The Venegas Family

Jungle Jim's with the cousins and Grandma

2009-06-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to an indoor playplace called Jungle Jims and the to Liberty Park for a fun picnic with Grandma, Brit, and cousins Luke, Halle, and Savannah. Amara and Sienna had such a fun time! Amara LOVES her cousins and was so happy to spend some time playing at one of her favorite places- Jungle Jims.

Father's Day... A Celebration for Kings!

2009-06-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day this year, I made Juan breakfast in bed- complete with a crown made of Tin Foil. Believe it or not- this crown was made at home- not purchased at some fancy store. lol. Juan played along and Amara thought it was pretty cool that her dad was a KING for the day!

Brittani's Here!

2009-06-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

So... my cute sister, Brit, is officially here to help for the summer! Yeah! Brit is home for the summer from BYU-Idaho and is helping me with the kids, housework, grocery shopping... you name it- she does it! :) I am soooo happy to have her here. Here is a cute picture of Amara with her fun Aunt Britty-

Our trip to Virginia

2009-06-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Juan and I took Amara and Sienna to Washington D.C/ Virginia to visit Gram, Grandpa, and Grandma. We had such a great time. Grandpa took us to the Safari Park, where we got to feed Llamas, Camels, Elk, Deer, Ostrich, Yaks, Wildebeast, and a lot of animals that we couldn't name. :) We put chairs in the back of my dad's pick-up truck and he would slow down so the animals could come eat out of the feed buckets in the back of the truck. Amara and Sienna LOVED it! This park also has Giraffe's, Kangaroos, and Monkeys in a fenced off area and Amara really had a great time!

We also went to the Natural Bridge Zoo- which is a privately run zoo. They have a large petting zoo area where Amara and Sienna got to pet a baby donkey and a baby camel. They also got to pet goats and chase some chickens. The highlight of the Zoo was taking an Elephant Ride together- Amara, Sienna, and I hopped on top of a large African Elephant and rode around a small arena. It was a great day.

Dee and Jeff were in VA with us- which was a lot of fun, too. The week went way too fast, and I can't wait until we can get back out and visit! Here are several pictures from our trip:

This is a picture of my dad- He's the greatest Man ever! :) Love you, Dad!

Easter 2009

2009-05-02T00:16:00.000-07:00

For Easter we went to an Easter Egg Hunt in Payson on Saturday with Joyce and the boys. The rain showed up, but Amara loved opening her Easter eggs! On Sunday we went to Mom and Jay's house for a delicious dinner and family Easter egg hunt in the backyard. For Amara and Sienna's birthday, Mom bought them Easter dresses. We snapped a few pictures right after church- which turned out pretty cute.
Amara and Sienna's Easter Dresses:

Mom's House:

Our trip to the Big Island- March 12-19

2009-05-01T23:22:00.001-07:00

Juan and I went to the Big Island for a week in March without the girls. We stayed at the Hilton at Waikaloa which was beautiful! We went on a whale watching excursion, spent lots of time at the beach, went to the Volcano, Hiked to some amazing waterfalls, caught lizards and searched for Sea Turtles. It was soooo much fun! It was hard to be away from the girls for so long, but also really nice to have the break and spend time together. It has been way too long since we have had a vacation together. Here are some pictures of one my favorite vacations so far:
This picture was taken right outside of our hotel.

Playing at the Beach

Formal Dinner and Awards Ceremony for Presidents Club

Sea Turtle Picture, and Picture of a whale that was right off the beach we were swimming at. The whale had a calf and stayed close to the shore for several hours.

Pictures

2009-05-01T23:02:00.001-07:00

So I got a new camera for Christmas, thinking that once I had the camera, I would get up to speed and blog again- but here it the beginning of May and I am finally taking a minute to get some pictures updated.
The last several months have been crazy busy with work, church, playing, and moving to a new place. The highlights in addition to the nice holidays ... Juan and I took a week-long trip to Hawaii without the girls, Amara turned 3, and Sienna had her first birthday. I am going to post a bunch of pictures- and not write much because it is late. Hopefully it won't take me six months to get another post up. :)

Amara Rocking out on her Hannah Montana Guitar.

