Silly Lily

Easter Weekend!

2010-04-30T21:50:00.005-06:00

I was quite brave, I must admit, the Friday before Easter and volunteered to have some friends & kiddos come over to the house for Easter egg dying activity. Ya, what was I thinking? I know.

However, we all were pleasantly surprised and pleasantly proud of our lil' terror children who, by some miracle, did not end up dying my table, by couch, any of the moms clothing, and to Cash's happiness, not him.

Although I give the braveness award to great friend, Shauna, who helped Lily dye all of her eggs...uh, not that Sha had a choice. Lil just sat right up on her lap and wouldn't take no for an answer...she's a bossy lil' thing. Thank you Shauna! (big thanks, cuz that meant more mimosas for me!)

Vaughn especially loves Easter activities!

And who knew I invited Martha Stewart over? Brooke not only baked cookies that morning (what happened to the cheating ways of store bought?!) but she put them in a cute wicker basket with a fashionable striped kitchen towel to keep them warm and of course, presentation, presentation, presentation. What?! Who are you?

And we could tell Gretts was a seasoned "kids activity" mom; hence, just taking Gagey's shirt off right away to avoid stains. Smart lady, she is.

And who brought this hooligan?! Oh 3-year-olds - the discovery of making funny faces for the camera is priceless.

We love that Koa!

And Easter Weekend continues with family fun! A few pics from our Easter Brunch...

Lil 110% hearts her Auntie Laura!

Now here's a motley crew

Our sweet tiny Lydia - love her!

So we have yet another Martha in our lives...check out all the hats the kids are wearing! Melissa made bunny beanies for everyone which were just absolutely adorable...adorable! Thanks Meliss!!

Megan! It's your turn!!

2010-04-30T21:31:00.003-06:00

Megan - if you're reading this blog, this is your shout out from the Bartons! It's your turn to visit Utah...you said you were coming!! Have I guilted you enough yet?

Well if not, I'm playing dirty now....I know you hate to be left out, so let me just show you how much fun we had when Sar & James came to visit! (Sarah also straight up slipped this night up in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival...there's always comic relief when Sar's around - love her!)

Much to your surprise, Utah does in fact serve very large beers...

Kenny and I are patiently waiting...

Because tutus are fun

2010-04-30T21:07:00.003-06:00

Lily is lucky enough to have awesome Auntie Sydney who sends some dang cute presents...oh uh, and Uncle Branden, too, of course. :) This fancy orange tutu is just one of those to show off! Why should every girl own a tutu? Let's list a few reasons...

First and foremost - they just make a girl smile!

You get to twirl and twirl while staring in the mirror to admire how it floats up!

Because your friends wish they had one...

When you crawl up on a couch, a chair, a bed, etc, all those tulles layers up in the air with a cute tush exposed is just to die for!
And finally, why every girl needs a tutu? Because they can convince even the toughest of dads for just one more piece of candy!

Oh George W...

2010-04-30T20:57:00.003-06:00

A girl after my own heart...Ken gave me this birthday card last year and I've kept it because it's one of my absolute favorites. Well, come to find out, Lil finds the humor in it as well.

Full disclosure of the card:

(On the front featuring our former President Bush)

"My fellow Americans, we're at war, the price of gas continues to rise, and social security will run out in a few years, but, don't worry -- I do have some good news...

(open the card and W's voice says...)

"I've save a bunch of money on my car insurance!"

(taken, of course, from the Geico commercials! Now go watch the video again and laugh with Lil some more!)

And why do we swim in the ocean?

2010-04-30T20:41:00.003-06:00

Lil and I ventured down to the dinosaur museum awhile ago with our cool mama-kid pals. I'm fine with staring at giant monsters that have been long since extinct, but then much to my surprise and fear, we came upon this...

Apparently, this GIANGANTIC shark (with some name that I could never attempt to spell or remember for that matter) once lived in the ocean, but scientists know little about it. So since they don't know much about it, how the hell do they know it doesn't still live in the ocean? This is why I prefer lakes to the ocean.

Kid Free and Zac Brown Concert Night!

