I guess she's just knows how to work it!

And here are some more photoshoot pics!

I love these pictures where she is actually looking at the little racoon. We bought that racoon at the hospital the day we left with her. I think it's cute, but it's also kind of sentimental to Scott and I. When we were dating we were sitting on my mom's deck and we saw a racoon walk by. For some reason Scott really enjoyed that and always remembered it. So I thought it would be cute to get a little racoon for our little sweetie!

I just love this one, it looks like she's talking to the little guy.

I love this idea, but it would be better if she could hold her head up a little better. I may try this pose again sometime!

Tansley needed a little soothing before the photoshoot. What a good dad, getting her all settled down.

Love this picture too! One of my friends posted a comment on facebook saying, "all because two people fell in love." I thought that was a good caption for this shot!

Can't resist these bare buns. Could they be any cuter?!! And how bout that good looking guy!

Held in the strong arms of her daddy, who will always care and protect his little girl. So sweet!

I love most of these pictures, but I think these last few are my favorite. Look at her small head, so precious.

Our Early Christmas Gift

2010-12-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

I put Tansley in her Christmas sleeper and snapped a few pics. She's our little Christmas gift! She fills my heart with so much joy, I just look at her and smile. Sure there are times when she's crying and I have no idea why, which is really few and far between. But I love her so much. I've heard people talk about this kind of love and I am so glad to be experiencing it! Tansley Jeanette Brown, my daughter, you fill my life with joy!

I wanted to add these last two pictures because they crack me up. I found her sleeping with her arm just sort of dangling in the air. She's so darn cute!! Plus this is the hat that I made before she was born with a kit that Sally gave me. As you can see, it's a little big!

Tansley's Growth

2010-12-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

I've stolen this idea from my sister in laws, they have taken a picture of their baby every month with the same stuffed animal or object. It's fun to see the growth and the changes that each month brings. I'm starting at kind of a weird time, I wish I would have started when Tansley was brand new, but here she is at 3 weeks and 3 days old. She has almost gained a pound since she was born and I can see her cheeks starting to fill out!

Christmas Cards and Baby Announcements

2010-12-15T21:34:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I should share this because most likely if you are reading this you will probably be receiving one or more of these in the mail. But I really like these and really want to share!!

I've been working with my creative memories software to create a few baby announcements for Tansley and then I got into it to make our family Christmas card. So against my better judgement, here you go, a preview of my projects!

So there you have it. I really like all of these and am excited to go pick up my prints at Costco tomorrow!!

Week 2

2010-12-10T00:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Friday, Tansley will be 3 weeks old. And now we've been home for 2 weeks. We are doing pretty well at home. We've been out and about probably 4 or 5 times. I keep thinking that one of these times I'm going to forget that I have a baby and that I'm going to forget her. (I'm pretty sure I won't actually do that, but it does cross my mind at times!)

We are getting into the groove of feeding and sleeping, which is mostly what Tansley does. I have to wake her up to feed most of the time, so I set an alarm at night to make sure she eats every 3-4 hours. I'm getting used to sleeping for a few hours, but it's pretty hard to get up. Even when I take a nap during the day I have to set an alarm and it's so hard to wake back up again. I don't know when this will happen, but I'm looking forward to the time when she can just sleep at night and not have to eat every 4 hours.

I'm excited to report that after our last weight check in at the clinic, Tansley had gained 4oz. So she's up to 5 lbs 4 oz now and seeming to be on the right track. Breast feeding is getting much easier, though sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes for her to latch on properly and even longer to stay awake! But it's all coming together. We will have our next weight check on Tuesday so we'll see if she is still gaining weight. I would say she is just by looking at her. I know moms say this all the time, but it really does go fast. Even though Tansley is only 3 weeks old, her looks are already changing.

It's almost time to go feed again, but I wanted to leave you with a few pictures that I've taken over the past few days. I did a mini photoshoot and here are a few of my favorites!!

I'm hoping to do some family shots this weekend. But these first few are pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself!

Home

2010-12-01T18:38:00.002-07:00

After 7 days in the hospital it was finally time for us to go home. We stayed a little longer in the NICU because I am breast feeding and the nurses wanted to make sure we would be good when we went home. Tansley had to sit in her carseat for 90 minutes before we could head out. She passed her car seat test and we were free to go.

Here we are walking out the doors of the NICU the last time!

Our little girl in her big carseat! We had to add extra blankets so she was super secure.

We were all pretty tired when we got home. Gigi wanted to get as much time as possible with her little granddaughter. It was so great to have her here, my mom was such a wonderful help making us suppers, cleaning up, pretty much doing whatever we needed.

