The Wolsey Fam

Its Been Awhile...

2012-01-03T20:59:00.000-05:00

Well if you have been following us and noticed a lack in attention to our blog... it is because life just has NOT stopped in the last 6 mo. I apologize for the massive gap but as life has finally started to settle out into some sort of normalcy I will be on here more often telling all about how hectic life is with two growing toddlers. As for recent pictures... here you go!

Moving Part 2...

2011-08-03T01:13:00.000-04:00

We left NY really ~~early in the morning~~ err... late at night, so we could be to Bradford, Pa early enough in the day to spend some time with my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Tim. My beautiful Aunt Kathy is a wonderful woman and was actually the one who inspired me to become a cheerleader! She has aged so gracefully and her beautiful face reminds me so much of my Grandmother who of which Miss Olivia is named after...

Our two beautiful girls just after they had woken up bright and early!

Ryan decided to take our brand new Pathfinder on a few muddy trails... he was pretty stoked!

I cant decide what is prettier ... my adorable little girl or the breathtaking view of my Aunts property behind her...!

My HAM of a dog Zoe...

Some girl time out on the back deck.

Olivia bribing Daddy and Uncle Tim to push her in the stroller... Uncle Tim gave into the beautiful big blue eyes and she enjoyed every second of it!

Isnt she just adorable!?!? We decided to burn some energy before hopping back into the car for the second leg of our very VERY V E R Y long trip back west!

Saying our goodbyes

Following the signs to Amish Country!!! It was a small detour and we may or may not have gotten lost but it was all worth it!

Best Rest Stops EVER!!! Love these rest stops in Indiana .... The Oasis' are bridges that cross the interstate and have a couple dozen shops, restaurants, vending machines ect. The person who came up with these is a genius!

Saw this in Ohio and HAD to take a picture of it... "Here Comes Martin!!" HAHA

Who needs a yellow brick road when you can follow the red colored road?!

My adorable little giggle monster!

Oh the windmills of Wisconsin... beautiful blue sky and vibrant green grass.

The girls watched a LOT of Finding Nemo and when times got tense ... I just did what Dori kept saying in the movie... "Just keep swimming... just keep swimming..." because it took us two days to get from Bradford, PA to Rapid City, SD... two VERY long days!

Dani

The BIG Move... Part 1

2011-08-01T21:15:00.000-04:00

Before our BIG move to Utah we had a little fun while still in NY... here is proof!

We "played" with crayons... and by played I mean Olivia decided to eat and rub pieces all over her face...

Rolled around our living room... all three of us!

Both girls had their first pedicures!!! (the feet above are Eva's and the tiny princess feet are my now 2yr old Olivia's feet... both girls wear the same size shoes...)

Showed off our toothy grin

Played Peek a boo...

and finally enjoyed a little bit of the NY sun... it may have only been June but man it was HOT!!!

Stay tuned for Part 2... where we ACTUALLY hit the road, Amish country and the beautiful Aunt Kathy's house...

Dani

My Girls

2011-07-31T13:43:00.000-04:00

As I sit here, playing the single mom role while my better half is in NY, feeling my blood pressure rise and wanting to pull my hair out I felt inspired to dwell on how adorable my little girls are.

Little Miss Evelyn has mastered crawling and can do so at the speed of light. Now that that milestone is conquered she has gone on to bigger and faster things. She now stands all by herself and can even walk with something to hold on to. Her big toothy smile blesses our home on a very regular basis! That big toothy grin melts my heart and for both of our sake lowers my blood pressure.

Miss Olivia Mae has filled her places as Big Sister seamlessly. Her inevitable role has brought out her nurturing side as well as her helpful side.Olivia loves helping Ryan and I out by putting her toys away, throwing diapers out, getting things for her sister and helping her out whenever she needs it. Being an independent and fairly self sufficient now 2 year old she thrives upon positive reinforcement and having fun. She has taken a liking to books, The Care Bears, My Little Ponies, Barbies and Babies. Her most recent obsession has been over this little toy camera which she now walks around the house saying "CHEESE" while holding anything up to her eyes... a shoe, one of her ponies, a spoon and if she has nothing near by she uses her forearm.

Although having girls so close in age has plenty of challenges it also has many positives and the biggest of them all is how adorable they are! Nothing helps aid in a quick mood change then Miss Evas dimply and cheeky smile or when Olivia wraps her arms around my neck and lays her head on me. What a wonderful blessing motherhood is to this crazy thing we call life.

Dani

As If Traveling Across The Country With Two Kids Isnt Hard Enough Already...

2011-07-14T00:11:00.000-04:00

This last weekend Ryan, the girls and I were making the last leg of our trip. We had already made it to Washington and enjoyed our week plus there and were now headed to Utah to unload everything but the necessities as well as the dog for our trip to San Diego. We were heading down for two weddings and zipping back in time for Ryan to catch his flight back to NY, where he would pack up our entire house and drive back to Utah.

Now if only it had all gone according as planned...

We had been on the road for about three hours with a LOT less luggage and no Zoe. Ryan had called his sister and made plans to meet up for lunch in St George. Ten minutes away from the restaurant Olivia lets out this whine which is followed quickly by vomit. The smell quickly filled the SUV make those last ten minutes a very long ten minutes! Did I mention I had had to go to the bathroom for close to an hour at that point?! Anyhow... we finally get to Red Robin and I leap out of the car for the bathroom and quickly make my way back to help Ryan. Olivia had yet again thrown up this time it was outside of the car. Our little LivieBug had caught stomach bug and continued to throw up for another couple of hours.

Stephanie offered to let me and the girls stay at her house while Ryan continued on to San Diego for one of the weddings. He quickly returned and when he did Olivia was back to her old self... until she decided to walk on 100+ degree pavement and burn her little tootsies!! Her poor tender feet had blistered from walking for about 60 seconds outside with no shoes on. I turned around to a painful squeal and she was waddling back inside with tears streaming down her face.

The next morning I was hit with the stomach bug and finally pulled myself out of bed at around 3. With it being out last day in St George we packed up the car and began to head North to Salt Lake. 2 hours into our voyage home Ryan had to pull over and empty his entire stomach contents on the side of the road... two more pit stops we finally made it back to West Jordan where Ry spent the night on a giant bean bag.

After a day in West Jordan Ryan boarded a plan and headed yet again back to NY. We are now husband/daddyless and will be until Ryan returns with a Moving truck loaded with all of our belongings.

... and the journey continues...

Dani

On The Road Again...

2011-07-09T16:34:00.000-04:00

Sorry for being MIA... we have been on the road forEVER now. We left the evening of the 21st and havent stopped moving since. Once we settle down for more than a day or two I am planning on posting pictures and boring details about driving across the country with two little babies and a dog... Im sure that sounds like LOADS of fun to everyone reading this. Rest assured we are all doing well and have enjoyed our journey and time with family and friends.

Dani

Happy Mothers Day!

2011-05-07T22:37:00.000-04:00

It is that time of year again... Mothers Day is here upon us! This time around I have TWO beautiful daughters who I marvel at on a daily basis... but I am yet again away from three of the most important women in my life. My amazing Grandmother who is the rock of our entire family. My beautiful Mother who is one of the most loving, loyal and sincere people Ive ever met. As well as my Step Mother who has taught me so many lessons over the mere seven years she has been in my life. They have all been amazing examples to me through out my life and lifted me up in their own unique ways. I am so blessed to have such amazing women in my life who continue to be beacons of light and truth.

Spending yet again another Mothers Day away from my Mothers makes this year a little bit harder to celebrate... all I want is a hug from them... I guess it will just have to wait a few more months. Until then I just wanted to say...

Mom... Thank you...

Sincerely your,

little angel baby, monkey or piglet on the east coast... Dani

Evelyn's 7 Month Pictures

2011-05-07T14:08:00.000-04:00

Miss Eva is growing fast! At 7 months she is sleeping through the night, eating solid foods, sitting on her own, crawling, pulling herself up and even beginning to walk while holding on to things!

She is continuing to develop more and more of her personality but so much of it is already present. Evelyn is our tenderhearted girl... very loving, sweet, kind, and yearns for feeling of being close and cuddling.

Eva has the most heart melting dimple ever... her little two tooth smile melts the heart of anyone within seeing distance.

Little Miss Eva is our little Peanut.

Dani

She's a Fixer Upper

2011-05-06T16:05:00.000-04:00

A few repairs/upgrades to our home ...

Fixing the mess of a plaster job the people did before us.

After (Looks like a cross between stucco and venetian plaster)

Before: Hideous "Rainbows" as I call them.

Close up view of the "rainbows" on our hipped ceiling. If you got to close the texture would stab you in the head! I know you are jealous!

Our new entry way from the garage! It was a beautiful shredded astrotuft and carpet tiles before...

All of the white part was either forest green or brown. It is definitely brighter now!

The previous owners were definitely rebels when it came to the rules of decorating by putting a bedroom fan in the living room...

My handy man in action! You would not believe the intelligence and skill level of the people who installed the previous fan... lets just say a few choice words slipped while uninstalling the old fan.

Our new fan!!! Hey this one is in fact a living room fan... who would have thought!

Finished painting trim... it is called... Coconut Milk! You like?!

Put up the corner molding boxes so we can put up the crown molding. Its all in the details!

I can safely say we have only made a small dent in the things that need to be done... no worries... I know we can do it!

