Uncle Chris

A week before my parents were due to arrive my younger brother Christopher called asking if I had heard the news. I informed him that I hadn't and he told me that he had bought a plane ticket to come and visit the same time as Mom and Dad so he could see Ethnie. I am so glad that he decided to come! It was so nice to see him as an Uncle.

Just like everyone else Chris was pretty smitten with Peanut from the start. It was a wonderful experience seeing him bond with her and become more and more comfortable around her. At first he'd hand her back after she'd begin to whimper but by the end he was changing diapers, singing songs and giving her lots of snuggles. Not too shabby considering she's only the second baby he's ever held.

The only disadvantage was that Uncle Chris is a little bit boney. Nevertheless she loved being held and all of the attention he'd give her! I just love her little grip on his shirt. So precious!

When he wasn't entertaining Ethnie he was entertaining me. That boy is a character and has an awesome sense of humor. He's never been big on affection however. He's not a big fan of hugs. Here's Mom trying to snuggle like how he does with Ethnie. He's obviously not very impressed! :)

Golly that bed looks comfortable. Chris just couldn't resist the temptation. :)

He also took a TON of pictures of peanut on his phone. I love this one! Her hand just looks so itty bitty!

Chris's favorite picture! The cross eyed poo face. What a princess we have! Thank you so much Uncle Chris for coming to visit us!! We had a lot of fun... but that's another post!! We love you!!!!

Little Bunny

My Favorite Easter

This Easter was my favorite Easter to date. (I didn't think I'd be able to top seeing General Conference on Easter two years ago.) We had the wonderful privilege of blessing precious Ethnie Lauren. It was such a wonderful day filled with the spirit, family, laughter, delicious food and love.

Oh, the dress. I have been envisioning Ethnie's blessing dress for quite some time. I spent several hours trying to find something that I liked. I must admit, I'm not a big fan of the waterfall gowns that stretch on for miles and miles. I wanted something elegant and classy with ruffles and lace. Since Mom Tobler had offered to make the dress I knew I could essentially have anything I wanted. I mean honestly, Mom Tobler can create anything. I showed her a picture off of pinterest, helped pick out the fabric and set her free to do as she wanted.

I can't even begin to describe how much I love this dress. It was so much better than the pictures! It was absolutely perfect and I couldn't have been happier!! Thank you so much Mom Tobler!!! (To see more pictures and read about the creative process visit Mom Toblers Blog)

Ethnie looked fabulous in her dress! She wore little pieces from everyone that she loves. The hair bow was from Oma, the dress from Grandma, the shoes from Mama (I just had to make some matching shoes!!), the bracelet from Aunt Janet, and the blanket from Aunt Nancy. She was so precious!

Our family headed to the temple to take some pictures before her blessing. It was so beautiful outside and the grounds looked wonderful!

Proud Mama and Papa. We sure do love our little princess.

I love the temple. It is such a beautiful place to be. I really enjoyed the experience of having our little family on the temple ground for the first time. It really set the mood for the rest of the afternoon.

I love this picture of Chris. He's such a character! I'm really glad he sacrificed so much to come down and visit us!

Oma & Opa

Three Generations.

Uncle Chris.

Jakob, Ethnie and their circle. Uncle Mark, Opa, Ethnie, Daddy, Grandpa, Uncle Lorin & Bishop Astle.

Since this is our family journal I am going to include what we managed to write down of Ethnie's baby blessing. As I was sitting down before the service I once again caught a glimpse into eternity as we welcomed our family members with joy. I was filled with the spirit as these brethren took our daughter into the priesthood circle and as her father gave her a blessing. It being Easter you think about the Savior more often and his atoning sacrifice. My heart was especially full of gratitude for him and for the plan of salvation. Through him we are able to return to our Father in Heaven and be with our families forever. I couldn't have picked a better Sunday to bless our baby girl. These are some of the things that Jakob said in her blessing.

We bless you with a knowledge that you are a beautiful daughter of Heavenly Father and the love of the only begotten son and that you will return to live with him again. As you remember this truth you will find it a comfort and strength to you as you navigate through this tremulous world. I bless you with a heart that emulates that of the Saviors and that you will be charitable and kind. We bless you with the courage to stand up for what is right and that you will uplift those around you.We bless you that you will find a worthy companion and be sealed in the House of the Lord for all eternity. We bless you with love, that you will love those around you as your family loves you.

Grandma & Grandpa were also the speakers in Sacrament meeting. They made me cry on several occasions. I have been so incredibly blessed with such a wonderful family on both sides!

The three most important men in her life (and mine too!)

Uncle Lorin & Aunt Nancy (Thank you for coming!!!)

The California crew. Chad, Jessica, Uncle Mark, Aunt Brendalee, Jason & Adam. (Thank you so much for making the trip to come and visit!!)