Her first time in her crib. She looks so small in there.

This giraffe is a music box and it's the little toy that I had in my incubator when I was a premie baby! It still works. :)

Tansley is smaller than a cabbage patch kid. Here we are at the Grey Cup party. Our first time out and about. We did just fine!

And finally, the three youngest Brown grandkids. Abigail on the right is just about year old, Kenton is just about 3 months old and our little Tansley is just 9 days old!

We are doing well at home. My mom headed home this morning so Tansley and I had our first day home alone. We had a good time...I think I need to go lay down to close my eyes for a little while.

Welcome to our world

2010-11-29T20:53:00.001-07:00

What a whirlwind of a week, of a birth, of so many new things. Let me just tell you what happened.

I went to my 37 week Dr. apt on Tues and my Dr. said that things look good, but I was kind of worried because I hadn't felt all that much movement in there. So she said, just go to the hospital and get a non stress test today just to make sure things are good. So I headed over, got hooked up to a monitor for the baby's heartbeat and sat there for awhile. It wasn't that successfull of a test, so I they said I should come back the next day. So I did. Things seemed to be better, the heart was beating strong and she was moving around a bit. I was scheduled for an ultra sound on Thursday at 1pm to check that she was growing alright and such. I went and did that and they said I should go to the hospital and talk with my Dr. So I did. When I got to the hospital they told me I was being admitted. I said, "what does that mean?" They said, you are going to be staying here now. I felt like I had no idea what was going on, like was I just being monitored until further notice? Finally a nurse came in and said you are going to be here until you have a baby!! So there you have it, I'm 37 weeks plus 1 day pregnant and I'm having a baby in the near future!

My Dr. finished her shift at the clinic and came to the hospital a few hours later, as I was hooked up to the heart monitor for the baby again, they were keeping an eye on things, she took a look at the progress and didn't really like some of the activity. Tansley's heartbeat was dipping down to a place that they didn't like. So my Dr. decided to induce me so we could see how Tansley did during contractions. So I got the joy of experiencing some of that...time was kind of a blur, so I'm not sure how long that lasted. They checked to see if I was dialated at all and I ended up being 2cm. Some time later, again the blur, the Dr. decided to confir with the other on call Dr. at the hospital. They decided that due to the baby's heartbeat dipping, and me not moving along very quickly in the dialation department, C-section started sounding like a good option for us. Now I was fine with either way the baby wanted to come out. I wasn't looking forward so much to pushing her out, but I hadn't really thought much about C-section. So when they started throwing that out there I started to get super shakey. Like big shakes that could not be stopped. I tried to breathe deep, relax and such, but nothing helped.

Finally after awhile, C-section became the way we were going to go. There was someone in the operating room when we decided this, so we had to wait a bit to get in there. Then it was our turn. As they were rolling my bed into the operating room the shakes didn't stop. It was so weird, I couldn't stop it, as much as I wanted to.

I got up on the table, the antist....(the guy who numbs you) gave me my shot and my legs started to get warm and tingly. And then I couldn't really move them. I could feel people touching me, but that was it. A nurse said she was going to apply some disinfectant or something to my stomach and then what seemed like 3 minutes later I heard a little cry. I was thinking, well, that was fast. I thought I just laid there quietly the whole time, but later Scott told me that I was talking, telling him to do stuff. He said the shot guy was joking about us wanting a boy right? And I said, ah you're such a funny guy! I don't remember any of this stuff!! So weird.

That's the story of how Tansley came out into the world 3 weeks early and teeny tiny. She weighed 4 lbs. 14 oz. and was 16.5 in. long. She's a cute little button!

Anyway, here are some pictures of our crazy adventure.

Our first family picture!

So tiny, and so perfect!!

These are the newborn swaddler diapers. As you can see they are a little big!!

The nurse was super nice and grabbed the camera to take some pics of Tansley and her proud daddy.

I couldn't feel my legs, but I wanted to hold my little girl.

Because Tansley was so small and her sugar levels were a little low, she ended up in the NICU. I wasn't sure what that meant, but they hooked her up to an IV and monitors. Here's what she looked like in there.

Tansley was a bit jaundice, so she got to hang out in the "tanning" bed for 2 days. Scott got a good chuckle out of her sweet eyewear. We even got to take them home!

Working on a burp! Tansley had to have all of these wires on so it was a little tricky manuvering her at times. It's so nice being home, there are no wires to deal with!