2010-03-28T14:15:00.008-06:00

Lucky for Ken & I and Gretts & T-Bone, we have wonderful families who babysit for us so we can enjoy a night out once in awhile! And so we were off to the Zac Brown concert at the newly opened Rail Events Center a couple of weekends ago...Zac - awesome! Venue - sucked!! But that's another story.

Funny, several photos felt like I'd seen them before...similar smiles, similar lighting, similar progression of worsening as the night went on. Kenny Chesney???

Early in the night...

Later in the night...

Early concert

During concert

(yes that is a very pregnant Gretchen dancing on a piano bench! Hey, it was the only way we could see...hence the comment about the venue sucking!)

End concert...

At least someone is resting around here...thanks for watching Lil, boys!!

Bull Riding Anyone?

2010-03-28T14:08:00.003-06:00

And by bull, I mean Cash the Black Lab.

Oh Cash, you are the best and most patient and most chill dog in the world!

That is for about 30 seconds....30 seconds of Lily jumping up and down yelling and pulling. About 28 more patient seconds than Ken would have allowed!

Sit Down Family Dinners? Ya right!

2010-03-28T13:51:00.004-06:00

Fortunately for all of you this video cuts out; unfortunately, for Ken and I, the video is in fact real life, every night, 7 nights a week, 4 weeks in a month...you get the picture. However, this brief preview gives you an idea as to how our "family" dinners are going these days. So moms and dads out there, when does this stage pass???

Oh we love our lil' Lil...

America's Best Dance Crew

2010-03-15T21:44:00.003-06:00

As many have seen or heard, our lil' dancin' diva starts shaking her booty anytime the music comes on! And this night proved to be no different as she and I kicked on American's Best Dance Crew while Ken was out of town. A girl's night out! However, it came to an abrupt end...watch closely to see why... (if you can put this in slow motion, do it on the 2nd go around!)

(and it's ok if you giggle or just straight up laugh out loud because her caring and loving mother couldn't wait to play it back...so much so, I was laughing before I hit play! BUT only after I knew it was just her pride that was hurt!!!!! I swear!!!!!)

New Trends Just In

2010-03-04T22:30:00.013-07:00

The do's and dont's of this season's fashion trends...

Do: Shades are always in, no matter the year, the era, the season!

Don't: You can accessorize with a hair clip or two; more than that and it gets a little...crowded.

Do: Wear polka dots at age 1.

Don't: Not if you're carrying a 1-year-old. Never.

Do: Layer! Always in fashion,while also practical in the Winter season

Don't: Put too many layers on with mismatching patterns and colors, even Lil knows this fashion basic!

And the hot, new trend for hair styling this season...get ready...

Orange Juice!

You want that mane to stay put when you're out on the town? Just peel an orange and rub it in and watch the style begin...

And as always, DO have your best Zoolander pose ready for those cameras!

Happy Dressing!

Welcome to the World Miss Lydia Barton!

2010-03-04T22:08:00.004-07:00

Ken's brother, Rick and our sis-in-law Melissa, recently welcomed the oh-so-cute, oh-so-tiny and yeah another girl to the Barton Family...Lydia! She joined us on January 4th and has already given her mom and dad and the rest of the fam a big scare! Lydia had RSV at only 2 weeks old but thank goodness is totally healthy now, totally smiling, and totally bringing joy to our lives!

And Lydia has one big fan already! Lily just loves her and is always so curious about what she's doing...totally cute. In fact, the other day, Lil kept "lovin" Lydia's feet as she slept in her bouncy chair. We were working really hard to convince Lil of just lovin' her feet and not her face and such...it worked - pretty well!

A Day At the Farm

2010-02-20T13:37:00.010-07:00

So some of us mamas decided to start getting together on Fridays with the kiddos, so the little ones can all play together...that's the cover story. The real story, so us moms can get together and have some girl gab time and not go kid crazy!

This was our first get together...Wheeler Farm...5 crazy kids...a gazillion crazier geese or ducks or some sort of psycho cross breed! These things are scary!

More weird birds...this time, chickens and roosters and why the hell do our kids all love them? They are kinda' gross...and yet, we eat them. Same with the pigs! Maybe I should stop going to the Farm??

K, this is just too cute of a photo! And that is our friend Shauna way down the road chasing all these rugrats down!

We decided to cage up all the animals! :)

More scary goose time...

