Balloon Festival

This year we decided to check out the Balloon Festival in Plano.  We thought since Lylah is a little older she would really enjoy it.  We got there a little late and there were TONS of people.  It was really neat to look at all the different kinds of ballons.  They had a ladybug which was my favorite! They decided not to let the balloons up in the air because of the weather but it was still neat to see them all light up.  Overall it was successful and that was my first time to see a hot air ballon in person.  Wow, I am sheltered!

As of Lately

Life has been a bit intense lately and so much is going on in our lives that I find little time to actually sit down and blog. Sean is still working at Popcorn Papa and really liking it. I figured that if I am going to work I might as well make it worth it and so now I am the assistant manager at Palm Beach Tan.  I am making my way to becoming a manager.  I really enjoy what I do and love to SALE the product. I have been thinking a lot lately about how our life now is not really what I planned it to be.  At first it was kind of hard to accept but now that I have accepted it I am ok with it.  I know it sounds so selfish. We found a babysitter who really loves Lylah and her kids love Lylah.  She is very flexible because we both have retail hours and she is willing to watch Lylah anytime.  She has her on a few times a week sometimes for 3 hours and sometimes for 6 hours so not too bad.

Now on to the craziness in our household.  So a couple Sundays ago I had to work from 3-9pm.  I got a phone call from Sean at 7:40 that he was trying to make fried chicken and was heating the oil and while that was happening he went to the restroom and came out finding it on fire and about 4 ft high. (Side note: Sean has cooked with oil like once when he sauted some veggies with were delish and thought it would be fun to try something different with oil.)  His first thought was to get it out of the house because luckily on the pan was on fire.  He grabbed it with his right hand to take  it out the back door, but while doing that the flames and grease burnt his hand pretty bad.Once the flames were out he couldn't do anything to his hand for about 30 min. because the fire alarms where going off, which then woke Lylah up and freaked her out.

I called a friend whose husband is a Dr. and we were able to go over there when I got off for him to have a look at it.  (Side note: I was freaking because I wasn't sure how bad the whole situation was and knowing that Sean and Lylah's new insurance hadn't gone into effect yet.)  Sean ended up having first and second degree burns on his hand.  Poor guy was and still is miserable.  It's been two week and went through a bottle of Naproxen. Sleeps on the couch every night because one night when he tried to sleep in the bed he hit his hand on everything. He has to wear a plastic glove over it at work and that doesn't feel the best.  His had finally looks like skin instead of open flesh and the burns are healing pretty well.  We were very lucky that the house didn't catch on fire and that we only had to replace our microwave and a piece of wood and two air filters.  I was able to get the black off the walls and wood with magic erasers. Love those things.  We do want to really thank Stephanie and Gerardo because when this happened Sean called his dad and they called Steph to pick up the burn ointment to bring over immediately and watch Lylah so we could go to the Dr.  That really helped out a ton.

What is the saying people use? When things happen they all happen at once!  All of us are under the weather right now with a mild cold and on drugs. Poor Lylah has had a rough week, bruise on her face from running into the table, blister on her foot and she wouldn't walk for a day, then she had some kind of rash under her arm pit and luckily the Dr. said it was only contact dermatitis and the cream is working wonderfully.  Sean and I just had to sit down and laugh about everything the other day because this is life.  Its not perfect and never will be.  All of the experiences we go through teach us and we learn and some times it helps put a lot things into perspective.  I know The fire could have been much worse but it wasn't and now it will be a memory that we can look back at and laugh about Sean cooking with oil.

Here are some pics:

 This was a couple hours after it happen. The white is the burn medicine. Not too bad right?

                                                                     Poor microwave

 Good thing the flames didn't get to those cook books or we might have been in trouble

                                                              Bottom of microwave

                                            Before the clean-up besides Sean cleaning the stove

                                                         This was the next day much worse

             And new microwave and cleaned the paint and wood next I just have to repaint the ceiling

The 4th of July

What a busy day we had! It was a great day and had a blast. We started our day off by attending our ward activity at 9am for some breakfast.

I was to over see the Young Women in face painting and they did a great job.

Lylah got her face painted and that wasn't the easiest thing to do, but she looked so cute with a little firework on her cheek.

Then are noon Stephanie and "G" came over and we headed to the pool.  It was nice having them and Sean around because I never get to lay out because it is always just Lylah and I, but this time Sean was there to tend to her so I could soak up a few rays.

After a couple hours of swimming we went home and started preparing the food for our little BBQ. I am terrible at remembering to take pics , so sorry. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, chips and a yummy watermelon and grilled some zucchini and peppers. Mmmmm

At around 6:45 we arrived at our final destination, Rockwall, TX to watch the fireworks.  I new that there was a spray ground there but didn't think that Lylah would get in it since we went swimming earlier that day.  Well we happened to see a few people from church and one of Lylah's babysitters was there and took her to the spray ground.  Any guesses on what came back to me?  A wet baby.  Lylah loves water so I should have known so she got to walk around in her diaper for a while until her dress dried.  haha I love that little girl!