Many MANY more pictures to come as we tackle the rest of our projects head on! Now if only we had done all of this three years ago we could have enjoyed all of this!

Dani

Little Of This Little Of That...

2011-05-06T15:38:00.000-04:00

The New Do... this is my attempt at being "Sassy" ... notice my just take the picture already and get this over with smile. haha.

Watching General Conference (Pictures are kind of late but oh well... )

All three of my girls... Zoe included... Notice Olivias new "smile" ... dont blame me I didnt teach her that! lol

Ryan "Watching" the girls... I am never surprised ... not any more at least.

Olivia was SO excited to open her Easter Card this year. I uploaded a video of her on THIS post.

Miss Eva in one of her Easter Dresses with her first Pigtales!!

Took the girls to see the Easter Bunny...

Our Impromptu Family Photo... SO glad I decided to wear makeup and nice clothes that day!

Dani

Where To Begin...

2011-05-06T14:58:00.000-04:00

Merriam Webster defines Overwhelmed as:

over·whelm

\ˌō-vər-ˈhwelm, -ˈwelm\

1: upset, overthrow

a : to cover over completely : submerge b : to overcome by superior force or numbers c : to overpower in thought or feeling

The other day I had a wonderful visit from my Visiting Teachers. In closing of their visit they asked me the same questions they always ask me. "Is there anything we can do for you?" In my head I always giggle at this and respond with... "well there is a sink full of dirty dishes if you really wanna!" But of course that never leaves my lips.

This time however was different. Deanna phrased the question "I know you are moving soon... is there anything you would like help with? I can come help you do somethings around the house or I can watch the girls for you if that would make it easier for you!" Tears nearly streamed down my face as my blood pressure started to rise while the mile long laundry list of repairs, cleaning, packing and more repairs began to unfold in my mind. My anxiety when from 0-60 in milliseconds and I could feel myself start twitching with the adrenaline.

For those of you who do know me... know that I am a one person show. I grew up as an only child thus resulting in this feeling that I can do everything on my own. I realized I had to swallow my pride and allow my Visiting Teachers to help me... this is what they are here for!

As many of our upgrades have started to take place or have finally been finished, only took us a good three years, I have enlisted the help of those around me.

I couldnt be more thankful for selfless friends and sudo family members. I have been so blessed in the three years we have lived here and as I dragged my feet and prepare myself to wave goodbye I know that someday ... somewhere ... our paths will cross again. Until then ... this momma is gonna be a workaholic... only taking time out of my day to eat, sleep and play with my two amazing daughters.

Olivia's Easter Card!

2011-04-22T14:55:00.001-04:00

You might need to turn the volume up in order to hear everything!

Dani

San Diego

2011-03-23T09:56:00.000-04:00

In February we flew out to San Diego to see Ryan's family and show off the newest part of our family. Ryan's parents offered to buy us plane tickets out to San Diego and after the long cold winter we have had we graciously said yes!

Getting ready to check in for our flight...

The Veteran flier Olivia and the Rookie Evelyn

When we arrived Grandma Trish has Valentines bags waiting for us ... and what was attached to those bags?! Heart shaped balloons of course!! Evelyn LOVED hers and it kept her entertained for hours!

Evelyn met her Grandpa Ken for the first time and both girls took to him immediately

Olivia had fun playing with her cousins and followed Bre around everywhere she went!

It was warm and the sun was shining so we decided to go to Balboa Park...

We took pictures of all of the Grandkids... some turned out...

some didnt...

But most of them were pretty darn cute!

While we were roaming Balboa we stumbled upon a few exotic birds that were on display... one of which made the rounds...

Evelyn was NOT a fan though...

We also met up with my step sister Melissa and her hubby Leland!

Ryan... being Ryan...

It rained for a bit but once the sun came out... so did the LivieBug! She chased around the birds and ran around soaking up the sun!

Uncle Cory took Olivia on the Merry Go Round

Olivia and Dylan enjoying the smaller Merry Go Round.

We had lots of fun and the girls handled the plane ride and long first couple of days like champs! More to come though... our trip was two and a half weeks long so there are PLENTY more pictures to post!

Dani

Oh How Things Change...

2011-03-19T23:03:00.000-04:00

My Little LivieBug:

Little Miss Evelyn:

Oh how time flies...

Dani

Evelyn is SIX MONTHS OLD!!

2011-03-17T21:50:00.000-04:00

Today was Eva's 6 month check up! I cannot believe she is already 6 months old... time has flown by so fast! My girls are getting SO big. Speaking of big... Miss Evelyn's stats for her 6 mo check up today were:

Head: 80%
Weight:70%
Height:100% !!!! <--She is a tall one!

Miss Evelyn handled her shots like a champ and was her cheerful and grinning self for the remainder of the day. Here are some of Eva's 6 month pictures, you know you cant resist the EvieBug ;)

My little wiggle worm couldnt hold still but we were still able to get some really good pictures!

"Mom.... are we done yet?"

"Hey everyone look how big I am getting!"

The best smile from Evelyn thus far!! :)

Dani

Miss Evelyn 5 month pictures!

2011-03-16T14:40:00.000-04:00

Evelyn turned 5 months old the day before we flew to San Diego! It was her first flight and handled it like a champ but our veteran flier Olivia ... not so much.

We didnt catch any smiles but we did later discover why she was gnawing on Olivias pink bracelet so much... She got her very first TOOTH!!! We didnt even know she was teething until her first tooth had broken through the surface. Evelyn is such a happy baby... always smiling, babbling, cooing and getting excited.

Dani

Playin In The Snow...

2011-03-16T14:27:00.000-04:00

There is FAR too much snow in the North East for my liking. It is always beautiful to look at but so cold to be in. If winter wasnt so darn cold Im sure I would enjoy it more. This winter has been an odd one... the first have was mellow with maybe a dusting of snow. That all changed once January hit... snow snow EVERYWHERE! After much, much MUCH snow... we decided that we might as well go out and enjoy it! Olivia got all bundled up and waited patiently until Dad got home from work so she could go play!

Waiting for Dad ...

(Olivia is standing on about 2 1/2 ft of snow with probably an additional foot of snow drifted on the sides of the walk way)

LivieBug on a huge mound of snow... also known as our yard. (Pardon the front of the house we started getting it ready to paint before winter hit)

Olivia didnt know what to think about the snow being taller than her!

Yeah... that is a lot of snow!

She was not a fan of standing out on the top of the snow all by herself ...

This is my favorite picture of the Winter... Below is them zoomed in and cropped! lol

Ryan putting Olivia to work...

She was a little more than tired after playing out in the snow for the first time! Maybe it was all that snow shoveling she did!

Yup... Im gonna go with we wore her out pretty good that day!

Dani

Recent Happenings At The Wolsey Household

2011-01-22T23:19:00.000-05:00

My girls are just so much fun... most of the time. Thankfully I was able to snap a few photos of the girls in their high points...

Like Olivia trying on daddys work boots...

Ronald McDonald comes to mind with those GIANT shoes on my teeny little girl. She sure has a love for shoes and all things pretty.

Olivia has turned the baby swing in the a Big girl swing... except this time around she took a liking to Evas binkie. Livie usually climbs into the swing on her own, pumps her legs to get her swinging and the spouts out "Wee... Wee..."

With winter comes snow and with snow comes... SUPER CUTE HATS! What do you think... is she 100% Huggable or what?!

We have been getting snow every few of days for a couple of weeks now and the snow is piling up. While Ryan was shoveling the drive way I bundled Olivia up and sent her out to help her Papa...

She was doing great for a good long while until she grabbed the snow... and let out an ear curddling scream. Ryan rushed over to see what was wrong and she looked fine. She waddled over to Ryan with tears streaming down her face and Ryan still couldnt figure out what was wrong then she lifter her hands up to Ryan and her poor little fingers where bright red! Apparently Olivia was unaware that snow is really... REALLY cold.

Our absurd amount of snow accumulation over the last couple of weeks... We have about a good 2 feet of snow in some places and luckily we are not in a hurry to use two of our cars...

Dani

Evelyn's 3 Month Pictures

2011-01-22T12:12:00.000-05:00

My sweet little Evelyn is growing so fast and has started smiling, cooing, giggling, rolling over and grabbing on to things. She has such a sweet and cheerful disposition always smiling a big gummy smile.

Dani

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas... Better Late Then Never... Right?!?!

2011-01-21T16:32:00.004-05:00

I know... I know... I know. It is the middle of January and I am just NOW posting about Christmas. After the holidays I was ... burnt out ... to say the least. So catching up on the endless blog entries just didnt seem to rival the need for loafing around. Now that I am completely over loafing around catching up on my blog only seems natural.

Christmas Eve was spent with the family and once the kiddos where in bed finishing up on last minute gifts and stocking stuffers followed by cuddling with the hubby filled the day.

Matching felt flower clips for the girls...

...and a painting for the LivieBug

Eva sporting her Christmas PJ's for her First Christmas

Olivia helping mommy fold laundry ... yes she is wearing daddys (clean) socks on her arms...

Our Stockings... Who wants to guess what stocking is mine and what Ryan put in it?!

Christmas Morning!!! (Im thinking we need to upgrade to a bigger tree)

Ry made Green pancakes for breakfast...

& what did those green pancakes have on them you ask?! Red maple syrup of course!!

It was a delicious breakfast... best Christmas breakfast Ive ever had!

Olivia thought they were pretty darn good too!