Lil was just trying to be like the multi-colored horse w/ her outfit!

There's No Place Like Home...and PJs

2010-02-18T21:34:00.005-07:00

Thanks to good friends, the Amideis, Lily wakes up every morning and has her dreams come true! She gets to put on her fancy red squeaky shoes...pajamas and all! Ken and I "get" to be awakened by Lily yelling out to us...when we walk in, she's standing in the crib with a big smile and then, we either see her signing "eat" (this kid is a garbage disposal!) or pointing to her closet "eh-eh-eh"'ing for none other than her red shoes. We oblige and help her put them on...and the rest of the morning consists of loud squeaks (more of a honk at this hour!) and dancing...could be loudly annoying in the a.m., however, then when you see that smile, somehow the squeaking becomes hilarious and almost welcomed!

Squeaking in the kitchen!

This particular morning, her shoes needed an accessory...her red Christmas coat given by Auntie Sydney

At her best, dancing in the kitchen!

I Got My 2 Front Teeffff

2010-02-04T08:21:00.002-07:00

Finally! Lily has two more teeth! Her two front teeth broke through last week and Ken is nervous that she will have his same middle gap. I told him there is time for those to push together, however, if they don't, and his fake little piece of tooth should fall out...oh the jokes that will fly in this house. (I'm secretly hoping it all happens...but then for Lil's sake and our pocket book, hers will push together and somehow Kenny can pop his piece back in!)

A quick look back at Winter '09

2009-12-30T15:30:00.010-07:00

Watching the tube with Grandpa Jim...some really educational kids cartoon, I'm sure! Or, my money is on a duck hunting show...well at least we know Lily will be able to shoot a duck 500 yards away!

So much fun with Auntie Laura!

Cohen has no idea why his Cousin Lily is so loud??? Just sit there and smile like me & Grammie, he says!
Of course Grandma Linda spoiled the grandkids (and kids for that matter) way, way too much! Thank you Grandma Linda and Grandpa Bill!
Christmas time ='s Christmas outfit! provided by Auntie Sydney and the squeaky shoes from great friends Brooke, Tom, and Vaughn Amidei! Way, way too cute!

"I got your nose!" A great game Great Grandma Jay taught Lil who still plays this with Ken and I...in fact, when we look at photos of Great Grandma Jay Lily starts leaning into my hand to grab her nose! Ahhh the trickery we play on kids...whatever, if it keeps them entertained, go for it!

I turned one! Here's Lil at her one-year-old doctor's appointment...holy big girl! I cannot even believe it!

Chillin' with Cousin T (Tristan)...before the weather went cold for winter, we were able to have brunch at our house for (if my memory serves me right, yes yes I know I should keep up on this blog stuff better - i hear ya Grandpa Jim and Grandma Sheryl!) Laura and Bob's birthdays in November. Lil absolutely adores her cousins!!

Lily Turns One!

2009-12-01T13:08:00.003-07:00

Sneak Peak on Lily's TWO birthday parties she had! more to come!

Sundance in the Fall, ahhhh beautiful!

2009-11-08T20:55:00.031-07:00

Thank goodness for rich people that make impractical decisions! So one of Ken's clients bought this crazy big pick up truck which serves no real purpose except that it's cool...but because of that, we get to stay at his cool, quaint cabin-like condo in Sundance! Thank you Boyd! Actually, he's a very nice guy and he has been generous enough to let us use his condo twice now and we've enjoyed it tremendously. Here's a few photos (or a lot) of a gorgeous October weekend and an even more gorgeous little girl (not bias at all!).

Sportin' her cute new snow hat...she's looks so innocent and passive in this photo. Looks can be deceiving!
We had a fantastic view from the deck of the condo...amazing what Mother Nature can create, all natural, of course.

Our mornings were quite relaxing (especially after a few of those tasty beverages above) and peaceful. Who knew picking up leaves and dropping them into the hot tub could be so entertaining?! Drop your bagged leaves at our house!

Although, not so relaxing...chasing her and fishing out those leaves and sticks and dirt and pretty much anything she could pick up out of her mouth. Did I say relaxing??But with one active baby, comes one nice, long nap equaling a nice time to kick back in the sun, read a magazine with a delish' morning drink in hand!

