*EaStEr*

Easter this year was so much fun! Atley and I had a fun little photo shoot outside in her easter outfit with our friends Tammy and Sadie. Tammy took the pics, while I got the smiles! :) I think she looks so beautiful in this little blue dress. I love having a girl to dress up for Easter! Oh, and I made the bow to match! She was the perfect little model.

Anyone want to tango?

Below, are the pics from Easter day. Just to give some history, my mom always hid our easter baskets for us in the morning, so when we woke up, we had to find them. So...we woke up for church on Sunday morning, and found our easter baskets. Mine was waiting for me at the front door, and Andy's was hidden very well in a closet. Atley's.... well, it was on the counter. She's not really old enough to look for hers yet.

Atley wanted to be the one in the picture to show everyone what SHE got. (she thinks it's alllll hers) As you can see, she got lots of candy ;), a new easter basket (the white one), her dress and bow, and a little stuffed lamb. She looks thrilled, doesn't she?

Later that afternoon, after church, we had our friends Tammy and Steve and their beautiful daughter Sadie over for an Easter dinner and a little egg hunt outside for their toddler. We had so much fun with them!! I made my first Easter ham this year (the good kind of course)... and it was sooo tasty!

It doesn't get much better than having the privilege of going to church on Easter sunday... remembering WHY we really celebrate the holiday. All of the eggs, and candy and baskets are all just little side-bonuses.

This is Atley sitting on our front lawn during the egg hunt. Not much fun when you're not mobile yet! If she weren't so stubborn, maybe she'd be crawling by now... haha. Fine by me though. No one to chase yet. :)

Andy and I on Easter day. We realized (well, okay, I realized) I haven't posted a pic of just us for a long time. So here we are. Haven't changed much... still very much in love. We have the greatest relationship, and have so much fun together.

That concludes our Easter weekend! It was a great one... we had a lot of fun. Happy Easter everyone!!!

CAMBRIA

Yesterday we got to take a little day-trip out to the coast. We went to Cambria and Hearst Castle, and we had so much fun!! The beach was beautiful... windy and a bit chilly... but beautiful. Andy and I used to take these little weekend trips all of the time before we had our sweet little girl to watch over... and now the trips continue. We love traveling and seeing new sights and new things, and now she's finally old enough to take with us!

Mom and Atley on the beach... all cuddled together for warmth!

Atley got to feel the sand in between her toes for the first time yesterday! And dad did it with her... I think this is such a sweet picture of their feet side by side. Atley loved the feeling of the sand on her feet... but got scared when the water got on them.

Daddy holding Atley watching the waves come in and out. Such a peaceful sound, and so peaceful to watch.

Andy took this picture... look at the bottom right. You can see pretty little beach lilies! All different colors!

This is part of the Hearst Castle. This man had a LOT of money. But you know what they say... money can't buy you happiness right? He sounds like he was a miserable old rich man. But he still had a really cool place to live. I will give him that. This is a pic of his indoor pool... 10 feet deep, and the upper level is the kiddie pool. The floor had 24 carat gold!! This is the only indoor picture we got of the castle tour because someone (we won't mention any names) was being noisy, and we had to visit the "nursery" to calm them down.

The castle had beautiful landscaping all around it (of course)... this was an area that overlooked the hills to the west.

This is the casa grande... where he actually lived. He had two guest-houses which were pretty immaculate as well. But this building had the big dining hall, the pool shown above, a huge movie theater, and some other rooms we didn't get to see.

Isn't this a beautiful rose? I just love pictures of flowers.

This is the outdoor pool. Pretty. This guy was super picky and had the construction workers tear it down three times before he liked what he saw... and this is the finished product... because he is dead now.

Atley and Andy right beside the Neptune Pool (shown above).

Daddy and Atley moment. Look at her facial expression. She's so expressive all the time!

Mom and Atley in front of the big outdoor pool at Hearst Castle.

Dad and Atley on the tour bus. As soon as we boarded the bus, Andy and I heard ooooo's and ahhhh's about Atley... and she LOVES the attention. She started smiling and cooing for everyone and waving her arms in big circles. It's always fun to hear complements about your sweet baby and to have people around you who want to help entertain. :)

This picture was taken right before we entered the visitor center. We wanted Atley to have a nice full tummy. A full Atley is a happy Atley.

A beautiful green outlook. Notice the lizard on top of the rock.

Birthdays, Sleep & Fisherman Hats

This is a picture of my friend Alexis, who was turning 30 (and totally doesn't look it). Just the girls went out to a nice dinner one evening to celebrate. It was so much fun!

From left to right: Ola, Jackie, me, and Alexis

Atley gets in such funky positions sometimes when she sleeps. This is one I found her in not too long ago. Haha.

Atley in her sunhat... she looks like a total fisherman here. Grandpa Jensen would be so proud!

