Christmas 2011

This Christmas we had a wonderful time spending it down at Scott and Michelle's house. We did this last year as well, so maybe we are starting a tradition? It was great to have all the kids together and to spend time with everyone. The kids went outside to leave food for the raindeer, which she loved! It is fun now that she has a little understating of these crazy traditions. This year was a bit overwhelming for our little family. Bristol is so dang spoiled by everyone that it seemed a little outrageous! The gifts kept pouring in, and I was ready to return everything we got her, which was about 4 things! It was fun to see the excitement on her face when she woke up to so many things she couldn't even comprehend what was going on. I think she enjoyed it, none the less.

Here is the moment she walked out in the morning to see all of her presents!

Family Photos November 2011

This was a fun shoot at FotoFly. It was a cute little studio in Draper, UT. Bristol was such a trooper, I guess Sam was too!

Thanksgiving 2011

This Thanksgiving we decided to give back and to show gratitude for our many blessings. I signed Sam and I up for the Utah Human Race, which gives the proceeds of the race to the Utah Food Bank. It was a 5k run on the Thanksgiving day morning. It was great to contribute as well as get a good work-out in before we ate way too much food.

This year we spent Thanksgiving day with Sam's family up in Clinton, UT. There were about 20 of us up at the Henne's, which was great! We had a lot of time seeing everyone and spending time with the Kelly side of the family. I made yummy home-made rolls as well as a lemon-sour cream pie! There was so much food because everyone brought something! Bristol had so much fun playing with all the kiddos- which was great for her!

Christmas Tree Decorating

This year we went and got a yummy smelling live tree! It is something we have always done, but it seems like in Utah it is a bit harder to find good ones, and this year was no different. Our tree was dead before Christmas. But, while it lasted, it smelled amazing! What I love the most is that when I vacuum up the mess, my vacuum has that wonderful smell until I change the bag!

Sister Time!

This last week my sister was able to get off of work and fly out to have a quick sister weekend! And, it just so happened on the opening weekend of Breaking Dawn. (wink, wink) We were pretty excited to go to opening night of the movie and to act like 13 year old girls, along with all the other fans- I should have taken a picture of the packed theatre at 12:10am! We then spent some time with Bris and had a fun time shopping and eating yummy food! It was great to see her! Now, Bris and I have to plan a trip to So. Cal- bummer!! :)

Snowbird!

Sam and I decided that this winter we would get out to the mountain and do some snowboarding! We were able to make it up to Snowbird the opening weekend. It was so much fun! We are still beginners, but we will get better the more we are able to go this winter! It is so nice finding things to do in the winter, especially in the Utah snow!!

Washington D.C. and NYC 11/2011

I was sent to a conference in Bethesda, MD for work. We decided to make it our family vacation and Sam and Bris tagged along. My conference was from Wednesday to Friday, then we spent Saturday to Tuesday to play! It was a lot of fun!! I love the East Coast, especially in the fall. The leaves were gorgeous, and the weather was spectacular! It was great spending time with the Hill family. Sam and Bris were able to sneak away during the day to spend with Kathryn and the girls! They had a lot of fun exploring D.C. with the locals! I was able to sneak away on a couple of afternoons and spend time with them also. We spent all day Saturday seeing the sites in D.C.

Sam and I were able to sneak away to NYC for Sunday night and spend all day Sunday and Monday being NYC tourists. We had so much fun in each city! It was an amazing treat for us to get out there, and a big thank you to the Hills for letting us stay at their home and for their free tour guides!

UNC cheerleader

Bristol received this cute UNC outfit from my cousin, Amy, for her 1st birthday. We put her in it to watch the UNC game with daddy! She's pretty cute!!

Halloween Party and Trick-or-Treating

Our friends have an annual Halloween party that we have loved going to since we moved back to Utah. It is always fun to figure out a family outfit and to go play with our friends. This year we dressed up in our 80s get-up, DI special! It was a lot of fun to wear the neon colors and tease our hair. It was a great night, playing games, eating yummy food and just being with our good friends here in Utah.

We spent Halloween down in Payson this year with the Scott Kelly's. It was a lot of fun for Bristol to have her first Trick-or-Treat experience with her cousins. Reagan was so cute with her, wanting to help her go house to house and collect the treats! They had a great time. I loved Bristol's costume- she was a Sock Monkey! Too Cute!!