One of many gifts Santa brought me... a Bread Machine!!! Which has been used many MANY times! (Santa also brought me 2 beautiful papyrus scroll paintings that are remakes of those in the Pearl of Great Price, which you can see to the left of the picture.)

Ryan being a little over zealous about his new Shirt...

Olivia helping her Daddy open more of his Christmas gifts...

Olivia got some super awesome quiet books ...

Eva got some super cute outfits...

The girls also got blankets, which Olivia is a pretty big fan of as you can see...

They also were given some adorable ornaments from our neighbor!

After opening presents the girls went down for their MUCH needed naps and after Olivia opened her stocking and played with all of her new fun toys!

We then went to a friends house for our Christmas Dinner/Fiesta...

The two newbies of the group... Miss Eva and her friend Karly.

Our Christmas was wonderful... best one we have had in awhile! It was such a blessing to have Ryan home for Thanksgiving, Christmas AND New Years. Thank you so much to all of our wonderful friends and family who helped make our Christmas a good one your gifts, cards and warm wishes were graciously received. Christmas of 2010 was the perfect way to end such a wonderful year!

Dani

Brandon & Rach Part Two...

2011-01-13T11:43:00.000-05:00

While they were out here Rachael & I planned a double date and it we all had SUCH an awesome time. It was like we stepped back a few years to our newlywed phase! We decided to NOT tell the guys about our plans so when we picked up a massive pizza on our way to our destination the guys were definitely confused! We ended up at the newly remodeled and greatly added upon Bowling Alley. We played a couple games, were I to much surprise lost horribly... again. Bowling was followed by ...

BUMPER CARS!!!! We had a BLAST... some more than others... ahem... RYAN. His super awesome driving skills definitely came in handy as he plowed through just about everyone. Me on the other hand had to get a running start but my time was mostly spent doing donuts.

This is my favorite picture of Ryan... haha...

We had SO much fun having Brandon & Rach out here... just what the doctor ordered! So lucky to have such wonderful friends in our lives!

Dani

Brandon & Rach Came For A MUCH Needed Visit!

2011-01-11T18:52:00.000-05:00

While Brandon and Rachael were here one of the places we went to was...

The guys were strutting their stuff... for all in the cave to see.

I felt so TALL...

& so did Ryan...

Once of their tallest formations

The cave had a small stream running through it and this is one of the pictures I took of it that actually turned out... kind of.

Ryan was being bad so we put him in the corner HAHA...

Ok... so that wasnt the case. They called this formation the Pipe Organ and if you sang in it it echoed back at you and through out the whole cave!

Awe that is precious!!!

Pay It Forward 2011!!!

2011-01-06T20:08:00.000-05:00

Pay It Forward 2011. I will send something handmade to the first 5 people to comment on this post. To be eligible you must also post this on your blog, offering the same to 5 other people. Items will be delivered sometime in 2011.
Ready, Set, GO!!!!

Dani

Did I Mention Evelyn's New Favorite Hobby?!

2010-12-20T18:16:00.001-05:00

Evelyn is a VERY happy baby... always smiling and cooing!

This is her being fairly mellow...

So Far This Month We Have...

2010-12-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

***First off... MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!!***

December has been a pretty big milestone for both of our girls!

Had my very first Pony Tail!!!

Helped Mommy fold the laundry...

Started saying Mommy (to Mommy) !!!

Helped Mommy set up for Christmas

Decorated our Christmas Tree

Made Christmas cookies!

Decorated Christmas Cookies...

DEVOURED Christmas Cookies!!!

Looked really cute all bundled up because it is FREEZING outside!

Had people tell me I looked like a little Eskimo...

and finally... ROLLED OVER!!!

And lots lots more... and this month isn't even over yet! Evenly's 3mo pictures will be soon to follow!!

Dani

I Have Had a Few Questions...

2010-12-16T20:44:00.000-05:00

How Did I Do What I Did?

So I have had a more than a few people ask me about my recent Church Activity and how I was able to pull it off. I had A LOT of help from my only committee member as well as my Home teacher and his family. I assigned each Auxilary head their own booth and they had a bare minimum of setting up a table, table cloth & an awning/overhang. The Auxiliary's stopped by periodically throughout the week to set up anywhere from 20 min to 40 min. I however was there, along with my committee member, everyday twice a day for at least a couple hours.

I found the basis for my Activity here. I envisioned a cross between every Old Testament painting I have ever seen and the Disney movie Aladdin. From this point on it was go big or go home... on a very tight shoe string church budget.

I used rolls of brown packing paper to cover the walls and painted a stone wall, palm trees as well as a couple landscapes. We used a pop up canopy for the manger scene and used brown packing paper to draw animals with chalk. We strung twine from screws that are in the upper molding around the cultural center and draped light long lengths of fabric to create a dropped ceiling effect and open air market feeling. Above the fabric we tented christmas lights to look like stars.

Our city gate was made out of moving boxes & chalk boards covered in brown packing paper and painted with rock wall facade. We also stapled a grey fabric that was sponge painted to look like stone to the moving boxes and the corkboard side of the chalk boards to cover the feet & wheels of the chalk boards. Our city Well was a couple of orange drink coolers covered in ... more brown packing paper which we drew stones on and placed them in front of a large fabric backdrop that was sewn together creating a manger scene.

Majority of the store front over hangs were created out of fallen timbers with table cloths draped over top to create a canopy. Christmas lights were strung underneath to create unintrusive lighting since the lights in the gym were off, except for the Christmas lights that were hung from the ceiling to mimic stars. The Inns were made by draping sheets over two pop up canopies Lights were again strung underneath for added lighting. Small round tables and chairs were placed for seating so those who couldnt sit on the floor had a place to comfortably sit. Families were encouraged to bring their own blankets so they had a place to sit and eat in the center of the market.

Signs for each store front were made from poster board, crinkled matte gold tissue paper and letters cut out with a cricket machine. The Census was made from a poster board with a scroll already printed on it and currency was made from decorative glass rocks for vases. I sprayed them with a matte gold spray paint and placed 6 of them in a small resealable plastic jewelry bag.

After approximatively 20 hours of setting up and many many more of planning and getting things ready my final ward activity is done. After nearly three years of planning church parties I couldn't have asked for a better way to go out!

So now you know!

Finally... I Can Breath!

2010-12-12T22:45:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas Ward Activity this year was a time period themed party based around the birth of Christ... Called A Night In Bethlehem. It was the first time I had ever hosted a party that wasnt 100% my own vision... instead I had heard about and researched it from this web site here. I thought doing it this way would decrease the amount of work on my behalf because I was wanting to reduce the stress this time around for the holidays... yeah I was wrong... VERY WRONG! I have NEVER put this much effort into an activity before. I was there everyday the week of setting up, sometimes twice a day. I dragged my poor kiddos to over half of those set up times. After all of the hard work and planning it turned out great! Here are a few pictures of the evening.

Before the crowds!

Centurion standing guard

Ryan & LivieBug

The whole family!

The Inns

The Bishops Bread Bakery

Chalk Mural for the Manger backdrop

Manger, Wells & City Wall

The Census

The "Citizens of Bethlehem"

YM Toy Shop

YW Fruit Market

Bishops Bread Bakery

"Primarily" Crafts Shop

The Sweet Relief Bakery

Me & Vanessa (Mary)

Mary & Joseph

Ryan and a VERY tired Evelyn

Mary, Joseph & Baby Jesus

Good Citizens of Bethlehem

The Skit

The Ward Choir

The Wise men

Dani

Evelyn is 2 months Old!! Where Has The Time Gone?!

2010-11-28T19:04:00.000-05:00

Well it is that time again... Another month has flown by and another one is quickly creeping up! I cannot believe Evelyn is over a month old!?! It seems she is growing fast than Olivia did... mild panic attack!

Evelyn has started smiling, cooing and has one heck of a good grip!

Because of the holidays and Ryans change in shift schedule we had to reschedule her 2 month check up so her stats are yet to be announced BUT here are her super adorable pictures! :)

My favorite picture of the bundle!

Hey Guys!!!

Biggest SMILE of the night!

Evelyn is such a wonderful baby... she sleeps through the night, for the most part, and is easily pacified. She is definitely a daddies girl but sure loves being held by her mommy. There are days where she only wants to be held and other days where she would rather be on the floor on her blanket playing. She has a HUGE smile and graces us with it often. She has started to recognize not only her mommy and daddy but also her sister who LOVES taking care of her! Olivia becomes immediately concerned when her sissy starts to cry and tries to comfort her by sharing her toys... whether that toy is a massive scooter or one of her socks lol.

It is rather interesting to see how two little girls... so close can be so different but so similar. I cannot wait to see what more the future holds for Evelyn and her big sister Olivia! :)

Dani

Halloween, Chili CookOff & Trunk or Treat

2010-11-04T20:49:00.001-04:00

This years Chili Cook Off & Trunk or Treat activity was a HUGE success! We had a massive turnout... Im guessing around 250 people, maybe even more, were there. We had three large long tables crowded with pots of chili and plates of bread and not a bowlful was left over at the end!

This year Ryan and I dressed up as a Cowboy and a Cowgirl...

Like my "Welcome to the Country Music Awards" Hair?!

Evelyn was a Pea in a Pod...

...and Olivia was a little ladybug

Arent they adorable?!

Aside from super cute costumes on super cute kiddos we also had some awesome decorations to go along with our awesome turnout..