Baby Blue's

I know what comes to mind when you read the title... but not those kind of baby blues. I don't need another baby right now... I already have a beautiful one!! Why mess with a good thing? I am talking about her BEAUTIFUL bright blue eyes that seem to get brighter everyday. Every time someone sees her for the first time, I hear "Man, she's going to be a real heartbreaker with those blue eyes." Anyway, see for yourself... her baby blues...

I just really wanted a mommy/Atley picture... I don't have many. I'm the big picture-taker in the fam, so guess who gets left out of most of them? ;)

Cute girl in polka-dots!! Spring is nearly here, and it's getting soooo warm and nice outside! Time to bust out the summer clothes for mom and baby!

Mom rocking her sweet baby to sleep. I love and cherish these moments of holding her so close to me... so still and sweet. I love listening to her breathe, and feeling her little body cuddle up against mine. She's such a sweetheart. This is truly the best thing in the whole world!

Playing with the flower Aunt Rach sent to us... I haven't made a headband out of it yet Rach. I like to have her play with it and look at it too much to make one yet... but I will soon. It's so beautiful! This is Rach's favorite flower... but I really can't spell it off the top of my head, so I won't even attempt it.

AH HAH!!! Here they are! These are what I'm talking about... now you can really see them! Aren't they bright?

Here's me again... I dyed my hair this last week when my parents and sister were out. Well actually, Merissa dyed it. I like how it turned out. I always enjoy a change. You can't see it in this pic, but it sort of has a burgundy tint.

Atley "at work".

Post-sneeze of prunes/apples all over her and I!!

Right before the sneezing incident... she dipped her nose right into the oatmeal headed for her mouth! This picture's funny cause she looks like she has a pointy little nose!!

Hairy Hooey Backscratch

So this last week, my parents came out for a little visit... and Merissa too... being that she was a stow-away. She hid in one of the suitcases I think. Anyway, we LOVED having them here!! Especially since Andy was out of town all week, and Atley and I were lonesome. We were able to have so much fun together during their stay, and I so wish they could have stayed a little longer.
Here are some of my latest pictures...
Atley and I went out for a walk today in the beautiful sunshine... (it was like 70 here today!), and we decided to make a pit-stop at the park and just chill for a few minutes. Atley was so fascinated with the green pokey stuff coming out of the earth... it was funny to watch her touch the grass.
P.S. I'm a total bug-a-phobe, thus why Atley is on a blanket on the grass.

Ahhh... thoughtful baby meditation. She's really embracing the light gusts of wind on her face.

I thought this picture was hilarious... look at her right arm. The stupid stuffed monkey (that I hate by the way because it makes a stupid squawking sound when you hit it), it's arms are wrapped and velcro-ed around her little arm. It must have just stuck there when she was playing with it. And she's just beating her arms round and round in big circles cause she's happy.

This is my mom's beautiful hair! Isn't it gorgeous? Everyone asks her if she colors it, but she doesn't. It's just naturally gorgeous. Anyway, Merissa and I were playing with it this weekend, and I decided to curl it and see what it would look like. She didn't like it... but I do. I totally wish I had her head of hair.

Again, playing with mom's hair. This time for a straighter look. I like it. I think my mom is so beautiful.

Merissa and I also sewed while she was here. I helped her make a purse... the bag on the left. And she taught me how to make hooded towels! We had so much fun!! (a stitch at a time... haha)

This is Merissa and I doing what we do best... shopping. We were in a dressing room trying on and critiqueing each other. I hadn't been shopping forever, so this was so much fun! And I had a babysitter too!!! It's soooo much easier shopping without a baby!! Do we look like sisters?

My dad was taking a little snooze on the couch, and he looked cold because he was uncovered. So I took the liberty of covering him with my favorite blanket... which just happens to be zebra stripes and pink... haha.

Atley right before lunch time... You can see her little bottom teeth really well in this picture, and just this week her two top teeth broke through as well!

This is a picture that I took in our park... I thought it was so cute!

Anyway, this week was good!! But we can't wait for Daddy to come home... only one more day!!

TAGGED...

So I was tagged a couple of weeks ago by Diana to list some random things about myself... so here goes. Random?? No problem. That may as well be my middle name...


1. I am a sucker for any type of fitness program, exercise video or new exercise routine. Right now I am really into resistance training, yoga and running of course. I am also a health-food nut. Anything "granola-girl" is what I really like to eat and makes me feel really good about myself. Sometimes Andy doesn't really appreciate this about me, because I advise him in what he's eating as well. ;)


2. I love having my toenails decorated... and by this I mean glitter, stickers, paint, rhinestones... you name it, I LOVE it!! And Merissa does a fantastic job at this when I get to see her!!! This last summer I also discovered my new love for pedicures!!! Being pregnant is so nice sometimes... it give you such a good excuse to pamper yourself.