October Harvest

This last Saturday we were able to go to the pumpkin patch in Santiquin, UT. It was fun to go with the Kelly family. Sam's parents were in town for the weekend for Nixon's blessing. At the pumpkin patch we were able to go on a hay ride and then find our pumpkins out in the huge field. Bristol loved searching for her pumpkin and kept saying "go, go." She loved being outside and running around. It was great to spend time with the Kelly's and to have them around. We miss Oregon!!

Scott also was able to get 8 tickets to the BYU football game. It was so fun to go and hang out with the whole Kelly family! Go BYU!!

Learning to Ice Skate!

Bristol has been walking for 3 months now, so we decided to teach her how to ice skate! Reagan wanted to go ice skating for her 7th birthday and we joined them! It was so much fun watching everyone acclimate to the ice, even us. Bristol loved it and kept saying "go, go" when we would stop. It was hard on us to bend over the whole time, so we took her out of the cutest skates ever and she was able to slide on the ice. Happy Birthday Reagan! We cannot believe you are 7!?!

Carving our Pumpkins and Halloween Dinner

We had a great time this year carving pumpkins with Bris. She finally can enjoy these crazy traditions. She loved sticking her hands into the pumpkin, but then would turn to us and want us to wash her hands off.

I have always wanted to start a tradition of making a goolish Halloween dinner. This year we have a few different items, including- Monster pizzas, pumpkin soup, eyeballs, swampy cider and mummys. It was a lot of fun! I can't wait to enjoy this every year around Halloween time. And, Bris is such a great little helper!

Weekend Trip to St. George, UT

Sam's brother Scott signed up for the St. George Triathlon this year and Sam was supposed to do it with him. Being Sam, and hating to run, he decided to back out. We still wanted to make the trip to go down to St. George and support Scott as well as get away for the weekend. It was so much fun to be in the hot Southern Utah sun for one last time before we all hibernate for the winter. We had a lot of fun during the race- Bris swam in the lake and loved cooling off. We also went swimming and the boys went mountain biking. It was a blast to get away for the weekend!!

Utah State Fair

With Bristol's in animals piqued, we decided to take her to the State Fair here in Utah. She loved it! It was so much fun to see her looking at the animals and wanting us to tell her what it is so she could make the animal noise. I love this girl! She is learning so much and is so smart! Except when she made a dog noise for the goats! So cute!!

BYU in Texas

Sam was very lucky this year that Michelle had Nixon right around the time that BYU flies their sponsors to a game. Scott asked Sam if he wanted to go, and of course he couldn't turn it down. To make things even better (what is better than a free trip with your bro to watch football, you might ask?) Jimmer Fredette was invited along as well. Those boys were spoiled. Sam was ecstatic, of course! They had a great time- touring the town, the college, the stadium, eating good food, and of course watching football!

Outdoors in Utah

This summer we made it a priority to get out as much as we could. We love Utah because of how easily accessible the mountains are. Sam is way into mountain biking these days, I hope to be soon, and we both love hiking and camping. We were able to get out a few times in between our crazy work schedules and really enjoy the outdoors. Bristol loved hiking with us too. It reminded me of last year when we went, except she is a lot bigger now!

HTC and Oregon Trip August 2011

This year I participated in the Hood to Coast race in Oregon. It was something I had always wanted to do and was never able to get that many people together who would want to do it. My great friend Rhoda had an extra spot on her team and I couldn't pass it up. I was assigned 3 legs at about 6 miles each. My runs were at 4:30 am, 2 pm and 1:30 am. It was awesome! I had so much fun and would love to do a relay again!

We also took advantage of our time in Oregon and spent it with Tom and Tracy. We spent a little time at the Oregon Coast and played in the sand. Bristol loved running around and throwing sand everywhere. She loved chasing Scout and digging holes with Daddy.

We also went to the Oregon Zoo with my mom, aunt and grandma. Bristol LOVED the zoo. She is into making animal noises these days, so it was a lot of fun for her to run from animal to animal and making the noises. She was all tuckered out by the end, but it was a great trip! My mother also gave Bris her first doll! She is in love with the thing! She always says "baby, baby!" We were able to meet up with my brother and cousin Amy for lunch after the Zoo. It was so nice to get everyone together for our quick trip!!

Sam's 28th Birthday!

This year for Sam's birthday we decided to do something outdoors and fun! We went kayaking down the Provo River. It was a beautiful August day and we had such a blast. We then went out to eat with our good friends at Rodizio's. Yummy! We miss Gary and Jess and their sweet baby boy, Jordan.