Ken skipped the magazine and focused his attention to a bloody mary...

Afternoons were filled with hikes up into the mountains - absolutely beautiful!

While Cash and I walked briskly through the trees...

Lily and Ken carried on some amazing conversations...

One of our hikes ended in this incredible waterfall. Cash especially liked this part!

After a long hike, we thought Lily would be tired...not so much. Apparently, she was so amped up, she just had to pull out her old man face. What in the world???

And as her craziness rose, so did her hair. The mohawk is back!

Yikes, I think someone snuck some of her father's and mother's morning cocktails. What can we say? The girl likes to party!

The next morning all was fun and games...

...until that dang hang over kicked in! Oh boy, I feel your pain Lil!!

And Cash? Well, I think he got cabin fever with all the chaos.

As I was saying, the colors of Fall were everywhere and just plain awesome...here's a few pics from our hikes, which would never come close to doing it justice, but to give an idea...

Not too bad of a view...my two favorite people and one lovable pup.

I think I can I think I can I think I can

2009-11-08T19:32:00.003-07:00

Lil is much more advanced now, but taking a look back as our lil' engine was determined not to give up!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-06T16:32:00.005-07:00

Happy Halloween from the Stink! I mean, the Skunk!

We celebrated Lily's first Halloween which consisted of me rushing back from the airport, only to be rushed by Kenny to Real Salt Lake's playoff game, then scampering over to Laura's house for some yummy chili and treats, and quickly getting Lily into her costume really for the sake of only her parents and photos for the relatives! Happy frickin' Trick or Treat!

Actually we were wondering how long Lil would stay in the Skunk costume (thank you, by the way, to Laura and Brockbank boys for letting us borrow this oh-so-cute costume!) since it consisted of a hat, which usually stay on for about 1.2 seconds. However, she must have sensed our eagerness to snap some pics for the photobook because she left it on for a good 10 minutes as she crawled around and went up and down the stairs. The tail of the costume actually waved back and forth as she scooted along the floor - too cute, really.

And the tugging and pulling of the hat began...

Lily 1...parents 0...hat came off.

A great night with the Bartons and Brockbanks - Tristan went as a nerd, Will went as a devil (I think??), and Luke went as the sweetest elephant I think I've ever seen! Happy 1st Halloween Lily. And with that...

This Skunk is outta' here!

Turning One!

2009-10-19T13:09:00.005-06:00

Hey I'm turning 1-years-old in exactly a month - you'd better be there! And I mean it!

Happy 11 months Lily! We can't believe you are almost one...where in the world did this past year go? Can't wait for the rockin' party! We love you to pieces!

I'm the BIG cousin Mom!

2009-09-20T10:28:00.045-06:00

Lots of photos from our visit to Washington to see new, baby cousin Cohen, Aunti Sydney, and Uncle Branden! So let's get to it...
Lily (thankfully) did amazing again on the plane...this is her 3rd trip so I was bit nervous that our luck of her sleeping and not "bugging" the other passengers would run out. She proved me wrong yet again, props to her...and to our pocket book - Dr. Ferriera, Lily's pediatrician, said to take cash on the plane so I could buy everyone around us drinks if she was acting up! Luckily, she saved me some money!!

We arrived! Lily was so excited to see Aunti Syd & Grandma Sheryl...

And as you can see, stoked to meet Cousin Cohen for the first time! Cohen's enthusiasm was a bit delayed...

Well, what an amazing site to see my sis in full on "Mom Mode"! Prior to our visit, I couldn't quite picture my energetic, sometimes loud :) sister remaining calm and quietly rocking a tiny baby to sleep because you know, we only had her mother-child relationship comparison to Syd and Mack! But wow! I saw Syd in action and was thoroughly impressed - soothing lil' Co by talking with him, singing to him...all at 1am...3am...5am...oh I was so not envious!

A present from Co's auntie...didn't realize the bib would be more like a full-body apron!

So Ken and I officially suck as parents! Lily was in heaven playing with Cohen's toys which actually interact, make noise, flash lights and on and on. Lily, now 10 months, still has 0+ toys and pretty much nothing age appropriate. I try to tell ourselves it's because we want her to develop her imagination; we're actually really great, intelligent parents...right.