So, we ended up being in the hospital for a week and a day. It was a pretty emotional time for me, all the unknowns, all the hormones, having my baby hooked up to all these wires and not being able to take her with me. I had about a dozen melt downs, while I was in the hospital. I felt so emotional. I know many people go through so much more than I was going through but I couldn't help it. So I cried it out whenever I had to.

As much as I wanted to go home, I think being in the hospital for a week was a blessing. I would go to the NICU to feed Tansley and then back to my room to sleep. I would spend time in the NICU cuddling with Tansley and watching how the nurses took care of her. How they burped her, how they got her to feed better, I feel like I learned a lot. The nurses in the NICU were awesome. We had to stay in there a little longer because I wanted to breast feed and we needed to work on that a little longer. I think if I decided to bottle feed we would have gone home ealier, but I really want Tansley to have my milk. So, finally things were going well and the pediatrician said we could pack up and go home!!

It's coming together

2010-11-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

I think that the nursery is ready! It's not quite in it's final arrangement, but all of the elements are there. We just got our glider that we ordered online yesterday, the crib is set up, all of my wall art is pretty much ready, diapers are washed. I'm just waiting on one more package from my mom with a change table pad and breathable crib bumper, courtesy of my lovely sister!

I don't have a nursery theme so to speak, but I do like each element of the room. I found a few pieces here and there, made some artwork, got lots of cute gifts at my shower and it is all seeming to come together.

Here are a few shots of what we have going on!

Scott is trying out the new glider while working on his book. I found Jasper taking a snooze in the glider this afternoon. Seems to be a hit with everyone.

The changing table area is just about complete. Obviously the clock and lamp won't be on it, I have another little wooden cabinet with 3 drawers that I have put beside the changing table. That will be next to the glider so I can have the lamp and things I may need for feeding right handy.

I found these words at Michaels and thought the words and colors would be great in the nursery. I also got some light frames that will either have baby pictures in it, or maybe a family pic or two.

Here is some of the wall art that I made with my digital scrapbooking software. I wanted something like this and all of a sudden realized that I can totally make it. I had fun making these pictures. I have another one with the baby girl's name, but that will be shared after she is born!

I found those mirror flower wall stickers at Jysk (like mini Ikea) and thought they would make a nice addition. And I wanted something over the crib that couldn't fall on the baby. So, perfect!

And that's what we have so far. The baby can come now!

35 weeks, plus 2 days

2010-11-06T09:55:00.001-06:00

I had great intentions of taking my 35 week picture on my 35 week day, but it didn't happen. So finally 2 days later I made sure it happened. I was a little tired out when the picture was taken, and I'm finally getting to the point where I'm getting tired of being pregnant. My back hurts most of the time and I'm thinking this growing belly isn't helping. Although I want this baby girl to keep growing and be ready when she comes out, a little early won't hurt my feelings at all. Although they have this cool thing at Sears when I registered for baby stuff they had me pick a date of when I think the baby is going to be born. If she comes on Dec. 12th then we can get all of the stuff on the registry for free! So I put tons of stuff on there, how cool would that be!?

We got our new carpet in the basement and it's time to get Scott's office/studio down to his new room downstairs. And then it's time to set the nursery up. I can't wait to get things set up, to figure out the best way to organize. It's coming, it's coming!!

Newborn clothes

2010-10-23T12:39:00.000-06:00

So I decided yesterday that I'd better get to washing some of the baby clothes that I have aquired just to see what I have so far and if I have enough for when this little baby comes home with us! I picked all of my newborn/0-3 month clothes and put them in the laundry. I was pleasantly surprised to see all of the stuff that we have so far!

This should get us through the first little while with our baby girl. At least that's what I'm thinking. Since I've never done this before with a brand new baby I'm not exactly sure what to expect. What do you moms out there think?

33 Weeks

2010-10-21T20:26:00.001-06:00

How is it that I only have 7 more weeks until I have a baby!?! I'm nervous/excited/I can't believe I'm going to be a mom!!

I feel like this picture really shows me popping out. But to be fair, I did just eat supper. Although last night I was reading in bed and my little girl was a movin and a shakin! It's fun to see my belly move around...there's really a baby in there!

Baby Shower

2010-10-21T20:14:00.000-06:00

A week ago, my mom was in town and with that we had my first baby shower. It was pretty in pink for our little girl and I loved it!! I can't believe I'm at the stage where there are things that I need for this little baby to come to live with us. Not that it hasn't seemed real being pregnant, but I haven't felt very big belly-wise, but now that I'm starting to imagine what it might be like to have a little baby girl around here, I get excited!! I'm also done working so am officially on Mat leave. I feel like that has gotten me into the nesting mood more and more. Having time to do laundry, cleaning up and cooking again. I like it!!