Nixon Scott Kelly

Sam's brother and sister-in-law had a beautiful baby boy. We were able to go down to Provo when he was just a couple days old and see the cute boy. Bris is so good when we hold other babies. She loves saying "baby" and kissing their head. I think she will be a great big sister some day.

A Big Girl

Our baby is growing up too fast! It's crazy how time flies! She just looks huge in so many pictures now, I think she is a toddler! It's hard for me to say this because I still feel that she is my little baby. Here are a few pictures of her now, but really I still think of her as this!

Summer Swimming

Bris and I have had a wonderful time this summer getting to the pool. That is one thing about Utah that I love! There are so many pools around here and they are great for the kids. She absolutely LOVES the water and loves the pool. We have been going every Saturday. It has been my goal since I have gone back to work full time, to make the best out of our weekend. We have been trying to do fun activities every chance we get! How cute is this water baby!! We just wish Sam could join us more often!

Sunday Dinner at Mueller Park

Scott, Michelle, the kiddos, Steve and Chris all came up to Bountiful to join us for a little outing to Mueller Park for a bbq and smores. We had a blast being outdoors, playing in the water, eating yummy food and spending time together. It was great to have them up in our neck of the woods for a night. Thanks guys for the great summer evening!

My 26th Birthday

I had a great 26th birthday this year, thanks to my wonderful husband. He and I both worked on my actual birthday, but we took a day off later that week and had a bunch of fun. We went swimming, shopping and out to eat to my favorite restaurant, Buona Vita. It was a great day! I love spending time with my family and being able to spend the whole day with them, this is rare these days! Thanks hun for the great day!

She's Walking!!

On Sunday, July 10, 2011 our little girl decided it was time to walk. She just turned 14 months and 2 days! Crazy. I love this video. She loves walking now and literally will walk all over the house until she either gets hungry or tired.

Happy Father's Day 2011

This year we celebrated Father's day down at Scott and Michelle's. It is always great seeing these guys. I just want Sam to know what an amazing father he is to our beautiful daughter Bristol. She is so lucky to have you as her daddy. We are both grateful for the example you set in our lives and for the role you play in our home. We love you!

Welcome Jordan James

Our sweet friends, Gary and Jessica Wilkinson, welcomed their baby boy, Jordan James to the world. We were lucky enough to go and visit him when he was just 3 days new. I love sweet little babies, they are just so precious and tender. Jordan was just that. Congratulations you guys! We can't wait to see more of you sweet babe.

June in Oregon

The three of us took a quick, mine was 2 days, trip to Oregon for one of Sam's cousins wedding. We had a wonderful time and it was great to see everyone. We love being in Oregon, its that wonderful feeling of being 'home.' Meagan and Glenn had a beautiful day, it was perfect in Oregon. It was so awesome seeing everyone and spending time with the family. Bristol loved all the attention, something she has become accustomed to! We can't wait to get back there again in August. Tell me again why we left??

Family Fun with the Kelly's

This summer has been a lot of fun with our get-togethers with the whole Kelly family- well a lot of them, that is. With a lot of Sam's cousins down in Provo and in the Salt Lake area, we were able to all get together before Dane and Amy left for Dental school in Boston. It was great seeing everyone and fun to celebrate a few occasions. We love you guys and hope you have a great time in Boston for the next 4 years! I love how Reagan, Kyler and Bristol all love playing together. They are so cute with her! (P.S. notice the two love birds? This was 2 weeks pre-wedding!)

Bristol's Second 1st Birthday

Our friends in Utah wanted us to have a 1st birthday celebration in Utah for Bristol. We decided to meet at a local pizza place and celebrate with our Utah family. It was great to see everyone! Bristol loved it, and especially LOVED the ice cream cake. It was fun to watch her dig in, once again. Thanks to Chris, Debbie and the rest of the awesome Weaver family and Kim for joining us! Bristol loves you guys! (we do too!)

4th Anniversary

Sam and I celebrated our fourth anniversary on May 19th, 2011. We decided to go back to where it all began, Porcipine Grill. We had so much fun going back to that restaurant where we had our very first date back in 2006. That place is wonderful, if you haven't been there before.

I am a very lucky girl to have found this amazing guy! We have had a a great 4 years together. It has just flown.