We then headed over to Grandma & Grandpa's for dinner! It was delicious! I hardly got any of the dutch oven potatoes :). Once again a huge thank you to all of those who traveled and participated in making this such a special Easter for Jakob, Ethnie and I.

Popcorn Girl

Once upon a time I took a business class. One of the guest speakers in that class was the owner of the Popcorn Girl. This lady was so full of energy and joy that I decided that I wanted to go and visit her store to see what it was all about. When we moved I discovered that the shop was less than a 2 miles from our home. After a year I finally got to go to Popcorn Girl with my family.

This place was pretty fabulous. You got to have unlimited free samples (which we took advantage of simply because there are soooo many options to choose from) One of my favorites was the S'mores. Delicious. I also got to once again see the owner who informed me that they opened another shop in Henderson and that someone also is opening a Popcorn girl in Qatar. Talk about random but super cool!! It just goes to show that with a dream and hard work anything is possible.

Lots of Cuddles

Over the course of two weeks the only time Ethnie was set down was for dinner and when she slept in her crib at night. That isn't exaggerating either. She was very well loved and got plenty of cuddle time with everyone.

All fresh and clean after a bath. That is my favorite time to cuddle with her. She smells soooo good and she just nestles into your neck. So precious.

I adore this photo of my Dad. It makes me smile every time!

Savoring a few kisses from Daddy. Jakob was exceptionally busy the two weeks may parents were here and by the time he got home most nights peanut was all ready for bed. He sure missed his little girl and would soak up as much time as he could with her since everyone else wanted to be holding her.

Ethnie smiles a lot now and she has no problem sharing them! It's hard not to simply stare at her.

Little baby feet. So darling. Oma was sure to give those little toes lots of kisses.

I think Mom is studying to become a Chiropractor. Not actually, this is what happens when we're fighting over who gets to hold peanut next ;) It is such a miracle watching my family with my daughter. She brings such joy into our lives and I can't imagine not having her. It's amazing how much you can love someone.

The Daddy Do List

Since Jakob is at work and school all of the time he's hardly ever home. The last thing I want to make him do on his day off is trivial things that I can live with around the house or on my car (ie. fixing my radio). So I figured since my father was going to be here for an extended period of time, I should make a little to do list for him. My father is such a handy man. I swear he can fix almost anything and he's very thorough. He pulled out the appliances and cleaned behind them, "fixed" my track lighting (which wasn't lighting at all), hung pictures on the wall and did a makeover on my car!

I needed a few things fixed on my car #1 being my radio. He did a wonderful job. My silly radio is better but something is seriously wrong with it. Thanks for trying Daddy!!! You were such a wonderful help! Both Jakob and I are very thankful!! Love you!!

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Ever since my family has arrived our house has decided to just fall apart. Major buzz kill.

• First we realize there is a leak that goes from our guest shower through our ceiling in the living room. It was obviously a problem before because I took pictures of it when we moved in, I just didn't realize how serious it was.
• The next day my mother is getting out of our master bath shower and feels water all over the floor. Thinking someone must have missed the toilet she yelled downstairs chastising us and began to clean it up (what a saint). When she stuck her foot behind the toilet she felt it drip. One of the bolts had rusted away and was now leaking. We placed a towel down and called once again to have them fix it. Upon returning to the bathroom a few hours later I discovered that the entire floor was soaked, which lifted the flooring making and other project. The poor plumber came to fix the toilet only and he came downstairs announcing he was leaving to get a new toilet tank. We asked him if it had cracked he looked at us clearly frustrated and said "It is now!" Poor guy.
• Our dryer wasn't heating up very hot. It took 3 cycles to cry a load of whites. The technician came and said our ducts were seriously clogged. Fire hazard!!! Yikes!

There are other odds and ends that the maintenance man is coming to repair after a 2 week wait! Good gravy!!! Hopefully that is the end of our unfortunate events for quite some time!!

General Conference

By a show of hands may I please see who loves conference weekend? Me too!! I must admit I just LOVE conference weekend. It doesn't get much better than cuddling up on the couch in your P.J's eating delicious Mom Tobler breakfast while listening to the words of our prophet.

This conference was a little different however, since my family was here we skipped the sleepover and P.J's and came over for a full day of fantastic food which included Mom Tobler cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole, and fruit for breakfast. Soooo good!

Sharing is caring.

The master chef and helper. Golly I love them.

And so it begins <3

There was plenty of cuddle time while we watched and visited. Ethnie's got Opa in a double finger grab.

What a precious girl!

Our little star fish got a little bit sleepy and conked out.

It looks like she wasn't the only sleepy one. :)

We topped off the evening with grilled hamburgers and cheesecake. Yum yum! It was a wonderful conference. I can hardly believe it's already over! Thank you to Mom and Dad Tobler for letting us crash at your place!