Amara has the best smile!

Me and my girls.

Sienna playing in the backyard

Amara's 3rd birthday party- Started in March, Posted May 1st. :)

2009-03-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Amara turned 3 on March 16th. Juan and I were in Hawaii for her birthday, but a few days before we left, I decided to prepare a birthday party for her that would take place when we got back from the trip. I called my friend, Marin, to get some ideas of where to have it. She suggested an indoor play-place called "Bouncing off the walls". I called them and learned that they host private parties and the pricing is pretty reasonable. They charge a flat rate for up to 25 children and take care of all the details... which was really appealing to me. :) I figured that since I amnot real good at entertaining/hosting, that this would be a nice option to get together with my friends and Amara's friends and play the night away. So... we decided to invite her friends from her church class (about 8 kids) and her friends from the babysitter, and her fun cousins and relatives. All-in-all I was thinking we would have a turnout of 15-20 kids, if everyone could make it. BIG PARTY! :) The night before we left on our trip, I drove around and got about 3/4 of the invites out. Deanne helped me pass out a few while we were gone, too. Thinking that we would 5-10 extra spots (up to 25 kids for the same price)- I let people know that if they wanted to bring older or younger siblings to come bounce around and play to bring them... thinking "the more the merrier". My wonderful sister Mary brought her four cute daughters from Colorado to play for the week-and I am so glad they made it to the party. I called all of the people invited to the party on Monday night to get the head count so I could order Pizza and Cake for the party, and was excited (and overwhelmed a bit) that all but one of the children we invited would be able to make it- and with siblings coming we would be around 35 kids. Yeah... it was a PARTY!!! Like Craziness. Fun. Overwhelming. and really at the end of the night I realized that Amara's 3rd birthday was bigger than most bridal and baby showers- and she actually had more people there than Juan and I had at our wedding. :) So... to all the people who came and played and celebrated Amara's birthday- I just want to say Thank you! Thanks for the support, your friendship, and for being so great. I love our friends and was really glad that everyone was able to make it. I promise I will never do this again- because it was ridiculous for a 3 year old- and at the same time it really was SO much fun for Amara and for me. Here are some pictures from the biggest, craziest party ever:

I've been tagged. Time to share my Randomness

2008-10-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

Shauna tagged me to confess six random facts about myself. I'll try to keep the randomness appropriate because I tend to get out of control. Here are the rules:

The Rules

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself (or as many as you are willing to admit to).
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
********************************************************************************

1. My hair doesn't grow. Seriously, I think I have had this hair length and cut since about sixth grade. The only difference is that it gets thinner each and every day. Oh and it get's quite oily too. I have to shower and shampoo every morning and by about 8pm, I look like a greaser. All the hair people I have ever been to look at me and think I am an easy sell on leave-in conditioners and anti-split end products. I have probably spent more money trying to find miracle hair repair products that I have spent on clothes. They also tell me that if I go without washing it for several consecutive days than it will help my scalp get a break and will be healthier and less oily. Um- yeah- good idea. I have gone camping for a week or so, and after 2 days of no washing, I have to carry a towel because the oil drips down my forehead. So... in case you were every curios- my greatest attribute is not thick flowing hair.

2. I hate taking medicine. Anything medicine related. It all started after I got a knee surgery in college. I was prescribed Percocet for the pain. I took it- not knowing it would kill my intestinal track - well not kill it, but shut it down. I was in more pain from the effects of the pain killer and I swore I would never take another narcotic in my life. And I haven't. And I won't. I have a hard time even taking Ibuprofen. Oh- and I don't take vitamins either.