Finally at almost 10 the show started and we had a cranky baby, but we made it through it.  We love this tradition we started last year with Stephanie and Gerardo on the 4th of July and hope to continue it. 

Summa Time!!

I love LOVE love summer time.  I hear people complain all the time about the heat and humidity here in Texas, but I love it.  Ok I don't care for the humidity, but I would rather it be hot outside than cold I know call me crazy.  This summer has been busy and fun thus far. 

Seth graduated from high school, so he is no longer hanging out at the Russell house on the weekends as he has moved up to Utah and we miss that.  It was fun having him around and I know Sean loved it and misses it.  I mean how many episodes of Scrubs or That 70's show can you really watch?! I think I checked the other day and there are 8 Seasons of That 70's Show.  Anywho, Pat and Kim came for a visit when Seth graduated and we had fun having them at our house.  They are great to have around and we miss seeing them all the time.  

Lylah and I go swimming about 2 or 3 times a week with friends.  A friend has a pool at her house and invites people over all the time and I love it.  I love soaking up the rays and getting out of the house and socializing.  Lylah LOVES the water, but is kind of out of control.  I put her in a blow up toy and she hates it she wants to be out and do her own thing.  The problem with that is she is toddler and can't swim. She loves being outside and tries to get out the door anytime we open it. She also loves going on walks around the neighborhood.

Also this summer I got to go to girls camp.  I was only there for one night, but I had a great time.  I have never been before and I really wish I would have gone.  What a great experience it was getting to know the youth better. I love the girls and they try so hard to do what is right. We really have a great group. 

There are more things coming up this summer like going to Utah next week and then Andy and Anjelica's wedding in early August.  I will really try to take pictures and actually blog.  The problem is that I need a new SD card because mine is full and so I have been a bit limited.  

Love Love

THIS little girl!  She is so much fun and full of energy. She has quite the personality and is a social butterfly.  Updates to come on her birthday bashes. I can't believe I have a 1 year old.

Shocked....

So I talked to Sean the other night and mentioned to him about writing a post about some changes in our family.  I am not so sure how to put it or what to really say, so to just lay it out there Sean is no longer working for the Buckle.  This has been super difficult on our family because we feel like a piece of us died. I also feel like we are back a square one.  We have been with Buckle for about 4 years since we got married and it is really of we have known.  We thought that Sean would move up in the company and we relied on it for many things.  Example buying clothes at 40% off, them paying our entire insurance premium, getting an annual bonus, monthly bonuses and more.  We don't really want to go into detail because we are sick of talking about it and if you want to know call Sean.  In short, he was treated poorly and done dirty.  We don't want to talk negative about Buckle because we love it, but things don't always turn out the way you want them. This happened on Friday, April 1st and no it wasn't an April fools joke. I wish though.
Over the years Sean has networked and had several opportunities and decided to work for a friend hopefully soon managing one of their stores.  He started that next Tuesday so we really didn't skip a beat.  We feel as though this has actually been a blessing because now he can finish his education and realize how important it is.  Also he gets to be home more which we love of course.  It is crazy how life changes so fast. I look back a year ago and it was so different not necessary in a good or bad way just different.  One thing I am grateful for is our Heavenly Father and how he watches over us and that if we are doing our PART, then he will step in and bless us. 

Colten's Bday Party

So the night before my sister's wedding rehearsal my nephew Colton had a birthday party.  It was a cool little place with 6 or 7 little blown up slides.  Lylah had fun in the little kiddie one and I had fun in the kid one! haha  I am pretty sure I wasn't suppose to go on the but my niece just insisted that I got with her. Then my sister and I wanted to act like kids again and went down together. Ooohhhh suck rebels. It was great besides that fact that I forgot to raise my arms the 1st time and burned my elbow, that little sucker hurt. I love getting to spend time with my family and we always have so much fun.  Cindy did a great job throwing the party!   

Nephew Mason

Timber and I

Birthday Boy

Samantha and I

Continuation of wedding

Ok so I don't have any pics from the wedding on my camera, but just go to my Facebook if you really want to see them!

My sister did everything very traditional so we had a rehearsal with a dinner afterward, well more like a BBQ. A ton of Brandon's family came from Georgia so there were about 30 of us total.  It was a great time with everyone and Lylah had everyone cracking up.  She is a silly girl and would growl like a tiger at them. She scored major brownie points with me at the BBQ because she gave me kisses.  Anytime I ask her she just acts like she has no idea what I am saying well not that night.  I think she knew everyone was watching!! He had some friends that also came and it was fun chatting about our kids and the things they do.  I think I was chasing Lylah around most of the time, but I still had a great time. 