Ryan was in charge of creating the amazing and massive spider web that took up the entire ceiling! He really out did him self!!

Our plethora of chili pots... as far as the eye can see!

The awards for Best Bread (Miss Crocker), Hottest Chili (Habanero Hottie) & Best Chili (Best Darn Chili) as well as Best Trunk (Best Junk in the Trunk)!

The LONG line of cars... our whole parking lot was full... plus a few places on the grass.

Our 2010 Best Trunk!

I am so glad I was able to organize and throw this activity and normally I would be glad that it was over but I am kind of sad to see it go. It was a wonderful Chili Cook Off & Trunk or Treat... I couldn't have asked for a better outcome!

Dani

Double Stroller = One Of The Greatest Days Of My Life!

2010-11-02T23:15:00.000-04:00

So recently my Mother In Law offered to buy us a Double Stroller as a gift... and today was the day we got it in the mail! It was like Christmas at our house and I felt like a little kid again tearing into this massive box that was so wonderfully placed at our front door. I have received some wonderful gifts in my life but this one... easily sits at the top for sooo many reasons...biggest reason... FREEDOM!!! I can now leave the house while my hubby is at work and NOT squeeze my two little ones into the single stroller. My baby wrap has been a huge saving grace with the single stroller and two little girls BUT unfortunately I cant always depend on my wrap when out and about... shopping for new clothes was VERY difficult and a sight to be seen haha.

Our MASSIVE present!!

My overly curious daughter checkin it out

Our first test ride...

After all was said and done... this is what kept her occupied for a least an hour... simple pleasures!

Dani

Busy Busy Little Bee

2010-10-25T23:01:00.000-04:00

I have been putting some serious miles on my sewing machine lately and my latest dabbles have been Baby Wraps (which I sell in my Etsy store here), a draft guard for under all of our doors as well as my knock off BabyLegs leg warmers.

My new super comfy Baby Wrap... I am calling it the Cozy Wrap... until someone tells me that name is taken!

Pardon the "nakedness" but my model didnt want to hold still long enough to put her clothes on...

None the less... she did hold still long enough to get her new BabyLegs leg warmers on!!!

I asked Ryan the other day if he ever imagined that I would get as much use out of that sewing machine he bought me for my birthday as it has... he of course said no way... but to be fair I think we are both surprised how much use we have gotten out of it. I am SO grateful for my sewing machine... and even more for my amazing husband how bought it for me! :)

Now if you will all excuse me Im going to go put my sewing machine to good use... again! :)

Dani

Evelyn Grace Wolsey

2010-10-23T21:33:00.000-04:00

Evelyn is now 1 month old and we were able to take her very first monthly chair picture!

At Evelyns most recent appointment she weighted 11lbs 4oz. and has been improving more and more everyday!

Danielle

Fall Time In The ADK...

2010-10-23T20:39:00.000-04:00

I may not be a fan of the winters here or cold weather in general but Fall here really is beautiful. I decided to capitalize on the beautiful fall colors and turned my backyard into photo shoot... Here is what I came up with!

Happy Fall & Happy Halloween!!!

Dani

Olivias One Year Photos

2010-10-08T20:20:00.000-04:00

Better late then never is what I always say. Olivia is 14 months old and unfortunately time just has not been on our side... with finishing up the pregnancy and welcoming baby Evelyn into the world life has been ... BUSY. We were finally able to take a little time on a day that had good enough weather outside to take pictures and were able to get some great shots of the LivieBug. Here she is!

Isnt she cute?! Personally my favorite picture is the one above... Im thinking Beethoven or maybe Einstein... what do you think?!

Danielle

My Favorite Things!!

2010-10-08T20:01:00.000-04:00

So everyone knows that Oprah has an episode she does every year or so where she lists all of her new favorite things and I thought it would be neat if I were to list a few of my new favorite things that I have come across recently.

MyGiveAwayToday.com

Such an awesome web site! I have never actually won anything from here but am constantly introduced to new products and vendors... which isnt always a good thing for my pocket book but hey day dreaming doesn't cost anything!

Welches Essentials White Grape Peach & Mango Juice

It is sooooo delicious and LOADED with extra Vitamins, Calcium and Antioxidants as well as no artificial flavors or sweeteners. Im no super gun ho about All Natural or Organic but hey... if I can buy something that I would have already bought that just happens to be better for me then it is a definite bonus for me and my girls!

NetFlix

Now... we have had NetFlix for awhile but I have recently fallen in love with it ... again! I got curious one day and looked up childrens videos... for Olivia. I found TONS of videos like Baby Einsteins and Brainy Baby so instead of paying a bunch of money for DVD's she may or may not like... I just put it in my queue!

Not only are there educational DVD's for Olivia in my queue but there are also... drum roll please... WORKOUT DVD'S!!! Yay!!! So I snag the new Jillian Micheals work out DVD and if I dont like it or get bored... just trade it in for a different one like belly dancing (wink wink).

The Cozy Wrap

Ok so I know this may be a bit cheesy BUT hear me out... So a lot of you know that I have started making and selling Baby Wraps in my Etsy store. I have named the The Cozy Wrap because, well I needed a name and it just seemed to fit!

I made one for myself and wear it ALL the time... people everywhere have been asking me where I bought my carrier and I for awhile have told them "Oh I just made it myself!" then after much flattery and praise from my hubby I decided that maybe it wouldnt be a bad idea after to sell them in my empty Etsy store.

I own 4 baby carriers and this really is the only one I use. Evelyn is safely tucked in with only enough room for her to breath and wiggle around a little bit. So unlike other carriers when I bend over to grab something off of the floor or am loading the dishwasher I dont have to worry about her flopping around or falling out.

It is SO nice to have my arms back and freedom to get up and move around again instead of being secluded to the couch with a screaming newborn. Not only that but she is MUCH less fussy while in the Cozy Wrap then she is any other place.

DownEast Outfitters Clothing

This (link is located above) is probably my favorite website to drool over clothing and seeing as how I live on the East coast and am no where NEAR one of their stores... I can hit them up online and pick up clothes that I know will fit modestly and be adorable at the same time. I LOVE the fact that they have expanded their clothing line to include coats, jeans and even jewelry. Right now they are actually running a breast cancer awareness promotion where all of their pink tees and camis are only 5 bucks! Sweet deal!

I have SO many other new favorite things that listing them all would take FOREVER... what are some of your favorite things?

Dani

Evelyns Blessing Day

2010-09-26T21:41:00.000-04:00

Sunday, September 19th 2010

Miss Evelyn Grace Wolsey

"Evelyn Grace Wolsey you were named after your grandmother who is a strong and courageous woman. It is with that name you will carry that same courage and strength throughout your life. You will grow to be strong in the gospel and scriptures and a fine decernment between that which is good and that which is not.

You have been chosen to come to the earth at this time in this life, you will be strong and valiant and help spread the gospel to the four corners of the earth. Evelyn you were born to a righteous mother who exudes much dignity continue to look up to her and pattern your life after hers throughout your whole life."

-Dani

Having Dad In Town

2010-09-25T14:49:00.000-04:00

My Dad was able to come out to visit us for two whole weeks and it was great! There is nothing better than a big hug from your dad and mine was long over due! I guess after 2 plus years away from your family it is to be expected though.

His time here in upstate NY was spent mostly right here at home with us or watching Olivia, which Im sure was just sheer torture having the cutest blue eyed blond doting all over him... poor guy didnt stand a chance! He loved every minute of it and she took to him the second she saw him. Other than trying to keep up with our very active 1 yr old my dad was able to help us out a lot around the house... lets just say we put his carpentry skills to good use! He was able to accomplish a lot of the tasks that I hadnt gotten to yet or just didnt have the skill set to do myself.

The whole purpose of him coming out, other than to see me of course, was to be here for the birth of his second granddaughter as well as her baby blessing. It was a wonderful experience to see my father holding his granddaughter for the very first time and the joy the radiated from his face and the close second of seeing my wonderful husband and father standing next to each other in a circle of upstanding men giving Evelyn a blessing and a name.

I couldnt have asked for a better experience and look forward to seeing him hopefully soon... along with the rest of my family.

Picking up Grandpa from the airport

My dad and his girls

We took Dad on a scenic drive along the Hudson River and stopped to soak up the view along the way

Along our route we stopped by a veggie stand that had goats and pigs that you can pet... Olivia really liked the pigs!

You would think Olivia would be screaming in this picture... nope... she was gigging and loudly at that!

In between projects one the house we took dad out to see some of the sights, as much as my pregnant body could handle that is. Congress Park was one of them!

We rode the Carousel ... it is an old wooden one that was build well over 100 yrs ago.

LivieBug and her Grandpa!

9/11 Parade and memorium... we all were wearing patriotic attire but Im pretty sure dads was the most patriotic!

Our last sunday as a family of three and little miss olivia is sporting her Dress I made her along with a super cute look on her face.

Wednesday September 15th... the morning after Miss Evelyn was born and LivieBug and Grandpas first time meeting her.

A VERY proud Grandpa and his newest little grandbaby.

It was great to have my dad in town... he was a huge help and great fun! Love you bunches Papa... cant wait to see you in April! :)

Dani

Welcome Home Miss Baby Evelyn

2010-09-16T22:37:00.000-04:00

SHES HERE!!!

2010-09-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome Welcome

Little Miss Evelyn

Those are in sequential order and there are PLENTY more to come!