Here are a few pictures from my baby shower, where I/our baby girl got totally spoiled! Thanks everyone!

30 weeks and Counting

2010-10-03T17:18:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've been around to let you know how things are going. I forgot to take my 29 week pregnancy picture, so now it's already onto 30 weeks. I have one more week left of work. I can't believe that is finally here, I'm pretty excited about it. I know this week is going to fly by, I have a few things to do after work and that usually makes the days so quickly. I'm so excited!!

This morning I lead worship at church and it was a good time, but I am sure seeing that I run out of breath much faster than I used to!! My guitar is a little bit more to the side now since my baby bump is growing. I think I'll lead one more time before I take my leave for awhile.

Scott is still working so hard on the basement. He's doing such a great job, we both can't wait til it's done!!

Well, here I am at 30 weeks. Still a ways to go, but still feeling pretty good!!

I decided I'd like to put our stroller together for fun and to get it out of the box so it can air out. It was pretty easy and now it's all ready. I love the stroller that we got, thanks to my dad and Sally for this gift! Check it out!

We have a long way to go to be ready for this little addition to our family, but it's coming along. I can't wait to meet our little girl!!

27 weeks

2010-09-09T22:12:00.000-06:00

The weeks are starting to go quickly now. I like that I'm getting bigger and had an ultra sound last weekend. We got to see the baby, hear the heartbeat and guess what, we finally found out.....it's a girl!! We are so excited and it sure does make things seem much more real. Scott got to hear the heartbeat for the first time and it was pretty amazing.

Here is how the baby is growing at 27 weeks. I can't believe that I'm just about in my third semester. In three months we are going to be a family of 3. I can't wait!!

25 Weeks

2010-08-25T18:55:00.000-06:00

Another 2 weeks have flown by. This is one of those periods in my life where I want the time to go quickly, especially so I can be done working at the office. I'm totally counting down and I have 6 and a half more weeks to go!! And on my last day of work, my mom and Allan are going to be driving into town for a visit. They are bringing some baby stuff up from the states and it's gonna be so fun! We are planning to work on the nursery, paint it up real nice. And then as soon as they roll out of town, my dad and Sally will be flying in. We'll be spending some time with them shopping around Grande Prairie and Edmonton. So much to look forward to!!

Plus in a week and a half before our gender ultra sound, so I can't wait for that either!!

My belly/baby is sure growing. I'm not huge yet, but am definitely getting bigger.

23 Weeks

2010-08-12T08:11:00.002-06:00

Time is passing and now I'm 23 weeks along in this pregnancy. I'm still feeling good, not big enough to be uncomfortable yet, but getting to the point where I have some aches and stretching pains.

As you know, we haven't been able to find out the gender of baby Brown yet, but last night I had a dream that I gave myself an ultra sound and saw that it was a boy. But then I thought, I might want a technician to check as well, since I don't really know how to do ultra sounds. Sure enough, she said it was a boy too. I was thinking, "I knew it, I should have just gone with my gut and I wouldn't have to pay this lady to tell me what I already know!"

This may be some foreshadowing, we'll have to see. Scott and I are going down to Calgary for a short holiday on the 3 day weekend in September. And while we are there, we are going to get an ultra sound to hopefully, once and for all, find out the gender of this mystery baby! I feel like I can't really start getting ready until I know. I want to plan the nursery, sew some blankets, maybe even some clothes, and even buy some things. I've been waiting and waiting until I know what the gender is going to be! So, I'm really looking forward to our trip! I've been emailing the woman who will be doing the ultra sound and she said it would be very rare not to see the gender at this point. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying that baby Brown won't be quite so modest this time.

I took a 23 week picture yesterday, but am having some trouble getting it off of my memory card, so I will try again today and add it later.

Alright, here is the picture. I'm growing!!

A Milestone

2010-08-06T09:04:00.000-06:00

I had one of those milestone moments yesterday with baby Brown. I was just waking up at about 6:45, laying there waiting for my alarm to go off and I started to feel the baby move. So I put my hand on my stomach just to see if I could feel it…..and then it kicked me!! A bunch of times. My hand even did a little bounce. I didn’t believe it at first, I thought maybe I was just moving, but it kept on kicking!! I was so excited and it totally made my day. I did the same thing this morning to see if it would happen again, and I got a little movement, but nothing like yesterday!