Sean wasn't able to come because of work and we sure did miss him.  More like I stressed hard core.  I always want things to be perfect and I didn't want anyone else to have the responsibility of watching her, but it all worked out great and she was a great little girl.

Samantha's Wedding

On March 19 my sister and Brandon got married!! YAY!! I am so excited for them, they are so happy and in love.  They met while he was stationed in Wichita Falls going to tech school. For of those of you who don't know what that is it is the step after basic training I think.  They dated while he was there and then he got stationed somewhere on the East Coast and now he is stationed in Japan.  My sister has done so well with him being gone, but it has been hard because she knows that Timber (my niece) , her dad won't allow her to move to Japan so, therefore, my sister can't go. But, when they got back from their honeymoon Timber's dad sat down and talked with them and is letting them move to Japan.  I am so happy that she gets to move and be with her husband, but I am going to miss her terribly.  They will be stationed there for 4 years.  I get sad because I think about when she has another baby, I won't be there or for birthdays and what not.  If you know much about me then you know that I grew up in a small town and didn't really see much of the world until I moved to Utah. Well let's just say my sister hasn't seen much of the world until Brandon and I love that.  I love that she gets to experience different cultures and see the world and that is what she is going to do being a military wife.  I am going to miss all three of them, but so happy because the are just a perfect little family!! I love you sister, you are my best friend. Pictures to come sorry

iPad = laziness

So I realized tonight just how lazy I have gotten with having an iPad in our home. For one i never go up stairs anymore to get on the computer because I can get on the Internet just chillin on the couch or in bed. The bad thing about not going upstairs is that I never upload photos which leads to never posting on our blog. I know ridiculous, huh? I mean get on my blog everyday to see who has updated theirs and what not. My goal is to get a blog and put pics of some things we have done lately within the next two days so stay tuned and I will try not to disappoint.

Bridal and Baby Showers!!

I feel like everyone I know right now is either getting married or having a baby! My sister gets married in March and my sister-in-law gets married in April.  Then our friends Andy and Anjelica are getting married in August. Several of our friends just had or are having babies so it seems like its either a bridal shower or baby shower every month.

A couple weekends ago I threw my sister's bridal shower.  It turned out great and had a lot of wonderful friends help out.  We played a few fun games, but everyone's favorite was when my sister, Samantha, had to answer questions about Brandon and if she got one wrong she had to put a piece of gum in her mouth.  It was hilarious!

I love torturing her, paybacks from when we kids. Yes, she had that much gum in her mouth I started with multiple choice, but she kept getting those right so then I changed it to just having to answer with out any help.

Right when the shower was over, Lylah and I packed up and headed back home for a friend's baby shower.  Audra is from Clovis and that is how we know her.  She moved to Dallas and worked for Sean and threw my baby shower.  They now live in Colorado, but came to Texas for a visit and we loved having them stay with us.  I can't believe she is having a little boy, we can't wait to meet little Jaxon in August! Congrats Audra and Eric.

After that baby shower we headed to Teresa and Craig's house (Sean is best friend's with their daughter Tayler) to play the XBOX connect.  If you haven't ever played it you have to, it is amazing! Their little dog was obsessed with Lylah and kept jumping up on her and following her every where she went.  It was pretty cute.  When we laid her down for bed the dog just waited outside the door until we left.

Seriously, this game is awesome, you don't even have to use a remote.  This is me bowling and Sean is having a dance contest with Lacy. That was pretty funny to watch to bad I didn't record it. Anyway more to come. Aren't you exhauseted from this post because I was pretty pooped when we finally got home and I could go to bed. Enjoy

My other little doggy!!

Lylah is now 10 months and we STILL have ZERO teeth.  The other day Kim asked where her little teether toy is? (the ones that you put in the freezer and they chew on) I hadn't been giving them to Lylah because she never really showed any interest well I think they are exactly what she needs. She crawls, stands, goes where ever she wants with it in her mouth.  She has a pretty good technique at holding it in there with her tongue wrapping around the other side of it. Anyway she is so funny and just cracks me up!

By the way my floor isn't really that dirty as it looks.  Note the blanket on the couch well it has lots of fuzzies after washing it.  I know I am ridiculous!

Texas and Snow.... not a good mix

The past two weeks have been insane.  On Feb 1st, it iced over pretty bad and school and jobs was canceled for four days and then last day it was cancelled we had about 4 to 6 inches snow.  When this happened they did what they call "rolling blackout" so every few hours we would got without power for about 30 min.  Well this killed our internet and cable.  So not only were we stuck at home but we didn't have internet and cable.  Pat, Kim and Seth were staying with us so it wasn't that bad because we got to visit and just relax a little. 