:) Welcome to the world Miss Evelyn! :)

Dani

The Waiting Game FINALLY Comes To An End...

2010-09-14T14:52:00.000-04:00

Here I Am ... 39 Weeks 6 Days Pregnant

I have had more nausea, aches, pains, stress, hospital visits and false labor contractions then I would have liked to experience in one pregnancy. A week and day ago Ryan and I packed up the car in the middle of the night to head to the hospital with Olivia in good hands. We got to the hospital only to find out the contractions that were 5 min apart were not accompanied by any dilation... so at around 4 in the morning we headed back home to wait it out. My contractions started just before 10 pm and didnt subside till around 7 am that morning. Not only did I not sleep that night but Ryan had to turn around and go to work after having sat through the failed hospital visit. The irony of the false labor visit was... it was Labor Day.

So this brings me to today... My contractions started at around 7 am and I hand not had a contraction since my fun hospital visit. They went from annoying cramps and many trips to the bathroom to very painful contractions that quickly went from 7-10 min apart to 5 min apart. My dad packed me and Olivia in the car for my Dr visit and by the time I got to the office I asked them where they wanted me at the office or the hospital. A quick review from the Dr and I walked myself across the street to the hospital and was quickly admitted to the Maternity ward. By the time I was changed into my gown Ryan was coming down the hall in his uniform, strait from work. Although I was only dilated to a 2 or 3 they decided to keep me here instead of sending me home and it was a good thing they did because it only took about half an hour to jump up to a 4 and by the time I had my epidural put it I was at a 5. My contractions had become so strong that breathing was nearly impossible and my eyes started to well up.

Now here I lay... playing the waiting game... this time the light at the end of the tunnel is MUCH brighter and with my cocktail of painkillers much more pleasant!

Dont worry... I will keep you all updated... I need to do something while Ryan is tinkering with all of the fun equipment in this room!

Dani

Progress, Progress. Progress...

2010-09-14T14:24:00.000-04:00

So lately I have been incredibly unmotivated... the "nesting" period just did NOT want to kick in... until now! I have been busy as heck with random odd and end projects while simultaneously picking up things in preparation for our little Eva.

Things I have been on the hunt for and FOUND are

A bed for our spare bedroom ( which I found for free on Craigslist and has yet to be painted and have a mattress to go with it)... and at the best price ever... FREE!!!

Second dresser for the girls room (had to be low enough to use as a diaper changing station as well) Found one on craigslist for 20 bucks... everything is in perfect condition I just need to scrape off a few stickers and paint it a nice antique white!
A new diaper pail (Munchkin carries an Arm and Hammer one that has a 5$ coupon out right now that is AMAZING!!!)
A side table or book shelf for the girls room (had to be sturdy enough to withstand kids and capable of having a lamp and humidifier on top)

Before:

After:

A mirror for the wall in the girls room... $3 off of Craigslist... after a quick couple coats of antique white spray paint she was good as new!

before:

after:

Find a pattern for and make a Moby Wrap style baby carrier. I found mine at THIS web site.

Strip off many layers of paint off of a toy chest I found at a garage sale for 7 bucks and repaint it.

(after shot soon to follow... my dad actually restored it to its natural beauty... thank goodness for handy and helpful dads!)

Find a pop up tent small enough for our living room but big enough for two little girls to play in... found one at the town wide garage sale that has all of the princesses on it at a steal of a price... $2!!!

Im finally in a place where I feel somewhat satisfied with the amount of progress and my stingy spending habits have sure saved me a ton of money... it is moments like these that I am glad I grew up in a hard working and creative family... I definitely owe my parents and grandma for those traits! I have tons more pictures to share but for now... these will have to do!

Dani

The Finished Projects!!

2010-08-26T16:24:00.000-04:00

I have been using my "down time" to tackle a few sewing projects. My first big project was making a new high chair cover to replace the old one that falling apart, to say the least.

I figured since I could handle that I could handle a few more smaller projects no problem. So here are my finished products... some took a little bit longer than others due to being at the mercy of the pay check to buy supplies.

Here is Olivia trying on her new dress for the first time... I think she makes a pretty cute little model... what do you think?!

Yay! She likes it! That bow is going to give me some grief though... I am going to be constantly retying it... oh well all in the name of fashion.

Dani

Recent Happenings

2010-08-22T22:52:00.000-04:00

These last few weeks have been so daunting ... I feel I have been exhausted constantly and completely unmotivated and incapable to get enough done around the house. That being said... I have actually accomplished a few things and am so greatful for the energy I do have that has allowed me to get the things done that I have needed to.

We were able to get our house exterminated, finally, to get rid of the crazy amounts of fleas we have been dealing with. After months and months of dealing with them and the countless hours a week to try and make a dent in their presence in our home ... I just could not keep up with them anymore. I guess at 8 months pregnant vacuuming, sweeping and mopping three floors/levels and every room in your house three times a week is a little excessive. But I am glad that it is done and I plan on having them out one more time before the baby is born just to be safe... I mean I did pay for their services after all!

Other happeneings are we finally sold our darn pool!! Our back yard looks huge in comparrison to what it did... who knew having a pool smack dab in the middle of your yard would make it appear so small lol?! We were initially just going to give the darn thing away and have someone come take it apart and haul it away but I posted it Craigslist for 300.00 and after dozens and dozens of emails and phone calls finally found someone who was serious about buying. Him and his wife came over... handed me 300 bucks then took out his tools and started taking it apart. Oh it was glorious to watch that darn thing leave. Way too much work for my liking.

My long awaited Navy Housing Garage Sale was this weekend and it was the cherry on top! Last year I outfitted Olivia for the first 9 months of her life with clothes and other fun things I was able to score at the yard sale... this time I was able to get all the way out to 24 months! I spent about 40 bucks and was able to pick up a years worth of clothing for Olivia, a dozen or so outfits for Evelyn, Electronic/learning toys for Olivia, two bags of soft learning toys for Evelyn, a baby monitor, lamp for the girls' room and foam floor puzzle pieces to cover the girls' bedroom floor.

All of my finds minus the foam puzzle pieces

All of the 18 month clothes sprawled out... definitely the largest pile of clothes!

I have also been tackling my sewing projects... finally. I was able to finish Olivias dress, some burp cloths and binkie leash for a friends baby shower as well as a few taggie toys. The taggie toys are in the middle, the burp cloths and binkie leash on the right and Olivias dress (that I wanted to finish for her birthday... oops!) on the left. All I need to do for her dress is buy a wide ribbon for the neck and it is complete and ready to wear! YAY!

And what is a blog update without pictures of the LivieBug?! She has 6 teeth and has just cut two more on top giving her a grand total of 8 TEETH!!! Crazy to think how big she is getting and how fast this is all happening. Just just got over her first real cold... she was sick for about a week. She had a fever for two days, runny nose, water eyes, cough and just over did not feel well. She was extremely cuddly the first couple of days but after maybe the third day of not feeling well she turned into LivieMonster... and yeah you know those now 8 teeth?! She used them to bite my shoulder for no real reason. She was resting her head on my shoulder as I was walking around and she started to fuss... then bit down. Once she realized what she did hurt her mommy she felt bad, laid her head back down on my shoulder and gave me a hug. Who ever says babies dont know what they are doing ... doesnt have one of their own, either that or they just dont pay enough attention.

Olivia is now back to her normal giggly self and making these last couple weeks of my pregnancy both bitter and sweet. It is tough chasing after an active and VERY strong 1 year old while you are 8 months pregnant and have a limit to the number of times you can bend over in a day but it is sweet to have someone who loves you so much and finds your hugs to be the greatest thing in the world. She may have her moments where she is a daddy's girl but there is no mistaking... this little girl really LOVES her mommy... sometimes a little too much, if that is possible. lol.

I just cant wait to no longer be pregnant so I can actually enjoy the joys of motherhood instead of them being overshadowed by nausea, headaches, heartburn, hormones, fatigue and dont forget the aches and pains that come with pregnancy.

Dani

Happy Birthday Papa!!!

2010-08-15T14:25:00.000-04:00

Boy my dad is sure truckin up there in age...

He is by far one of the best dads a girl could ask for! Thank you Papa for all of the love, support and kind words of wisdom that you have graciously given me and now my growing family over the years. Love you bunches and bunches...

Your little sweetheart,
Dani

My First REAL Sewing Project...

2010-08-05T20:30:00.000-04:00

So a few weeks ago I stumbled upon a high chair re-purposing tutorial (here) and thought to myself... well that would save me a TON of money. Instead of tossing out the hand me down high chair we were given by a good friend of ours before Olivia was born I could just make a new cover for it!

Before:

(This high chair was in MUCH better shape before Olivia got her hands on it.. like the duct tape?!)

After:

(All in all everything took me about 4-5 hours to complete from deconstructing the old cover to make a template from to adding the finishing touches)

I have a few projects I am planning on tackling next... a few baby gifts for some expecting friends, adding some length to our living room curtains, a skirt for Olivia, coordinating quilts and pillows for the girls, replacing the cover/seat for the bouncer we were given from another friend of ours and finally... finishing that darn pillow case dress that I started making for Olivia well before her birthday.

What projects have you been up to?!

Danielle

Interesting New Site...

2010-08-02T12:10:00.002-04:00

gt;

Olivia... A Year in Photos...