Since Co is still just a wee guy, he slept in his bassinet and Lily slept in his luxurious Dr. Seuss themed room & crib! Here we were waking up the first morning - we laid Co in with Lily. So bright and chipper.

At first...

Lil wasn't too sure what to do once Co realized he wasn't in his mama's arms.

After we got over our tears and all cleaned up, off we went to Grandpa and Grandma's house to see the whole fam! Lily conned Cousin Elise into walking around while making a grand entrance of high fives...
What up Gramps?!

Uncle Jerry - u da' manOh Cousin Nolan, I knew I was pretty funny but didn't know you were that funny!

Well look who has the touch again...pretty sure I've seen Aunt Rosalie in this same pose with a sleeping Lily. However, I think this is a Cohen original on baby poses - sign this kid up for the next Gerber commercial!

Yes, Lily, I think that flower may be bigger than you are...kinda like you're Dorothy in Wizard of Oz and the flowers come to life...pretty sure a Munchkin is going to jump out.
Thanks for throwing such a great party Grams and Gramps!

Next party...The Prentice's! And we found Miss Party Animal herself - hello, Hadley! Lily wasn't sure how to take this crazy 2 1/2-year-old.

We were kinda social butterflies on our trip...the following night, we, along with Meg & Ryan, Sarah, Eric, Collen Kelley-Westman and her friend went out to a fundraising dinner at a cool, little Mexican restaurant for high school friend Heather Marshbank, who has a son battling cancer. It was an uplifting and humbling night all at the same time and of course, with this crew, was filled with laughing-so-hard-I-cried moments!
Now I'm not sure what exactly is going on in this pic, but I'm pretty sure Sar and Lil are plotting a prank on someone...

And I think that someone was Meg...maybe Lil talked Meg into eating some kind of pepper making her believe it wasn't that hot...

AHHHHH, I think they gotcha' Meg!

While in Washington, Lily wanted to relax and reflect on life through a little yoga. Here, she displays Downward Dog.But to really get into it, she decided to shed the layers of stress...and her clothes.

Cohen joined in and became so relaxed, he went into a trans...look at those cheeks! Pinchable!

She then decided to get into some deep conversations with the family - "Yes Grandma, Mom let's me eat cookies. She said you could give me one, I swear." Next, Grandpa..."The fish was how big, Grandpa?!"And now...I believe Great Grandma Jay is explaining what Grandpa Jim's jokes mean...or an attempt to, because let's face it, who really knows????

Beach time! Although this is officially Lily's 2nd time to the beach, this is the first time she actually gets to see it and not be wrapped in a gazillion blankets! And I do believe this is Cohen's first time.

Now you can't go to Warm Beach without dipping your toes in the Puget Sound

And of course, take a walk down the beach

Some sand castle building...or maybe just shoving sand and rocks in the mouth with mom constantly pulling it all out
And a little basking in the sun which quickly led to an hour-long nap in Great Grandma Jay's arms

All and all, a beautiful day to stick your toes in the sand - thank you Daly's for the fun time!

Thanks to everyone for just a great trip! I'll give you all a ring soon!

Sun Safety with LJ Barton

2009-09-19T11:53:00.014-06:00

To follow the trend of smart decisions in this economy, the Barton/Brockbank family took a "staycation" to Pineview Lake up Ogden Canyon - rented a great house, went to the beach, wakeboarded, golfed and of course, ate some dee-lish food!
Also, while we were there, Lily took us through the importance of sun safety...

Tip #1: Now, although you may want to be one with nature and go au natural, in 90 plus degree weather and high altitude, Lily says it's not a smart idea...unless you're in the shade...and if you're under the age of 4!

Grandma & Grandpa got the shade thing down!

Tip #2 & 3: Besides shade and sunblock (#2), Lily says you can always go with some full-coverage suits (#3). Here, she and Aunt Laura show off their looks...Dad is a little slow to follow this advice.

But Lily gives him credit for his hat - Tip #4: A hat is always a good option for shade on the face. There's fashionable options these days and don't worry, Lily says, for the "kissed by the sun" look, just go get some bronzer...you have the golden glow but with less wrinkles in the long run! Here's her fave look...