Happy Mother's Day 2011

We celebrated mother's day in Oregon with my family. We were able to make the trip out to Portland to see our cute friends, Michael, Courtney and their new baby girl, Stella. It was awesome to be able to see them for the quick trip and meet cute Stella. We wish we lived closer, Stella and Bris could have so much fun together!

Bristol is 1!

We had a wonderful first birthday celebration for Bristol. My mom flew us up to HR to spend a long Mother's Day weekend with the whole family. It was awesome! Bristol is way too spoiled, but what do you expect when your the first grand baby and first great-grand baby! It was great seeing everyone and spending time together. Tom and Tracy made the trek up to HR as well to celebrate in the festivities. My grandfather Kelly and Harriett hosted the party and it turned out perfect. Sam said I should be on the TLC show 'Outrageous Kid Parties' with the way this one turned out. I think he was not anticipating how big of a celebration we were making out of this little girls first birthday. She only turns 1, once, right?!?!

05/08/11

Dear Bristol,
   You turned one today! How did this year go by so fast? I have the most vivid memory of the day you were born. I remember holding you for the very first time. You were so little and so very precious. I remember your daddy getting the chance to hold you for his first time. These moments are so special to us. You are so loved by everyone around you and so lucky to have the amazing family you were born to. Your grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and great-aunts and uncles care for you so much. You have been a blessing in all of our lives.
    We are so excited to celebrate this day with you. You are one year old and it is a big moment in your life. You have changed a lot this past month. You still aren't walking, but you are sure trying!

Weight: 19.3                        Height: 32.5in      

•  This month your head did not grow. We are a little concerned, but your doctor said it is okay because you are obviously having no neuro issues. She wants to check it again in a month.
• You love shooting hoops with daddy- Nana bought you your first basketball hoop and you love dunking the ball when daddy lifts you up- You look to mom for a cheer and then you cheer!
• You still love the bath- we need to get you into swimming lessons soon!
• You still hold tight to your rag and bink- they are your comfort zone.
• You are learning to like the foods we eat- it is taking some getting used to, but you are getting there. 
• When you don't want something, you stick your hand out too it. I love that you can now communicate some things to us.
• You are learning Spanish and getting it- Ms. Monica, your teacher, speaks Spanish to you and she says you understand the commands better then when they are in English. Our little bilingua!
• You are still a Mommas girl. And I love it!!
• You have been trying to walk for a month now, still no success. You have taken 1.5 steps on your own, but then you fall. You act to silly when we are practicing and the giggling makes you tumble.
• You are getting your taste of being a little sibling in school- the other kids like to pick on you because you just sit there and take it. You don't fight back at all. 
• You are still the most easy going, happy baby. People tell us ALL the time how you never get upset and cry and how you are just so happy. I guess they don't see you when we leave you with someone else to care for you. You definitely are going through the separation anxiety thing. I guess it was unavoidable!
• You love your books- any book! I love that- you are going to be so studious!!
• Your personality is really starting to show. These are the characteristics we think you have thus far:
• A little more on the shy/timid side- that's more of your father in you.
• Quiet and reserve
• Very sweet
• Giggly and happy
• Independent
• Assertive
• You are saying a few words now:
• Momma
• Dada
• Duck, Duck
• Ahh-da (All done) You can do this sign too!
• Bah (Ball)

    We love you so very much. You are such an amazing daughter and we are so grateful you are in our lives. A whole year has gone by and it feels like a day. Watching you grow and learn is the most rewarding feeling ever. You are a smart little girl and love to learn. I can't wait for the next year and being able to see you grow. I love being your mommy!!


Love always and forever,


Mommy

Easter 2011

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. It was nice because Sam and I both had the day off. We decided to have Sam's cousins and brother over for dinner. We all had a great time. Bristol loved her basket from the Easter bunny and really enjoyed hunting for her eggs.

1st Day of Daycare

I started my new job on April 11, 2011 and Bristol went to her first day of day care. She actually did great, for being with other people for the first time. She just jumped right in a started exploring. It made it a lot easier for me to say bye and head to work. I was lucky enough to stay home with her most of her first 11 months. I ended up getting this great job at the University of Utah in Peds research and it is a great opportunity for me. Daycare was our only option and we found this place in NSL called Kinder Care. I really liked it because they have a curriculum that they put all the kids on, so it is actually more like a school. Since then, she has transferred to a center up closer to the U, with the same type of curriculum, so that I can go and spend my lunch hour with her and we get to spend our travel time together. It has worked out great. It is also a lot smaller and more personal with one on one attention. She loves it and loves learning new things everyday.