2010-08-01T18:37:00.014-04:00

When Olivia was first born I knew right away that I wanted to make sure she was well photographed through out her life and most importantly through her first year of life... some of these pictures I have posted before... a few however have never made it past my pictures file on our laptop. There are no words that can describe mine and Ryan's love for Olivia... so there for there are no words written past the first picture.

Watch Olivia Mae grow from the first sonogram to her First Birthday. (You can even see how Ryan and I have changed in the last year as well... Enjoy! )

Dani

I Have A New Addiction...

2010-07-29T20:22:00.003-04:00

I found a website while hopping from one blog to another and found this site and HAD to share!!!

Here are just a few of the projects I am DIEING to tackle!!!

Craft Organizer... that card table is really starting to get cluttered!

Project Table... The PERFECT Project Table...

Something a little bit more ambitious but TOTALLY do-able... This Pottery Barn inspired King size Farmhouse style bed...

I REALLY love this site... all of the plans are easy to read/understand and FREE!!! Couldnt get much better than that!?

Dani

Olivia Mae's First Birthday!!!

2010-07-28T17:28:00.013-04:00

July 22nd was a BIG day for us a year ago... we welcomed into the world our first child. She has been a pleasure ever since and continues to not only keep us smiling but also on our toes!

Her first birthday party was a lot of fun and Miss Olivia enjoyed every minute of it. I didnt think she would understand what was going on or why there were so many people surrounding her but she enjoyed every last second of it! Here are a few pictures of her very special day.

Kiddie Table with a few of the kids who came

A VERY happy and VERY excited Birthday girl!

Gift Table & the Lady Bug Cakes

Olivia and her first encounters with cake...

Now I know why they call them Smash Cakes...

She LOVED her cake...

Olivia and our Neighbor Ruthie and her niece Willow

The Birthday Girl with majority of the kids, the girls were wearing their Ladybug wings

Ladybug favor bags

Present time!!!

Olivia's captive audience showing off their wings

I think this is by far my favorite picture... Olivia and Ryan have the same facial expression. Apparently she is JUST as excited about the Transformers wrapping paper as her daddy is.

A few of the cards the girls made for her

Olivia got a few books for her birthday and LOVES them all... she carrys this one around with her a lot!

The loot... minus a handful of presents that came after the party. She sure made out like a bandit!

Her Party turned out GREAT and she had a ton of fun! Thank you to all of those who came and shared Olivia's special day with her!

Dani

32 Weeks

2010-07-27T18:12:00.004-04:00

Boy this last week and some change has been busy and tiring to say the least. Between Olivia's First Birthday party, a huge Pioneer Day activity and Ryan's hip surgery life has been... chaotic... to say the least. Amidst all of the running around and sheer chaos I managed to take a half decent picture of myself being pregnant at 32 weeks...

This pregnancy so far has been... work... lots and lots of work. Little Evelyn is just as active as Olivia was but her kicks are much MUCH more painful. So painful in fact that when I told my Doctor at my last visit some of the pains and pressure I was having (at 31 weeks) he decided it would be a good idea just to make sure everything was still intact and where it should be. After a quick check up he said "Well you are not dilating and she has not dropped yet so that is good news but the bad news is there isnt much we can do about the pain and pressure other than just having you try to stay off of your feet as much as you can."

Now that a large chunk of planned events are taken care of spending a little more time off of my feet is a little more reasonable. Thank GOODNESS!!!

Tomorrow will be 33 weeks and my next check up is on the 30th... the last little bit will be over in the blink of an eye. Yikes!!

Playing Catch Up...

2010-07-21T15:38:00.004-04:00

Here are those 11 Month pictures of Olivia I promised a few weeks ago... Our little LivieBug is getting sooo big!!

Well Well Well... Was I Right Or What?!

2010-07-09T12:47:00.006-04:00

Remember this post?!

I was on Craigslist the other day and found (in the FREE section) this antique mahogany leather top side table as well as this antique full size bed frame.

Granted they are both in a need of a little TLC but once we touch up the side table and paint the bed frame a really nice antique white you would never know that I found them for FREE off of Craigslist!

So if you are wanting to score a good deal... check out Craigslist... people are just aching to get rid of their stuff!!! You might just score something this cool ... with a price tag to match! :)

Dani

Some Times You Just Gotta Share!!!

2010-07-09T12:30:00.004-04:00

I found this website that I have TOTALLY FALLEN IN LOVE WITH!!!

(click the link above to check it out for yourself)

It is super handy, well organized... and best yet... FREE!!! What is it?! It is an online recipe box for all of your favorite recipes! You can store your recipes in your free account... snag recipes you like from blogs or other web sites and even share and snag recipes from other members!

There are two ways of inputting your recipes into your own little recipe box... you can type them in by hand OR Save their Browser Button and snag the recipe right from the site you are visiting! The Firefox browser button was broken for awhile and I had to copy and paste my fave recipes from my computer to my account and it is super easy... so inputting by hand isnt nearly as dreadful as I was anticipating. You also have the option to share or keep your recipes to yourself... like my secret enchiladas recipe... he he he.

My favorite part however... is you can select what recipes you would like to make that week and Plummelo will spit you out a GROCERY LIST!!! I have been making a menu by hand and then trying to figure out what I will need for those recipes ... it s a great way to save money and not to spoil food... but this is SOOO much easier!

Hope you all love it as much as I do ... I cannot wait to use the grocery shopping list function... only one week left till I have to go shopping again. I am actually excited about setting up my shopping list!

Let me know if you have checked it out and what you think of it?!

Does anyone else have a fun interesting web site they found and just CANNOT keep to themselves?! Im intrigued to find more!

Dani

Lookin For A Good Deal?! Found It!!

2010-07-05T09:40:00.002-04:00

Many of you know that I LOVE Craigslist. I watch it frequently for good deals and comparable prices to things I am planning on selling.

I have recently noticed a trend that I thought would be helpful to pass along... NO ONE IS BUYING!!! Well as this is kind of a let down for those of us who are desperately trying to selling a few pieces on the site it is GREAT NEWS for those of you who are looking to score some fun things or necessities at a very low price and a negotiable one at that!

If you have never been to Craigslist, or are still really green to the experience, it is very easy and fairly self explanatory. You simply head to Craigslist.org , find your state, select your city (or closest one to you on the list) and finally find the category you are wanting to shop such as Furniture, free, household ect. You also have the option to search for items in a specific category, which is nice if you are scouting out and following certain things. If I am in need of an item... like a double stroller... I will scout out the listings for weeks and bookmark the ones I like... if you see the items not selling or continually dropping in price... then you know asking for a lower price is something that the seller is willing to consider!

Right now is DEFINITELY a buyers market on Craigslist... stuff just isnt selling and buyers really want to get rid of their things.

If you EVER have any questions about Craigslist... let me know... I am on it a few times a day so I am very familiar to shopping and selling. Also you would be surprised what you can find on Craigslist... so dont disregard it because you think that you are looking for something that is too specific... you just might find it!

Dani

Let Freedom Ring!!

2010-07-04T19:54:00.002-04:00

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

The whole family posing for a photo opt... we had to though... this is Olivia's First 4th of July!

Olivia was not a big fan of the loud bangs from the fireworks but still handled them like a champ... nothing that cuddling with mommy couldnt fix!

Daddy pointing out all of the sparkly fireworks... she sure liked all of the glitter!

This is my favorite picture from the evening! He is such a good daddy!

Daddy and Olivia watching the Grand Finale!

We celebrated our 4th of July on the 3rd by attending our local fireworks show here in town... for such a small town it was rather impressive. Our REAL 4th of July was spent at home together as a family and out of the heat! With Ryan working days this 4th of July weekend it kind of put a damper on doing a whole lot but... what we did do was perfect for us. You cant ask for more than family, fun and fireworks! :)

Happy 4th of July everyone... hope yours was safe, fun and full of lots of fun glittery explosions!! Don't forget through all of the fun and food what this holiday was based upon... not just a random day in the middle of the summer... but a day to remember and appreciate our freedoms!

Dani

From a Big Girl Sippy Cup to Her New Big Girl Car Seat!!!

2010-07-02T19:12:00.003-04:00

That is right... our little LivieBug is getting sooo big! Just shy of her 1st birthday she is big enough, and mommy feels it is safe enough, to put her in her super cool big girl car seat! Doesnt she look Stylish?!

Olivia in her new super awesome big girl car seat!

Livie testing out the sleepability of her new car seat... it passed the test!

Dani

29 Weeks... And Still On My Feet...

2010-07-01T16:05:00.004-04:00

29 weeks

Well I realized a few days ago that I havent been the best at taking pictures and posting them of me during this pregnancy... sorry mom and dad.

So here are a few pictures that have been taken over the last few weeks or so...

Getting ready for the day... now that is a big belly!

Some R&R time with Zoe @ 28 weeks

Out front of the Palmyra Temple @ 27 weeks

So far this pregnancy has been the epitome of exhausting... but then again this time around I have a baby that I am chasing around where as before my biggest concern was chasing after Zoe.

My next 4week appointment is tomorrow morning and I will find out my weight and hear the heartbeat as well as any other updates that they might have to share.

I personally am getting to the point where I dont know what I want more... to not be pregnant anymore or to have more time just having one little baby to take care of. As the due date gets closer my anxiety of soon having to chase two little ones around increases exponentially. Nervousness aside I am still incredibly excited to meet our new little bundle of joy as well as give Olivia a playmate... other than Zoe.

