Camping Trip

So we went on a camping trip a couple of weeks ago and it was so much fun. It was our first time ever together to go camping. Livy loved it but we had to do a lot of watching with her by the fire and walking around everywhere. It gets tiring. She loved the smores the best as did I. Dave and I did tinfoil dinners but we didn't know how long for them to be in there and dave burnt ours quite a bit but he gave me the better of the two cause they were burnt he is a good guy. It was still yummy though. Five friends from the ward came camping with us so it made the conversation a lot of fun and livy to have kids to play with. She loves rocks so much whenever she finds a big rock she has to pick it up. It is quite cute. She finally got asleep on daddys chest and then was put into the pack'n'play which she slept through the whole night but I didn't sleep a wink since I was on the hard ground. Dave slept fine he can sleep anywhere. We then had a lovely breakfast and dave pulled out his handy dandy oven on his little stove top. It was really cool. I will post pictures in a little bit.

The rest of Amanda's videos

Here by popular demand:

This first one may be considered PG-13 so watch it at your own risk.

This video is only 15 seconds, but she kept going for a good couple of minutes.

I think this one was more singing.

Playing peek a boo with the curtains. This wasn't the best peek a boo, but still funny.

My Girls are CRAZY!

I love how Livy's hair looks after you take out the rubber bands, but tonight was especially funny. She kind of looked like a homeless baby. It is hard to see it, but her face is dirty too from a little cookie she had.

This is what Livy does when mommy and daddy say it is bed time, "talk to the hand!"

Livy wants four brothers and sisters just like daddy!

I'm a little homeless baby but still stinking cute.

Hello Everybody!

So yesterday was somewhat eventful in a not so fun way. Amanda and I have been part of some training at her work to make some extra money. They are learning how to do an eye exam called an ERG which involves dialating your eyes and then placing a small sensor on your eye. I have done it three times without any problem, but anyone that knows Amanda knows her eyes can be somewhat temperemental.

In short, they hooked it up too tight and it scratched her corneas. She is just fine now, and will be totally healed within a day or two. It was a little scary and she was understandably freaking out a little because her eyes hurt so much, but I didn't write this to make anyone worry, I wrote it so you could laugh a little.

As many of you know Amanda is very sensitive to pain medication, and she gets really, really funny when she takes them. Since I had nothing else to do at one o'clock in the morning in the emergency room I decided to take video of her on my phone. I made five, but this one is the easiest to see how silly she was. You can't hear it because she is trying to be quiet, but she was singing too. One of her selections was "Puff the Magic Dragon". She also shakes her finger at me telling me not to record her. Enjoy:

Along with her singing and motions she also used the eye-test equipment as a motorcycle, flung around tissues, played peek-a-boo with the curtains, pretended her hands were spiders crawling all over my face, and decided the lady with appendicitis next door needed a hug (luckily she didn't try to do it). It was one of the funniest nights I have had in a very long time, and happily she is going to be just fine. If you want to see more of the videos just let me know and I will text them to you.

Our sweet daughter!

Our daughter is growing up so fast and I can't believe it. We gave her bangs recently and today at church one of the ladies says to me " She has a grown up hairdo now." It made me smile cause she literally has grown up so much. She does the funniest things for instance she loves to put her hands behind her back and contemplate about things it is so cute. I love how she starts laughing at random things and we have no idea what is funny. She is good at giving us her binki in the mornings when she wakes up and if she is not done with it she will run away on the other side of the crib. My favorite things is when I come home she runs to the door and says HI and gives me big squeezes on my legs it melts mommys heart! She loves to jabber all day she talks so much we just don't know what she is saying. She loves saying "woof woof" when she sees a dog I love it and daddy is very proud when she does that. I am posting some pictures from our trip but not my in laws because I am waiting for my sister in law to send me pictures.

My friend michelle, nathan and livy with bangs

Up in the mountains at big cottonwood

Grandpa and Livy taking a stroll!

Grandma Great Hardman and livy!

tickling livy!

Livy and I at my mom's house

trying to get livy to hug brooklyn

Brooklyn loved hugging livy!

Livy, Erika, and Grandma

My brother Rhyan and Livy!

Livy found out she doesn't like dirt!

Livy found dirt and ate it, quite funny she was mad.

Livy likes to put clothes on her head.

Prayers are answered!

This wonderful day came where dave got his condition of release from the marines back to join the air force. Heavenly Father worked our miracle for us and I cannot tell you how blessed I feel right now and know this is the right thing for our family. He has blessed our family by Dave being able to get this on time for the deadline. I want to thank all our family for the prayers they have asked for us for this to happen. I am so happy right now. Now it is just waiting until November to find out if he gets accepted or not. I truly feel he will have no problem and this is what our family is meant to do.

I'm becoming a woman

So I've decided that being a stay at home dad is turning me into a woman. I spent more time crying yesterday than I have in a long time.

First I wrote an email to the widow of a dear friend that died in a bike accident back in June. My family all knew him, but I may have known him best. He was a great man and an amazing friend. He was the one that introduced me to fly fishing as well as just being an inspiration in general. I spent many great days backpacking with him in the Uintahs, and I will always miss him.

I saw his wife on Facebook yesterday and I just really felt like I needed to email her. I pretty much cried the whole time I was writing the email, but it was worth it.

Then I got more information about the application process for the Air Force that was really frustrating and is going to make it even harder to get it all done. So I stopped and said a prayer and cried through that whole thing. On a side note, we got our prayers answered this morning as the paperwork moved to the next level this morning which has taken two and a half months, so we are keeping the hope that it will happen. Any prayers that anybody can spare would be greatly appreciated.

Then I watched a really great movie that I recorded over the weekend called Pride. It is about an all black swim team from Philadelphia and the racial struggle they faced. Again, I cried through most of the end of the movie. I love a good sports movie, and the deeper meaning just added to it.

Then I got an amazing present from my Grandma Drechsel. She recorded and wrote up some of her great spiritual experiences from her amazing life. I read through it last night, and once again I cried even more.

Essentially what I am saying is that I was a cry baby yesterday, but most of it was good crying. Here's to hoping everything works out quickly enough.

ONE year old!

Guess who turned one this week. Olivia! She is such a big girl now and I can't believe how fast one year goes by. We have had so much fun with her. She started walking at ten months. She now runs everywhere and loves to climb on everything. She loves sitting up on the cough and the love sac! She does not take a bottle anymore and no more formula as of this week. Yeah saving money is always nice. She talks all the time but mostly gibberish. She loves to wave Hi and Bye bye to anyone by her. She likes to give us slobbery kisses which I love. She is starting to be more cuddly which I am loving since she never has been when she was a newborn. She is so easy to put to sleep and sleeps from seven till seven thirty in the morning. She giggles at anything you do and makes the cutest faces. I am writing this all down so I can remember the things at this time she is doing. We are so happy she is in our lifes. As for Dave and I we are moving into a new apartment soon so we are going to start packing away. Livy and I started a mommy and me swimming class and I love it she has so much fun and is the loudest child in the class. I feel bad for the teacher but what can I say she likes to speak her mind all the time. Dave is off to drill this weekend and is going to the Texas Rangers vs. Red Sox and I am so mad that I couldn't go since that is my team. All I can say is the Red Sox better beat them now that I couldn't go just to get him back.