3. I love reading and I have found that the older I get the less suspense/thriller/murder books I read because now they really scare me. I love reading in general. I don't have a favorite book in the whole world, but I have lots that I like. Lately, I haven't been reading as much because time seems so limited. I also have to confess that when I read, I totally neglect my family. A few years ago, I realized that I had a bit of an addiction/problem with reading. I would start a book and it would consume my mind. I am not even kidding- Once I started a book, I couldn't stop reading. I would even take my book to church, and read it during Relief Society, Sunday School, and yes...even Sacrament meeting. Juan would ask me what the point of attending church was if I wasn't paying attention and at the time I secretly had the thought [DUH- I have THREE full hours to get uninterrupted reading in]. For the girls in my ward... I have disciplined myself not to do this anymore. :)

4. I have two re-occuring dreams and both are kind of nightmares- I'll just talk about one of them. I don't even know what the dream is about- but I know it is re-occuring because I do the same thing every time I have it. Juan says that I sit up straight in bed and my eyes are open and I say "Who's in here? Get out NOW". then I lay down and am silent. Creepy huh? The first time I found out I did this was when we were married about 2 months. It really freaked Juan out. He thought that there was someone either in the room or that there was a ghost or something. He told me that he laid really still and hid under the covers- and then figured I was asleep when I laid back down. He HATES this dream when I have it. Now, after 8 years of watching me be psycho in the middle of the night he is desensitized. Hopefully there is never a time in the future when there really is someone in the house while we are asleep. Yikes.

5. Until I was married and Juan and I moved to Utah, I had never lived anywhere longer than 3 years. My dad was military so we moved all the time. Here are the states I have lived: Texas, Washington, New Jersey, New York, Hawaii, California, Germany, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, and Utah. I went to three different high schools (VA, PA, and CO).

6. I have all 4 of my wisdom teeth. And still lots of gaps in my mouth. When I was 18 the dentist told me that I had plenty of room to let my wisdom teeth come in and they wouldn't cause much crowding for the other teeth. Nice. My favorite gap is the one between my front teeth because it is just like my dad's gap. :) I have never had braces (which is why I have gaps) and every time I go into a new dentists office, they try to upsell me on Vaneers (sp?), braces, and anything cosmetic to help my mouth. I always decline the offer. I have also never had a cavity- so even though the mouth looks a lil' neglected, I really do take good care of my grill. haha

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Homework For:

I haven't been reading many blogs these days, so if I tag you and you have already done this- you can disregard it. Just leave me a comment and let me know. I tag Mary, Joyce, Destiny, Jess, Lori and anyone else who wants to play along

To Blog or Not to Blog... That is the Question

2008-10-22T22:09:00.001-07:00

So plenty has been going on the past several months. The girls have been keeping us sleep deprived and are in such a cute stage right now. I still haven't purchased a new camera, and the one my friend- Nicole- gave me is having memory card issues. Here's the problem... I haven't been to the store to do real shopping in over a month. Juan has done the grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning in addition to watching the girls in the day and working at night. I work during the day, get home and exert the remainder of my energy in chasing Amara around the house. So the truth is that I haven't wanted to blog with no pictures to add and no time to sit at the computer.
Here is an example of what we are currently experiencing with Amara. She is two and a half and in the potty-training stage. Fun times. She doesn't like to take down her own pants and her own diaper (even though she is capable). Yesterday, I was on the phone with my sister, Mary, and Amara came in the room. She said "I need to potty". So I walk her in the bathroom, help her undress, she sits down on her kiddy seat and nothing happens. She stands up, I try putting her diaper back on, and she isn't ready. Note: I am still talking away to Mary. I decide she is fine to hang out in the bathroom for a few minutes and I go sit down in front of the computer and keep talking. About 5 minutes later- she comes in the office- bare butt and says in an excited tone: "Mom, I peed on the ground!" She is so proud of herself. I had no idea she even knew what the ground was until last night. Sure enough- there was a little piddle of urine right next to the bathroom door- just feet from the toilet. She was so proud of herself for being a big-girl and not going potty in her diaper. So cute. :) What I like best, is that she said an entire sentence crystal clear. Quite impressive if you ask me. :)

Sienna is growing fast. She is almost 7 months and is getting on all fours and rocking back and forth. She can sit up alone, and has her two bottom teeth in. About a month ago, Juan gave her a haircut that looked just like his. The fade, shaved around the ears, cleaned up the back of her neck and everything. For the last few weeks she has looked like a little boy, so we try to keep her in pinks and purple and stick a hair bow in. It'll grow- right?