Dani

She Did It... FINALLY!

2010-06-26T16:32:00.002-04:00

Olivia has been VERY resistant in transitioning from the bottle to the sippy cup. She is almost a year and it is time to retire the bottle. Aside from her outgrowing her bottle... she has also found a new game... throw the bottle as far as you can. Needless to say the mess of a bottle leaking all over the place was getting to be a bit much for this pregnant mommy to handle.

So a little over a week ago I decided to bite the bullet and give her a sippy cup. I filled it with formula and handed it to her first thing when she woke up expecting her to be hungry and ready to eat... nope. She was hungry... however she did not like this akward and heavy sippy cup I had handed her. After screaming and throwing the new sippy cup across the room I put her in her high chair for breakfast. That poor girl devoured nearly an entire box of cheerios in two days by herself!

My cool and collect facade started to fade by the end of day two so when I woke up the morning of day three Ryan and I made a trip to Target to get a different style of sippy cup because my sanity just couldnt take it anymore. We bought a new sippy cup with a soft tip and no handles... which was also significantly lighter than the others we had bought her.

SUCCESS!!! She was hesitant at first but now... she doesnt even want her bottle... just her big girl sippy cup!

Its moments like these that make the tough times worth it...

Dani

Fathers Day... A Little Bit Late...

2010-06-24T16:24:00.004-04:00

Ryan worked, once again, on Fathers Day. Kind of a bummer that on his first official fathers day he spent it with a bunch of dudes at work on his least favorite shift. So we had to wait till his weekend rolled around to celebrate HIS fathers day.

We woke up, after sleeping in of course!

I made him his favorite breakfast... sourdough french toast with sausage... sorry no bacon we were out.

We then went to the Automobile Museum in Saratoga Spa State Park...

THE Ferrari...
Ryan is jealous that he didnt think of this! Look at her... she is a natural!

He just HAD to try out the virtual race track... boys and their toys haha.

Ryan and Olivia in front of all of the "pretties" as Ry likes to put it.

Ryan and Olivia with the Auto Museum Race Horse

After wards... we strolled the park... visited a few of the springs... headed home and tucked in the LivieBug in bed.

Once Olivia was in bed and asleep... it was movie and cuddle time!

Although it was a laid back day... Ryan wouldnt have wanted it any other way after his previous work week.

Happy Fathers Day Ryan!!! You are the best husband and father a girl could ask for!! :)

Dani

Out To Visit Palmyra

2010-06-24T08:10:00.006-04:00

What a wonderful family experience this trip was. I had everything going against me enjoying my time there... Long drive, pregnant and uncomfortable, sick with a head cold, sleeping over night in a hotel, traveling with a 10 month old... it really should have been a total flop BUT it was a lot of fun and I seemed to have just enough energy to push through the rest of the day.

Ryan's Mom and little brother flew out to see a few of the church's historical sites and so we decided to make the drive out there to see them. Ryan's mom was more than happy to watch Olivia while Ryan and I spent some time in the temple. Our time in the temple was much anticipated and much needed... both Ryan and I left feeling so refreshed and our tolerance levels for surviving out in the world so much higher.

After the temple we visited a few of the sites in Palmyra, like the Grandin Press, Hill Cumorah Visitors Center and the Whitmer Farm. We had been to Palmyra a handful of times before so we decided to visit the places we didnt on our last trip.

Here are the pictures from our trip:

Daddy packing up the LivieBug

Our first stop after arriving to Rochester was to see Grandma Trish!

Dropping off Olivia with Grandma Trish and Jared at the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center

After our temple session Ryan just HAD to have a picture of his "cute pregnant wife"...

Our little Family with BOTH of our girls in the picture!

I let Olivia pick a pansy and this is on the only picture of her where she is NOT eating the flower...

Arent the cute?! The proud Papa and his happy little girl!

Taking a break to get some ice cream...

ICE CREAM COMA!!!

The whole darn gang!!!

Resting for a bit at the David Whitmer Farm

LivieBug mesmerized by her Grandma Trish...

The David Whitmer Home... our last stop before we headed home!!!

Dani

10 Months Old

2010-06-23T21:29:00.003-04:00

Olivia is getting so BIG!!!

This last month has been a BIG growth month for Olivia in very many ways. She is nearly 20lbs. has two full teeth in with two new ones coming in at full speed! She has been getting more gutsy with trying to walk by standing on her own unsupported more often and more firmly. She has been signing for milk and has even traded her bottle in for her big girl sippy cup, but not without lots and lots of resistance.

Olivia has also become more aware of her surroundings, as if she isnt extremely already. She has also begun to play and interact with her toys and using her imagination. Aside from becoming more playful and using her imagination she has also become more cuddly... and no one cuddles with her quiet like her mommy.

My little LivieBug is getting so big so fast!

Dani

Playing Catch Up...

2010-06-23T19:06:00.004-04:00

So ... probably close to a year ago I tried making corn dogs. Ryan really likes them so... being the good wife I am I tried tackling them from scratch. Well... Apparently deep frying was not a talent I was born with because I TOTALLY botched it. I tried again but this time I found a recipe idea for making them in a sandwich maker... easy enough... yeah try number two crashed and burned (literally).

Now I am not one to fail all that often in the cooking department so I soon grew to be mildly obsessed at conquering the battle of deliciously home made corn dogs.

Third try happened this June... I found a recipe on the food network that included a video, see this link for recipe and video.

Third time is a charm! Our corn dogs were a raging success and were so much fun to make. I would say they are some of the best corn dogs we have ever had!! Here is my proof of not totally botching my third attempt at corn dogs.

Deliciousness at its best!!!

Dani

The Little LivieBug

2010-06-18T14:41:00.002-04:00

Our little LivieBug... Watching Her Grow!!!

Olivia is growing so fast and with her 1st birthday just around the corner I thought I would dedicate a post to just her and all of the fun things she has been doing lately.

Recently she has started to be more interactive with everyone... including Zoe. It is lots of fun to watch her play with Zoe... she shares her toys (which we promptly take away from Zoe) and plays fetch with Zoes own chew toys. Toys aside she loves to be around Zoe and flocks to her whenever she can... usually followed by petting her rigorously. Zoe is such a trooper too... she just sits there and takes it with this uncomfortable look on her face like "can i get up now?!".

Olivia is very much so a daddy's girl... she loves her mommy... but no one makes her smile and laugh like her daddy! Time with daddy is special to her and she could spend all day just playing and being tossed around by her daddy. Ryan takes such wonderful care of her and it is so neat to watch his eyes light up when he sees that big grin of hers.

Olivia has also become somewhat of a "ham" ... not in the food department, although she loves a wide variety of food, she has already started to pose for the camera... I know I know... starting her off young. The second she sees the camera this is the grin I get... aside from being incredibly photogenic she has some crazy out of control hair! Her hair is getting so long that we finally have to put it in a pony tail just to keep the hair out of her eyes.

Here she is with her hair in a pony tail before it is tamed... crazy hair she has!!!

Here She is with her hair "tamed" ... ok... I wet it and stuck it strait up to see if it would say... lol... and it for sure did!

Olivia is smart and quarky. She is constantly babbling and singing. Her newest noises are comparable to "monster" noises... they consist mostly of "grrrs", "rawrs", "grunts" and "growls". Aside from being a noisy little girl she has also taken a liking to books ... she will come sit on my lap and with book in hand and pat at it waiting for me to open it up and start reading.

She sure is lots of fun to have! What a blessing it is to see all of the hard work of being a mom rewarded by the heart warming hugs, slobbery kisses and strong desires she has to cuddle and be loved by no one else but me.

Olivias 10 month pictures are soon to be posted... along with a few more updates on our families whereabouts these last couple of weeks.

Dani

Memorial Day Camping...

2010-06-09T15:07:00.004-04:00

On Memorial Day weekend Ryan was working so we went celebrated a few days before by going camping with our good friends Matt & Becky and their daughter Caitlyn.

Olivia did amazing and loved being out there so camping is on the agenda again hopefully soon before it is WAY to uncomfortable for this prego lady to be out there roughin it!

We chose the HOTTEST day to date... I think it even broke the previous record... it was nearly 100 out and that is saying a lot with the humidity. Yuk. Lucky for us our camp site was well shaded so easy to hide out of the sun.

The first night we had an amazing thunder and lightening storm roll over us... Olivia slept through the entire thing! I however didnt sleep real well because I was anticipating Olivia waking up to the thunder.

Night number two was no beuno for me... I ended up getting a massive migraine and it showed no signs of letting up so at around 2 am Ryan packed me, Olivia and Zoe up in the car and we headed home... luckily our friends booked a campsite that was less than 30 min from our house. Ryan stayed with me with me to make sure I was ok and headed back to the camp site early in the morning solo. Finished out his camping experience for the day then packed up all of our camp stuff and headed back home to check on me and the LivieBug.

Here are the pictures of our first family camping experience...

Olivias first time in a pool beating the heat!!

Ryan taking a small tickle break while getting Olivia ready for the day

Heading down to the lake

Hanging out next to the campfire waiting for dinner to be ready.
Olivia hanging out in her pack n play enjoying her hot dog!

Aaaand their out... Cant blame him since he had been up for well over 24hrs at this point. He was supposed to go in and change her and then lay her down for her nap... and this is how I found them. lol

All in all camping was a success. I had fun, Ryan had fun and most importantly Olivia had fun. My bug bite total was 15, Olivia lucked out with only one and Ryan... who knows how many he had.