Kudos to Luke all around - hat, sun shirt, and his specialty...sand-block.

Tip #5: Proper eyewear! Aunt Melissa & Lily stress the importance of a good pair of sunglasses. The bigger the better!

Alright kids, that's it for now - Lily and her dad need to get back to wakeboarding. She needs to work with Ken on his form!

To the golf course we go...
Uh, pretty much Tristan kicked our tails on our golf outing...enough said. He does, however, need to work on his driving skills...let's just say 360.
Check out this motley crew - Tris is playing it cool while his counterparts are vandalizing the course. Will's just going for the distraction method - give that kid some more candy!

All and all, a good time at Pineview!

To Cohen We Go!

2009-09-07T22:49:00.002-06:00

Oh our sweet little Cohen!

More pics to come! It's getting late and Ken and I have been taking care of a sick little Lily all weekend, so we are a bit wiped as well! Fever, throwing up, the whole sha-bang...probably the saddest thing I've ever seen. Apparently the rumor of getting sick on a plane is in fact, TRUE!!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2009-09-07T22:11:00.014-06:00

Look Gram, I put on my best dress for your birthday! Shoes and all...does it count if my socks look like shoes??We celebrated Linda's birthday in August with a Sunday brunch at our house - a beautiful sunny day with great food, family, backyard fun, and some morning cocktails for some always makes for a great Sunday morning!

BTW - congrats to Rick, Melissa and Luke...Baby Sister is on her way -Lily can't wait for her new cousin so there's another girl in this Barton Boys Club only! We're slowly breaking the mold!!

A little zipline in the backyard for the kids after eating

And I do mean all the kids...

Sundays aren't Sundays without a little tackle football...or some sort of rough housing!

And some tree climbing...of course, it's Will that started and ended the scaling

Lily watched with a look that said, "Boys are soooo weird!"
Hey, she never said her cousin dealt with a full deck...
A great day all and all but the party can't end until birthday kisses are given out! Happy Birthday Grandma, we love you!

Five years and going! Actually like 65...

2009-09-07T21:32:00.007-06:00

For anyone who doesn't know, I say 65 since Ken and I have known each other since I was 17! 17!! Initially met on my recruiting trip down to southern Colorado but he didn't give me a high five until my freshman year. And yes, I do literally mean a high five! Here's to the next five years and many more high fives - love you Ken! Lily had a sleep over party with her cousins while we headed up to Park City for the night. Lily is pretty happy we made it to five, too!
Thank you Brockbanks for making our night and Lily's night a blast!

So excited...kisses for all!

Happy Birthday Rick!

2009-09-07T19:17:00.006-06:00

As usual, I'm catching up on the blog updates so - Happy Birthday Rick! With just a little bit of smoke, Rick turned 28 years old!! I may be off but who's counting? :)

A little prep from Will and supervision from Uncle Bob.

Luke is totally unaware of the chaos ensuing behind him...who's crazy kids are those anyways?!

So if we were ever wondering what side of the family Lily takes after...

All partied out...

Next stop, the Yacht Club

2009-08-16T13:22:00.009-06:00

Lily took her first boating trip not too long ago but because safety comes first - Ken went out and bought her a life jacket, which was probably the cutest thing I had ever seen!
We may have a future pro-wakeboarder on our hands...Lil was totally diggin' the fast boat and wind in her hair.
She does not like, however, sun safety...the hat kept getting pulled off and we put it back on; pulled off; put on; pulled off...

And, of course, a family photo on the water And after a long day of wakeboarding, waves, and sun, Lil is all tuckered out. It was a good day...

Sun City Tour aka Corona Tour

2009-08-09T15:56:00.009-06:00

Kenny Chesney came to town...been there, done that so I was actually excited to see Miranda Lambert for the first time! A couple weeks ago, the Sun City Tour came to my stadium (yes, I said it, my stadium) which was supposed to have Sugarland as well...but kinda mad at Jennifer Nettles because they were doing studio time during the tour, consequently she's having vocal issues and even more consequently, they cancelled their show. Rumor has it Kenny was pissed...Chesney, not my Kenny. So big bummer on that but Miranda kicked the girl power and Chesney always puts on a great show...plus, great friends all around us, so we had a fun and fabulous time! And I didn't really have to work so even better!!
Beer in hand, Ken on my arm...the night (kidless, mind you) is just beginning!