Oh- I also cut about 5 inches of hair off Amara. It looks cute- a little too close of a resemblance to Dora the Explorer- maybe... but cute.

I NEED A CAMERA. Hopefully in the next two weeks I will find one I want to purchase and I will be back to taking pictures again.

I think I need to call it a night-= 5:30am comes way to early.

Happy 32nd Birthday, Juan!

2008-09-18T18:18:00.001-07:00

Juan had his 32nd birthday on September 8th. We went down and celebrated his birthday, my nephew- Caleb's birthday, and my mom's birthday at Mike and Joyce's house. Juan loved his birthday gifts. Destiny and Jim got him one of his favorite gifts of all time... an OPTIMUSPRIME helmet with a voice changer. It was seriously so funny to see him in the helmet. Dest and Jim gave Caleb a Star Wars helmet for his birthday and so we had to get a picture of both of them together. Have a looksy-

Back to his Roots...

2008-09-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

Juan has been competing in 5K's again, and it has been so fun to go and support him. He has done really really well. He is a natural runner, and I love that he has found success running. He is collecting trophies and medals, which me and Amara think are pretty cool. He has placed first in his age range in every race he has run, and he placed 2nd and 3rd overall in the last 3 races. His best time so far was at the "No more Victims" 5k in West Jordan. His time was 17:15- which is pretty dang fast. The most recent race he ran was the 5k at the Salt Lake City Greek Festival. He got 3rd place overall and 1st place for his age catagory. Here are a few pictures... Check out that form! :) Good Job,Honey! He is my Speedy- Juanzales! :)

Realization

2008-07-01T21:54:00.001-07:00

So tonight I got online to check my email and had every intension of going to bed by 10:00pm- but here it is after 11pm and I have decided to post a quick message on my blog. I realized tonight that since we have lived in this area for the last two years, I have done absolutely nothing to get to know the girls in my neighborhood that I see on a weekly basis at church. I spent almost an hour reading blogs and looking at pictures and it made me reflect how isolated I have made myself since we moved here. I have maintained a lot of friendships with old basketball teammates from Idaho and Colorado. I have maintained friendships with good friends from the Social Work program- but I have really failed at getting involved and making friends in this area. I want to do better. I want to get together and have Amara (and eventually Sienna) have play dates, while I get to know people. I want people to know me and like me. So my goal is to be a little more outgoing and a little more social because I love people and I need and want friends. I guess that I realized tonight that I am not making enough of an effort to share myself and to invest myself in other people. Why? Because I have been lazy and too consumed with my own personal life. I need to make some changes...

8 years of Marriage- Holy Cow

2008-06-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today is the big 8th Anniversary. This is the first year we didn't go out of town to celebrate because we spent the last 12 weeks playing and spending money. :) On Saturday night my sister, Brittani, watched the girls so that we could go to dinner. We were planning to go to the Cheesecake Factory, but the wait was over an hour- so instead we went to Outback Steakhouse where there was no wait. We had a really nice dinner that actually had periods of peace and quiet. :) I would like to write more- but it is bedtime for me- so I will have to finish this another day. Happy Anniversary, Juan. I love you!

A day in the life of

2008-06-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

So I started back to work yesterday, and can I just say that there is a lot to catch up on after taking 12 weeks off. I have spent two full days reading emails and notes so that when I call my clients I sound like I know what I am doing. Lets be honest- I am super tired and it is only Tuesday night. I work from 7:30-4:30am, which means I have to "rise and shine" at 5:30am. Most of you know that I am NOT a morning person. I'm that mom that tells her two year old to watch Blues Clues for an hour so that I don't have to get out of bed before 8am. But, it's official- Times are changing. I actually had to wake Amara up this morning to get her ready for Amber's house.
Juan is watching Sienna during the day (he works at night). She will only be going to Ambers house for two half days each week. I think once we get used to our new routine things will be good, but it is definitely an adjustment for both of us.
No pictures this post... and tonight, I will be in bed before 10pm.