Now we just need to figure out when we are going again!!

Dani

Most Amazing Purchase... EVER!

2010-05-25T11:20:00.004-04:00

Ok... so this might be a bit biased and over exaggerated BUT I have found some amazing shoes that make walking even at 6 months pregnant and sausage toes a pleasure.

Remember these...

The classic Adidas sandal... One of the most comfortable (ugly none the less ) sandals known to man.

Nike Solarsoft Flip Flops are AMAZING!!!

They are the softest coushy sole I have ever had, have ridges so your feet dont get all sweaty and look like a normal pair of navy blue or brown flip flops.

Apparently they come in womens as well... but I bought mine, that look just like these, in mens knowing that my little piggies would take on crazy amounts of water and no longer fit into my oober adorable stilettos.

Possible discount for all of my friends: Nike.com is selling these for 20 bucks... not bad for an awesome pair of flip flops... I bought mine at Kohls for 15... even better!

Good luck this summer ... hopefully you pick up a pair of these and you can enjoy it even more!

Dani

Birthday meets Mothers Day = Awesome Gift!

2010-05-24T14:25:00.002-04:00

Better Late Than Never... My birthday and mothers day presents were combine this year and after seeing what Ryan was up to... you wont hear any complaints from me! I have been DIEING for a sewing machine for close to a decade now, wow that makes me sound soooo old! Now I finally have one to call my own!! Ryan had ordered it and had to wait... and wait... and wait... till it came in. Little trickster he is pulled a small prank on me.

Well here it is... the newest addition to our family.

It even comes with its own hard cover carrying case... saved me load of money from having to buy one separately!

Isnt she beautiful?! Oh I just get giddy thinking about her... YAY!!! Who wants me to make them something?! lol

I blame this 12"x5" piece of fabric for my sewing fever... I wanted to make Olivia a tag toy so I borrowed a friends from church. Not bad after not having touched a sewing machine in over 5 years. Needless to say... many many more projects will come to pass now that I dont have to beg and plead friends for their sewing machines.

Do any of my crafty friends have a favorite website they visit for craft/sewing tutorials?! I am in major catch up mode at the moment.

Dani

9 Months Old!

2010-05-16T15:34:00.004-04:00

Well... more like 9 months and 3 weeks.

Olivia got a present for turning 9 months, aside from changing out her closet for a landslide of new clothes, which was getting her ears pierced.

She handled it valiantly and the Pediatrician who did the piercing did an excellent job! When we got to the Dr.'s office they weighted her, as usual, and she rang in at a whopping 18.5 lbs. Slowly but surely we are creeping up in weight!

To pay homage to my wonderful Aunt Debbie, who recently lost her battle with cancer, Olivia is wearing one of the dresses that she and her daughter had bought for her just before she was born.

I couldnt decide which picture I liked best so I am posting a few... hope you dont mind.

Dani

22 Weeks... I Feel Like a Blimp Already!

2010-05-15T15:28:00.004-04:00

Ok... So maybe I am not THAT big yet but boy... I am starting to feel it.

At my last appointment we found out that we are having another little girl. Yay! Boy this little girl is a MOVER! She is constantly moving around not an hour passes that she isnt burning some serious calories.

Speaking of Calories... I weight a whopping 154lbs. I have only gained 8 lbs since my pre pregnancy weight. Granted I didnt get down to what I would have liked to but then again I did get pregnant only 4 months after Olivia was born, ugh.

The weather here has been rather cool and I normally wouldnt be thankful for unseasonable cool weather but I would be swollen all over the place if the temperature was higher. I have resorted to flip flops already and even had to go out and buy two new pairs just to get me through the next couple of months.

Well here is the moment you have all been waiting for... my first official pregnancy picture for this pregnancy. I promise to be better these following months of documenting my rapid waist expansion.

(Please ignore my oober attention deprived dog lol... she has to be a part of everything.)

By the way... I am looking for a different stretch mark lotion/cream/oil... Ive used Palmers and it was ok... any suggestions?!

Dani

The Rest of Our BIG Weekend

2010-05-14T20:44:00.003-04:00

Lucky for us both Ryans Birthday and Mothers Day fell on a 4 day weekend for Ryan which meant 4 days of awesomeness celebrating Ryans birthday!

I invited a few of his friends to go with him to Adirondack Extreme click the link to see what crazy stuff he had to do. He called me on his way home and summed up the whole event in "Im sweaty from head to toe, my hip is throbbing... and I had a BLAST!!!" I just laughed because only a guy would so stoked at such self torture.

Mothers Day was spent with sleeping in... I woke up that morning to Ryan taking care of Olivia, he let me sleep it he is so sweet, and sitting on the couch barely moving. I asked him how he was feeling after his extreme ropes course adventure and he replied with... "I cant move... anything".

So a relaxing day at home filled with family and naps is what made up my first official Mothers Day.

Here is Olivia in her ladybug sleeper with her new ear rings!!! :)

Monday was Ryan's Birthday party/ BBQ and the turn out was great! We had a good dozen or so of our closest friends out here ... we ate delicious burgers and dogs ... sang and had cake and ice cream... it was great! Ryan said it was the best birthday he had ever had, sure makes a wife feel good when she throws her husband the Birthday Bash of a lifetime.

There is some SERIOUS heat coming off of that cake!

The birthday boy hammin it up!

This year I decided to make his birthday cake again... it was a two layer chocolate cake with raspberry and fudge filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting. For only being my second cake I have ever made I would say I did a pretty decent job.

Hope all of your Mothers Day weekends went as awesome as ours did... that is going to be the weekend to top for a very long time that is for sure!

Dani

Pictures of Our Little Peanut!!

2010-05-09T11:05:00.003-04:00

Our little Peanuts first photo shoot...

The Ultrasound Tech said it is a 90% chance that we are having another little girl!
Just so I dont Jinx myself I will say... and if that is the case...

Meet Evelyn Grace Wolsey

Her little legs and toes!!!

Her little side profile with her hand under her chin. You can tell that she is going to have daddys nose!

Another side profile of her face... we can already tell that she is going to be an adorable little girl!

We are so excited to have a healthy and strong little girl! Ryan is still rooting for a boy so I guess we are just going to have to try for a boy next time! We got to hear the heart beat again and even watch her moving around on the ultrasound screen... this girl is a MOVER!!! I thought Olivia moved a lot but this one is constantly moving... all day long.. and night long.

It was such a neat experience to have Olivia there with us, she was so well behaved through the whole thing. Soon enough these two girls are going to be laughing and playing together... I cannot wait!

Dani

Well Today Has Sure Been Eventful!!

2010-05-07T15:09:00.003-04:00

Today was a pretty BIG day in our house... This whole weekend in fact! Between Mothers Day, Olivia getting her ears pierced, Ryan's Birthday and finding out the gender of our little peanut we have been FULL of excitement!

Today was Olivia's appointment to get her ears pierced... WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! She is such a trooper and handled the whole thing valiantly! She was more startled by the cold air they used to numb her lobes and the clicking sound of the gun than she was of pain. My little LivieBug is just getting so BIG and looks absolutely adorable with her new earrings.

Now for the REALLY BIG news...

Drum Roll Please...

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(Well we are 90% sure it is a girl)

I know I am slacking in the picture department at the moment but we got home and the CD was blank so we need to run back to the Dr's office to hopefully grab a new one with images on it as well as... Olivia is down for her nap and I havent gotten any pictures of her new earrings yet. SO. the pictures will have to wait a day or so but I promise they ARE coming!!!

Dani

8 mo Pictures

2010-04-28T11:30:00.003-04:00

Well here she is ladies and gents! I have yet to take her 9 mo pictures but then again she did just turn 9 months old. So here our little LivieBug is in a brand new and super cute spring dress after church!

Olivia with her bunny from her Easter Basket and showing off one of her newest skills... clapping.

This is the only smile we got out of her this time around but it is a cute one and we got an added bonus of her waving!

Olivia is doing really well in all of her abilities. At 8 months she was 18 and a half pounds, could crawl faster, pull herself up onto things as well as INTO things, her bottom two teeth finally came in and she started to eat table food like green beans, bananas, apples, cheerios and even pickle slices. I know pickle slices are a little strange but she LOVES them and it isnt much of a surprise with her being my daughter!

Dani

Caught In The Act...

2010-04-25T12:56:00.004-04:00

Olivia has been crawling for couple of months now but speed was never on her side, which I am not complaining about. The last month or so she has been getting into EVERYTHING and here is some of her incriminating evidence!

Exhibit A:
Inside the end table. She must think it is a fort thankfully she wont be able to crawl in much longer!

Exhibit B:
She was being quiet while I was in the kitchen making dinner and this is where I found her!

Exhibit C:
She managed to tip it down and back up again ... she had fun until she realized she couldn't get out.

Other than crawling in and on things she has also been into cupboards and drawers, none of which have anything in them, but with a stern no and removal from the scene of the crime she is beginning to understand where she can and cannot go. Glad she is a quick learner!

Just FYI yes we are aware of how to baby proof a house and no we do not plan on baby proofing our home minus the dangerous stuff (i.e. outlets and cabinets w/ chemicals in them). We figure she will just have to learn for herself that those places are not for playing in... a little restraint and boundaries never hurt anyone.

Dani