Good friends (also one kid short) joining us

T-Bone is singing....

I'm clapping to the beat....

Having such a good time, gotta do a photo op while someone gets another round...
More friends join - Ken's soccer bud, Todd Miller, gets in on the fun - he and his wife also got a babysitter...these are the highlights of our lives now!

uh, a couple songs and a few beers later!

Did I mention we had a Real Salt Lake game the next night? Ya, still deciding if the concert was worth it....

Baby Cohen Arrives...early!

2009-08-03T11:52:00.007-06:00

I'm a little slow to announce (surprise, surprise) but here is my first and my new and my teeny, tiny, ball of cuteness nephew Cohen James Fee born on July 19th, 3 1/2 weeks early but already weighed 6.7 lbs and 20 inches long! My sis is thanking the Lord that he decided to join the world before his due date because really, where would my tiny sister hold a 10lb baby??

Congrats Syd & Branden on not only your new reason to smile but surviving the first two weeks...it's a breeze from here on out. Ha! Do you believe me? I didn't think so...

And he is such a boy already...notice the hand tucked in the pants!

We asked Lily how excited she was to have a new cousin and she could hardly contain her joy!

Party Time!

2009-07-23T15:43:00.010-06:00

July 4th not only brings sparklers, parades, & apple pie but also Vaughnster the Monster's birthday! Lily's daycare partner in crime, Vaughn, turned 1 year old and had a rockin' party...to the benefit of the adults, probably, more than the kiddos but hey, I think we deserve it for surviving the first year! The highlight of the decor...matching family shirts - hilarious! Kudos to Brooke for adding the humor to it all!!

The Amidei's went all out....fittingly red, white, & blue was the party color scheme in addition to a kid's dream of crawling tunnels...

Uncle Sam hats and beach balls...here's Ava Titus getting into the theme with her stars & stripes attire.

There were pinwheels all over the backyard, in which we told Koa he could take home as many as he could find...pretty sure the Amidei's have no extra pinwheels for next year's shindig. Very diligent, that Koa Bingham.
And a party just isn't complete until Rager Gager shows up and he jumped right into the celebration, hat and all.
Not only was it a pool party, it was a 3 pool party! Because Gage is the older, wiser one in the bunch, he was giving Vaughn some advice, while sitting poolside, on what it takes to be a one-year-old. "Here's what I'm saying...now that you're 1, you get to eat chocolate - pretty dang good stuff. Then, you get to wash it down with milk...the real stuff, whole milk with Vitamin D. Pretty much everything is fair game...you've made it, kid. Congrats."

And of course, a party just ain't a party until cake is served! Happy 1st Birthday Vaughn!

Happy 4th of July...or 23rd?

2009-07-23T15:32:00.005-06:00

What's up? Happy frickin' 4th. (Why is Kenny so disgusted in the background? Don't worry Ken, you'll be allowed to hold your own sparkler, cheer up.)

Happy 4th of July...just a bit late that's all! Lily was partying all day and then slept through all the fireworks, of course.

Celebrating with her big cousins - Tristan and Will. They are all very patriotic!

The Choices, the choices...What's a girl to do?

2009-07-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Apparently, the past few years have been The Year of the Boy because almost everyone we know had a sweet yet mischievious little boy! With this, brings many options for Lily Jay as well as a tough choice. It may take many years to deliberate but let's start with what each brings to the table...

Your first kiss is never forgotten! Gage Thompson otherwise known as Rager Gager gave Lily a kiss when she was just 2 days old...he may forever hold her heart! Great-hang-out-ALL-the-time friends Gretchen and T-Bone take claim to this "ham" of a character. One thing with Rager, Lily will NEVER be bored, although she may need him to sign a pre-nup cuz this guy likes to steal Lily's toys for sure. We LOVE him!!

Vaughn Amidei aka Vaughster the Monster...hmm, enough said? We love this lil' guy and his parents, Brooke the Girl (co-worker) and Tom, who we share our awesome nanny with. All positive traits with this guy: beautiful blue eyes, a smile that hits your heart, and some serious Thunder Thighs which can only mean that he will be able to show off to Lily on the soccer field...or maybecome an Olympic power lifter. Either way--we'll take him!