Bristol is 11 months

                                                                                                                                 April 8, 2011

Dear Bristol,

            You are 11 months!! Oh my! You are growing into little toddler so fast. You are everywhere in the house, crawling like crazy and jabbering as much as you can possibly get out. You are so sweet with your kisses and hugs and we love you so much.

          
This month:

                        Weight: 19lbs 13oz          Height: 31in

·      You are so socialable when it comes to playing. You are really good at playing side by side with other little ones.
    You love meeting new friends. It is fun so see you interact and jabber with other little kids. 
    You love balls! As you can see in your pictures they make you giggle. You are so good at throwing them, I think it is natural.
    You still love your stuffed animals. It is so cute to see you around them because you hug them so tight and giggle.
    You are still very attached to your rag and bink. You love having them everywhere you go. It is nice to have something that comforts you besides your momma!
    You are starting to say words that associate with the actual object. You still say duck duck for bath, which is all my fault because I always say do you want you duck duck when you go to the bath. But, you are saying dada for dad and momma for mom. You try to say ball, but it's not quite there.
    You love following us around the house. You are very fast at crawling.
    Your first sentence is "Who's that?" and that is because I would take you around to the pictures in the house and ask you that question. It's pretty cute. Sometimes that is the very first thing you say when you wake up. I love it! And, so does everyone else.
    You are very attached to your momma. It makes it hard when you won't even go to daddy.

·      You are learning to use a spoon all by yourself. It’s quite messy when you do so.

·      You are a very picky eater. I wish it wasn’t true, but you will refuse food and just want to snack.

·      You snack a lot! And that is all you like to do.

·      You are loosing all your baby chunk. It makes me sad.

Bristol, we love you so much. I cannot believe in a month you will be 1 already. It is crazy how fast you are growing and how big you are getting. We love you so much and are so grateful for you in our lives.

Love always and forever,

Mommy

Spring Break Visit from The Kellys

Sam's parents came down for spring break. We just had a quick visit with them, since they were spending most of their time in Grand Jct. with Sam's grandparents. It was great to see them and we were able to spend time with Scott, Michelle and the kids as well as Steve.

March Maddness

This is the story of my life right now.. You can't expect anything less when you marry a Kelly. Luckily, I enjoy it too!

10 months.. really?!

I always say this, but honestly 2 more months and I will have a 1 year old. I'm in the midst of party planning and it is just too hard to believe. Bristol is really starting to act so much older, like a little person! It's crazy how that just happens.

Weight: 20lbs        Height:30in

March 8, 2011

Dear Bristol,

What a fun month this has been. So much has happened and you are really starting to become a little girl. You are slipping out of that baby stage so fast and I'm holding on so tight. It's hard to just let it happen, but I guess I don't have a choice. I feel that you are changing and growing so fast. It's just too fast. 

This month you have had so much happen:

• Your great grandma Flory sent you a Valentine's bear and you are inseparable with it. It is so cute, it just makes you feel so much better. You giggle whenever you spot Mr. Bear and then when you grab him you hug him and giggle so hard. I love that!
• You are starting to reach to us so we will either take you from the other or pick you up. That is fun to see.
• You had your first sucker this month. You loved it. You kept taking it out of your mouth and grabbing it then sticking it back in. It was so sweet for you that you were a little overwhelmed. Needless to say it was a huge mess. 
• You are now wanting to only feed yourself. You shake your head when you are done or don't want that food. You are becoming a picky eater.
• You are going through that separation anxiety thing. We were dreading this and hoping you wouldn't, but it's here. I can't even go to my class at the gym without them coming to get me. I hope it goes by soon. I do love that you miss me, but I want you to have fun with other people. 
• You love watching Finding Nemo. I think it is all the colors that are in the film.
• This month you had RSV. It wasn't a horrible case of it but you were still sick for 3 weeks. Then after that you caught a stomach virus that I had which made it go for another week. Poor thing!
• You are starting to show you personality so much now. It is fun to see how giggly and cheerful you are. You are the BEST baby!

Bristol, we love you so much. Your first birthday is right around the corner and I cannot believe it. Where have these 10 months gone? It just goes way too fast. You are turning into a little girl and it is so fun to see this happen. We love you always.

Love,

Mommy