3. I love to experiment with my eye makeup. I love new colors of eyeshadows, and new eyeliners. I swear I try a new look just about every week. I just bought two really beautiful shades... really bright purple and a nice irridescent olive green color.


4. Something that really irritates me... people who don't follow through with what they say they will. I can't stand this. If someone tells me they're going to call me or do something for me, I expect a call, or I expect it done. If this happens once, I give them the benefit of the doubt. If it happens more than twice, I start to lose faith in that person's abilities.


5. I love dying my hair. I always try different colors. Some might call it a bit freakish... but I figure if I don't like it, it will always grow out, or I can always change it.


6. Andy and I love to travel. One great thing about living in California is that there is so much to see and do here on the weekends when we're free. Everything in this state is within a days' drive, and this state has so much beautiful scenery and so many state parks. Beautiful mountains, beautiful coasts and beaches, wonderful shopping... :) Enjoy the grandeur while we're here, right?


7. I love days at home with Andy and Atley. My favorite days are when we have absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to be. Andy and I usually watch a movie together, and Atley is always playing and "talking" on the floor somewhere. These are my favorite days.


8. I LOVE the rain!!! Diana, I didn't know we had this in common. Most people don't like it at all, but I love rainy days. They make me so grateful for the roof over my head, and for warmth. I love snuggling underneath a big blanket while it lightening and thunders outside. I also love the way the earth looks and smells after a good rainfall. It smells so fresh and looks renewed and has a new energy about it.


9. I wish I had a European accent. They can make anything sound so glamorous and wonderful. They could tell me I smelled like a piece of smelly turd, and it would sound absolutely exquisite and I would feel so good about myself!! haha.


10. I love to sing and play the piano simultaneously. I miss my piano, and I can't wait until I can finally move it into my home, and we can be together again!!!


11. I love rap music. I know, I know. Why don't you just go ahead and judge me :)... the beat is just so irresistable... and how they talk and rhyme so fast!!! I just can't imagine how it is even possible.


12. I love to watch The Office... I think it is hilarious. But I also love Grey's Anatomy, and Gossip Girl. Gotta get those "lifetime" dramas in.

RaNdOm NeWs

March has officially begun!! I can't believe it... time goes by so quickly. When I was younger, March seemed like such a blah month, just because spring doesn't really officially start until April, and it's warmer in March (in Utah)... but not quite warm enough to be playing outside. Yet, St. Patrick's Day held a little bit of mystery and magic for me.

I believed in the magic of leprechauns. I believed they were teensy little people with red beards and green clothes, and they would watch me... sort of like little elves, except they were really tiny and would hide in our window-wells, and in our lawn. Now that I look back on it, it was probably a little thing my mom would tell us so that we would be good... something to keep us motivated since Christmas had already ended and she had 9 more months to go! Anyway, every St. Patrick's Eve (?), each of the siblings (Ad, Jess, myself and Meriss) would set one of our shoes out on our front porch. In the morning, we would run outside and collect our shoes, and inside them would be chocolate coins and candy... sometimes fun little pencils and stencils and things. I loved this tradition!!! What a way to bring some fun into the holiday... What are some of your St. Patrick traditions?? Please share!! Finished Prada(ct)!! Get it? Finished product?? Anyway, this is the purse I made this last week. My friend Heidi helped me... it was so much fun to make!! And our kids actually behaved for us while we sewed! It was great.

Atley and I after this last Friday night of partying hard at some friends'. Plenty for a baby to look at... balloons, food, music, lots of people. We had so much fun visiting... but it was wayyyy past her bedtime, and believe me, we paid for it the following day! :)

I just thought you would all like to see how she sleeps in her crib. I find this so funny. That little pink bunny is tied onto one corner of her crib, and each night (or nap) when we lay her down, she rolls over and hugs her little pink bunny and snuggles into it. And when we go in to pick her up when she awakens, she hugs it before she leaves the crib. She loves her pink bunny, and this is how she always looks in her crib. So peaceful when asleep. :)

Ha!! Super Atley! Here to save the world! The shirt got stuck on her head before bathtime, and Andy and I couldn't stop laughing. Poor girl didn't know what in the world was going on...

In Andy news, he starts his new job tomorrow, (still within Chevron), but he's going to be a field engineer and work out at the Kern River site, which is on the other side of town. This will be a big change for him because he won't be working with any of the same people any more, and it's a completely different job... and we won't see him for lunches any more :(. He's excited and nervous... and it will be so good when the initial 'first week' is over with.

He's also been extremely busy with scouting for our stake and school as well. Busy man. So it is a treat when Atley and I get to spend time with him!

Good luck this week Andy (Daddy)! We love you!