Discovery Gateway Museum

2008-06-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

This week we went to the Children's Museum with Joyce and her boys- Caleb, Dallin, and Blake. It was our first time at the museum and Amara loved it. Caleb and Dallin were so fun and Amara had such a good time running around and playing with them. There are a ton of interactive things to do at the museum, and after spending several hours there were still areas we didn't get to. After we played inside the museum, we headed over to the water area at the mall and let the kids play for a little while. It was such a great day- Thanks, Joyce!!
Oh- and in case anyone is wondering... if you park in the garage at the Gateway mall, they don't accept debit or credit cards to pay for your parking. Unfortunately neither Joyce or I had cash or checks to pay for the parking- so they got Joyce's information and she has to mail in her parking money. Joyce--- DON'T FORGET TO SEND IT IN! I don't want to feel responsible to bail you out of jail! :)

Cute picture of Sienna and Blake smiling

Caleb, Dallin, and Blake-- Caleb carried Blake in this carrier for about a half hour. It was so cute. He is such a good big brother and both Dallin and Caleb LOVE their baby brother.

Amara playing at Discovery

Caleb and Dallin playing in the water at Gateway

Amara debating whether or not to get wet

The Backyard is done!

2008-06-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

After three and a half weeks, the backyard is done! Yeah!!! We have had rain off and on over the past couple of weeks, which delayed the sprinklers and curbing. There were finally a few consecutive sunny days, and now the yard is all done. We are supposed to let the sod sit and be watered/drenched for the next 2-3 weeks, and then we can go play outside. We also ordered a new gas grill from Sears this week, and I can't wait to use it. Hopefully we will have it here on the 18th (it was sold out in the store...). We are also going to get a 6ft vinyl privacy fence put in over the next little while, which will be nice.

Two cute babies

2008-06-06T23:42:00.001-07:00

My nephew, Blake, is 4 days younger than Sienna. He was just blessed this past Sunday down in Woodland Hills, UT. He is such a cute baby. It's been fun hanging out some with Joyce and her boys while I have been on maternity leave. My other sister-in-law, Destiny, just had a baby girl on Wednesday, too- so the three cousins are super close in age. Here is a picture that we took in the backyard of Mike and Joyce's house after the baby blessing:

I love our girls!

2008-06-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

It has been so fun to be on maternity leave the last ten weeks. Amara has been going to her babysitter, Amber (who I LOVE!) every day in order to keep her routine and give me some one on one time with the baby during the day. It has worked out really well. I feel like the last few months have been just what I needed. It has been really nice to spend time bonding with Sienna and making good use of my time off work. Sienna has a pretty mild temperament. She fusses when she is tired or hungry and that is about it. She is getting stronger each day and this past week has done really well laying on her tummy and holding her head up on her own. Here are some pictures I took last night:

One of my favorite things about Amara is her smile. It brightens the room. She definitely has a Hanchett mouth/smile. When I take her to her babysitter-Amber's house in the morning, I sing "You are My Sunshine" and she claps and dances in her carseat. When I finish singing she yells :"Again again!" so i end up singing it about 5 times on the short drive. It is so fun to see how happy she gets when I start singing it to her. It definitely makes our morning time together more fun when we are singing and dancing together. These pictures were taken throughout the week:

Is this the NBA?

2008-06-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

Juan has been playing in a basketball rec league with several guys from the ward team. He really looked forward to the games each week and the team has done well. I think they ended up the season 6-2. I like going and cheering him on. I have made it to the early games and bring Amara and Sienna, too. Amara isn't as into watching the game as I had hoped she would be, but she has a good time climbing up and down the bleachers. Another reason I enjoy going is because it gives me a little bit of time to talk with the girls in the ward. Here are a couple of pictures from the last game-that they played last night.

some of his teammates:

Juan taking a breather while he holds Amara

This is how Juan gets pumped up before the game... he carries the 25lb carseat into the gym. :)