Yesterday at work I had a lady that just moved from Michigan and she pretty much told me we are WIMPS here in Texas.  She couldn't believe we closed our schools down because I guess last week in Michigan they had 19 inches of snow and still went to school.  My only excuse is we (Texas Peeps)  A) don't know how to drive in snow, B) we don't have snow Plows, and C) our buses probably don't know how to drive in it.  Also in Texas it is ICE not just Snow. 

9 months

I know that most of my post are about Lylah these days and what she is into to, but I have forgotten to write down each month and what she does except for in her little baby book, but I figure you all might want to know as well.

She takes (2) 2 hour naps each day. One from 10-12 then the other from 2-4.
Goes to bed pretty much every night around 7:15pm
Sometimes wakes up around 3 or 4 to have a bottle, we have tried braking this, but it is so nice to just feed and go back to bed.
She has been on formula for the past 2 months and seems to like it.
She has breakfast, lunch and dinner with a total of (3) 6 oz bottles.
She weighs 19.13 lbs (65%) and is 27 3/4 inches (60%)
She loves her dad more than anything and has to be with him from the minute he is home till she goes to bed.
She crawls everywhere, but loves to sit on one leg and have the other one either straight out or bent with foot on the ground.
She pulls herself up and starting to walk along the edges and even likes to crawl stairs
She loves her bed and typically goes right to sleep when you lay her down. Only falls asleep in bed or carseat.
She is a chatter box.  Wonder where she gets it from?
We started watched Baby can Read and she knows the word Clap and does it when looking at the word.
Loves the itsy bitsy spider, twinkle twinkle, popcorn popping and many others, but those are her favorites.
Bathtime is her favorite time of the day and could be in there for hours.
Hates when we change her and when we are getting her in her jammies.
She has a short tension span, and moves on the the next thing after only a few minutes.
Loves going to the grocery store with mom and looking at all the people
Her hair is finally long enough on top that we can put it in a ponytail since she pulls off headbands.
Church is exhausting with her because I never really get to stay in the class room
She waves when we say "Hi"
Very happy baby and is a joy to be around.
Still has NO Teeth

We have been so blessed having Lylah in our lives.  She has taught us way more then I think we thought. We love being parents to Lylah and are excited to teach her all the things life has to offer.

Decorations at last

Finally after a year and four months I finally have my living room and dining area somewhat decorated.  Some of you have been asking for pics so here they are.  I love it and everytime I walk inside I tell Sean,"its perfect and it feels so complete!" I know I'm a cheese ball.

Sorry about the fan chains dangling.

This has been finished for a while now. So simple, but I love it!

Bumps, Bruises and Cries.... Oh my!

  Now that little miss Lylah is all over the place and trying to stand up by herself she falls or runs into something quite often.

This is one of her favorite spots and positions. She loves to look outside and see whats going on, but this happens!

 

 

She tries to stand up and this time she fell forward instead of on her bum and got her first little bruise on her forehead . I am sure there are more to come.

Where do I begin...... Christmas!

I am so behind I have been a total slacker, but for good reasons.  One, Sean's parents were in town, second, we had friends in town and come over a few times, plus getting all wrapped up in the craziness of Christmas.  All in all we had a fabulous holiday and enjoyed getting time to spend with family and friends. Get ready for lots of pictures and lots of randomness that you all need to be caught up on.

As most of you know Lylah is crawling everywhere and has been for about 3 weeks now. She loves playing with Abby and following her around, getting into her dog water and just going about anywhere she wants. I will say to her "go get Abby out of her kennel" and she starts crawling right on over there. What a smart baby.

 Not only is she crawling, but trying to stand.  She has done it twice without holding on to anything and pushing up from the floor.

We made it to my Mom then Dad's house for Christmas Eve.  Last year there was a big snow storm and we weren't able to make it.  It was nice to see everyone and my nan got to come home from the nursing home that day to spend time with everyone!

 

 

The next morning we woke up and headed to Grand Prairie to spend Christmas day with Sean's family.  It was nice to relax and not have to worry about much.  Lylah was a spoiled little girl this year!

I love this picture! She sat on a tag and crawled around for a while with it on her booty.  I guess I could be the only one that thinks it is cute and that is ok!

Thank you grammy for my adorable outfits!

Thank you Great Grandma and Grandpa Jensen for the High chair, We ALL love it.

Finally, I was so happy today I finally bought some small ponytail holders to put Lylah's hair up.  She has a mohawk and so I thought we would try something till she gets some more in.

I will try to keep the post coming especially know that Sean has created his own blog, how dare he?!