How amazing is it that I have a little human being growing inside of me!? It’s so amazing that it’s almost a little weird. I’m so grateful that the Lord has blessed me, and allowed me to have this wonderful adventure. It’s hard to imagine what it’s going to be like being a mom, but I have been waiting for this session for a long time and I can’t wait!!

21 weeks

2010-07-28T17:30:00.000-06:00

Today is my 21st week of being pregnant! I can't believe I'm just over half way through this thing. I still feel good, not too big yet, so still pretty comfortable. I think....think...that I felt the baby move this past weekend. I'm trying to be aware of my body to see if I feel similar feelings. I feel it, but it's very faint....I know I shouldn't wish this because I'll probably complain about being kicked hard near the end, but I do want to feel it more!! It's all so exciting!

So, this is my 21 week picture. I still don't feel like I've "popped" yet, but my lower abdomen is definitely out there. :)

Baby Brown is Holding Out on Us!

2010-07-16T18:39:00.000-06:00

Well, we went to the ultra sound today to see how things are going, and determine the babie's gender.....but baby didn't cooperate!! Little one wouldn't get it's little feet/leg out of the way. I'm kind of bummed, but the tech said that I'll probably have to come back because she couldn't see all of the things that she needed to anyway. So we have another shot!

I do feel good about seeing the little bean in there. It's a nice reassurance since I haven't felt the little one yet, and I don't feel all that different. Here are some pictures of our little love!

18 and a half weeks

2010-07-10T21:54:00.000-06:00

I don't have too much to report this week. I feel good, like I have the whole time. I took a nice two hour nap today though, so maybe I'm a little tired. I have been waiting for my belly to look pregnant and I think this week it is finally starting to. I will post a 19 week picture in a few days.

I'm super excited for my ultra sound this Friday, although as I learned from my first ultra sound at 11 weeks, it's not a comfortable thing to do. I didn't know this before but you have to have a full bladder so you can see where the baby is, as opposed to the fluids in your body. So I was very uncomfortable the first time. I got a sheet from the doctor saying that I'm supposed to empty my bladder an hour before the apt. and then proceed to drink a litre of water. That's roughly how much I drink in my whole work day!

If there wasn't the amazing part about seeing the baby that is in your stomach, I don't think I'd want to do that again! But this time we are going to get some pictures to share as well, oh and hopefully find out the gender of the baby that is growing inside of me!!

So, more to come soon!!

Baby Stuff

2010-07-06T22:18:00.000-06:00

I have been trying hard not to buy too much baby stuff yet. I'm trying to wait, because I'm pretty sure I'm going to have about 3 baby showers, I don't even know the gender yet, and we don't have any extra space to store anything yet!!

We did purchase our stroller/car seat combo because of a great sale at Sears a few weeks ago. This is the stroller that I was always drawn to when I saw it, but because it was so much I never really imagined getting it. But like I said, the amazing Sears sale and making a baby registry there, I got coupons and about $100 off. So......

Sears was also having a "baby shower" at the store where they had give aways, some demonstrations and games. My friend from work who is due 6 weeks before me, came along and we had a great time checking out all of the goods and shooting stuff with our registry guns! We both won a small prize, I won this organic onesie and I bought the My First Christmas outfit for $2. All in all, it was a great day!!

About a month ago I went garage saling with Mom and Dad Brown, we went to the ritzy neighborhood and look what I found....the cutest baby crocks in the whole world and I got them for the bargain price of $1. Can't really go wrong there!!

Just the Beginning

2010-07-05T20:44:00.000-06:00

We start this blog as I am just about 18 weeks pregnant with our first child. I have been ready for this for a long time and now that it's here I am so excited and am feeling very good. I didn't have any morning sickness or anything like that. I feel very fortunate in that way. I was pretty tired throughout my first trimester, but that's not a new feeling for me. I've been tired my whole life! Right mom!!

Now that I'm in my second trimester, I'm feeling more awake and feeling like my belly is starting to grow. I still don't feel like I've popped yet. I'm looking forward to the day that I do, but for now I'm glad not to be too big yet, seeing as how I'm nearly half way and not too big. I'm sure I'll have a big belly soon enough.

Scott has been working hard to finish our unfished basement with an office, a tv/family room, laundry and bathroom, oh and lots of extra storage. He is doing all of the work from the ground up and for the most part by himself, with some help from his brothers. I am very proud of the work he has done and know it's going to be such a great addition to our home. Scott will be moving his office, which is currently upstairs, down there, and the baby will be taking over the upstairs office. I can't wait to see what the nursery is going to be like. I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete.

Here are a few pictures of my pregnancy so far.

12 Weeks

15 Weeks

17 Weeks