Before and After Pictures

2008-05-29T21:20:00.001-07:00

Here are the before and after pictures you have all been dying to see... since Sienna started living outside vs inside my womb. She is getting cuter and chubbier by the day! I loved her little skinny legs and body, but she is so cute now that she is starting to gain some weight.
Here she is when she was about a week old:

Here she is tonight:

2008-05-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have been surprised to see how protective Juan is of Amara and Sienna. He is such an attentive dad and very involved in their daily lives. Juan changes diapers, dresses the girls, and he even brushes Amara's hair. He is getting pretty good at putting a pony tail in Amara's hair- which is no easy task because she HATES getting her hair brushed and wiggles and cries the entire time. Juan has especially been enjoying Sienna's temperament. She is a pretty mild baby, which is really nice! We had the camera out during Amara's nap the other day and got a few pictures with Sienna. Juan's protective side was finally captured ...

Grandma Josie's visit to Utah

2008-05-29T20:33:00.001-07:00

Juan's mom, Josie, and her husband, Raul, came to visit over the Memorial Day weekend. They also brought their dog- Chiquita. It was nice having them here and we were excited for them to meet Sienna. Here are a few pictures of Grandma and Raul with Sienna and Juan.

Camera Troubles

2008-05-22T09:13:00.002-07:00

About two weeks ago Juan and I were cleaning out the garage and I was taking pictures of some things I wanted to sell online. I accidentally dropped my camera on the concrete and it broke. When I called to see about getting it fixed, I learned that to replace an image sensor costs more than the camera, so I was without one for the last little while. My friend, Nicole, just gave me her digital camera because she got a new one for Christmas. I am SO glad, because it seems like Sienna is changing every day and there are so many things that Amara does that I want on film. Thanks, Nicole- you saved me! :)

Backyard Fun

2008-05-22T09:13:00.001-07:00

We are finally getting the backyard put in. A few weeks ago, Deanne and Jeff dug up our old sprinklers, and this week we are getting new sprinklers, sod, a few trees, a firepit, and curbing to accent it all. Here is what the backyard looks like today:

How cute is this hat??

2008-05-22T09:12:00.001-07:00

Is this hat the cutest hat you have ever seen? Aunt Mary bought it for Sienna when she was out visiting a few weeks ago. I think it is so cute on Sienna- although it makes her look less like my daughter than she already does. Thanks for the cute gift, Mary!

Transformers... More than meets the Eye

2008-05-22T09:10:00.002-07:00

Most of you know that Juan has a passion for two things... Nike Shoes and Transformers. Since shoes aren't all that fun to take pictures of, I decided the transformer display case would be a better post for the blog. :) Juan has had a fascination with transformers since they came out when he was in elementary school. Each year for his birthday and Christmas he usually gets a few toys for his collection. One of the most valuable item in his collection is a transformer drawing that Patrick drew. It is in the black frame. The details are amazing and he added some of his own design into the drawing. Isn't it amazing?!

Hogle Zoo

2008-05-22T09:10:00.001-07:00

Today Amara and I went to Hogle Zoo with my friend, Heather and her twins- Madison and Jaxon. Amara got a new pair of sunglasses which lasted about thirty minutes. She let me know that she liked the hearts in her hands, not on her eyes. It was a pretty warm day today and almost all of the animals were out. We also rode the train and played at the playground. Amara doesn't like to smile for the camera, so today I tricked her and continually said, "Don't you smile, Amara" and it worked like a charm- I love her beautiful smile!

Sienna's Baby Blessing

2008-05-22T09:09:00.003-07:00

Sienna was blessed on Sunday, May 4, 2008. We are so thankful for all of the family support. All of the family that lives in Utah came to the blessing, and it was so nice to have so many family members participate in this special day. Mom and Jay, Mike; Joyce, Caleb, Dallin, and Blake; Jim, Destiny, Luke, and Halle; Tami; Jeff and Dee; and Brittani were all there. Brittani's friend Rachel also came. After church everyone came over and had cake and ice cream. It was such a special day for our family. Thanks to all of the family that is so supportive that live out of state- too! We love you all!
Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures... but here are the ones I took:

Playing at the Park

2008-05-22T09:09:00.001-07:00

Juan and I took the girls to the park on Saturday. Amara loves the park. Anytime we drive past a playground, she gets super excited and starts saying "play at park" over and over. It is really sad on the days that we are just driving by en route to a different destination. When we actually pull the car into the parking lot at the playground, she literally screams in excitement. Once she gets out and is actually at the playground, she is pretty tentative to climb the stairs and go down slides. We actually have to cheer her on and encourage her for a while before she goes down the slide, but she loves it. This particular trip to the park was fun because Amara found her shadow for the first time. She was busy trying to touch it and run away from it for several minutes. It was so cute. She is also into naming everything that she sees. She yells out her findings all day long. Fun times! :)

Sienna enjoyed a nice long nap at the park

Deanne's Graduation

2008-05-22T09:08:00.002-07:00

Deanne graduated from the University of Utah in Mass Communications last week. She has one more year of eligibility for basketball, so she will be returning to pursue another major and play her final year of ball. Go Dee!!

Enjoying our cute baby

2008-05-22T09:08:00.001-07:00

Amara has done such a good job with Sienna. She loves helping me take care of her and is very gentle with her baby sister.

Dad and Sienna

Sienna relaxing while the family plays pictionary

Bedtime

Sienna with her cousin, Blake. Blake was born four days after Sienna.

Bath Time

2008-05-22T08:52:00.001-07:00

Sienna's first bath. This picture was taken when she was four days old. My friend, Sharee, was in town visiting and she bathed Sienna for me while I gave Amara a bath. Sienna did pretty well!

Sienna is Here!

2008-05-22T08:50:00.002-07:00

Sienna Nicole was born March 31, 2008at 12:15pm. She weighed 6 lbs 13 oz and was 19 inches long. As you can see, she has lots of dark hair, and looks like her daddy! The last four weeks have been quite the adjustment. I am taking a 12 week maternity leave- which has been really nice. Amara LOVES her baby sister, and likes helping me by holding her bottle and commenting on Sienna's every move. She says "She's smiling", "She's crying", "She's hungry" about ten times a day. Amara loves to give Sienna kissesand is so gentle when I help her hold Sienna.

It's blogging time... again :)

2008-05-22T08:50:00.001-07:00

So Mary and Joyce have convinced me to give blogging another shot- Thanks,girls! :)
I have spent the past four to five days reading blogs and getting this one up and running again. It has been so fun to read what you are all doing and to look at your pictures. I have added the links that I have to my friends and family lists - hope you don't mind. Since I am a bit behind, I am going to attach a few pictures of Amara that I think are cute, and then I will try to post more often.

Lots of pictures of Amara:

Amara's first snow-suit and sledding excursion-January 2008

Our beautiful baby girl

2008-05-22T08:49:00.002-07:00

Here are some more pictures of Amara. She has the most wonderful smile and the biggest brown eyes. Her little personality is full of spunk, and she loves exploring her surroundings and discovering new things. Amara has had an opinion on just about everything since she was born... even though she can't speak yet, she lets me know exactly what she wants, when she wants it!

Christmas 2006

2008-05-22T08:49:00.001-07:00

For Christmas this year, we stayed in Utah. Amara loved watching us decorate the tree,and set up the train. On Christmas morning, her favorite thing was playing with the wrapping paper and boxes that her toys came in. She wasn't in to the colorful toys we picked out for her this year. Maybe she will find good use for them throughout the year. :)

The first few months...

2008-05-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that we have from the first few months of Amara's life. Can I just say "HOLY ADJUSTMENT"??? It is so fun to be a mom and there are SO many things that I am clueless about. The hardest adjustment for me since Amara has joined our family has been getting used to not sleeping. I was able to take 3 months off work, and then returned working part time from home and part time in the office. Juan has also been able to spend a lot of time with Amara during the afternoons, as he watches her when I go into the office. Fun times!