Then there's these Three Muskateers! Koa, Tatem, and Sevin...how will she ever choose out of these cutie-patooties?! The older man...Koa Bingham. First off, he just has a cool name so Lily is already sold--good job to parents Brook the Boy (co-worker) and Shauna (soccer gal)--great friends of ours! A blue-eyed blonde who knows how to sign and mows a mean lawn? He's in!

Next...adorable guy Tate Martin--belongs to Bernie (also soccer gal-pal) & Jared, who also just had little tiny beautiful 3 month old Azzi. Not only does Tate's whole face light up when he smiles but this kid is one athletic dude! He'll woo Lily on the court or field for sure!

Which brings us to the third Muskateer--Sevin, who we just can't say enough about! Taking claim on this sweet boy is the wild and crazy Jessica and JT Cracroft. Giving Gage a run for his money, Sev laid a smacker on Lily's lips a couple of weeks ago...maybe we should be worried he moves to fast! Love this mellow lil' cat who pedals his trike through obstacles and knows how to reverse to boot--Lily was thoroughly impressed!

A future music mogul like Billy Joel or movie star Jack Nicholson? His mom, Sarah Carter-Weston, is known to sing a few medlies and act in a couple of performances...or could be a basketball MVP since mom and dad, Chris, are like 10 feet tall! (or just 5'11 and 6'7...close enough) Meet Carter Cub Weston. I actually hope this Texan will go the cowboy route--Lily needs some cowboy hats & boots in her life!

And now to Owen Book - the adorable result of Jake (Ken's college soccer bud) and Lindsay! Short but sweet time spent with Owen--this kid is an animal lover & knows how to bark...can't miss with a guy who loves his dog. Plus dad is some sort of intelligent CSI-FBI-scientist dude now going to law school and mom is a smart nurse, so good genes all around!!

I'm pretty nervous Lily has developed a crush on this long-haired hippie-red neck! We're curbing this STAT!! Go for Gage--there's still potential in that kid due to his mom!

But who had Lily's heart from day one and forever? That's right, her daddy. Love you two with all my heart!

Sittin' Poolside!

2009-06-29T10:24:00.007-06:00

So now that the hurricane weather in Utah has finally stopped and it's getting into the 90's, we are ready for pool time! Ken went to Southern Utah with some buddies this weekend, while Lily and I brought out the inflatable pool to catch some rays and discover the act of splashing! And I almost passed out from blowing up the pool--awesome. This also served as Lily's first time in a bathing suit (thank you Auntie Syd for providing the cutest suit and photo op ever!). I have yet to buy Little Swimmers, so we just went "baby commando" aka no diaper! I figured she'll be peeing in many pools so may as well get her started now. So we started slow...eased Lily in--feet only.

Once she got used to the coldness, Lily discovered kicking her feet equaled splashing the water leading to water in the face. Lots of fun!

Then to sitting in the pool...this took a bit longer. The first time, tears added to the pool water. The second time...kind of a smile, kind of wanting to cry...for now, we'll stick to dipping our toes in!

Tippin' It & Kickin' It!

2009-06-29T09:36:00.007-06:00

Although she's a spittin' image of her father, at least she got my social-party skills--check out the chuggin'...should I proud??? Hey, I'll take anything at this point! We may be in trouble.

Kickin' it watching the game! Just chillin' in my bop sportin' the sweatsuit, that's right.

Yo party people, what up? Grab me a cold one while you're up...the usual--mama's milk straight up!Ok, so Lily obviously gets her chillin' skills from dad. Ken had his usual all set, too!

Washington or bust!

2009-06-22T09:32:00.026-06:00

We made it all by ourselves! Lily and I journeyed up to Washington for the 2nd time, however, this time it was without one hubby or "dadadada". Surprisingly it wasn't that bad...except that my license apparently was expired and because of that, Lily got frisked. She does look a little suspicious. Needless to say, Grandma Sheryl, Grandpa Jim, Great Grandma Jay, Auntie Sydney, Great Aunt Susanne, Aunt Melody, Uncle Jerry, & the Daly Crew all were excited to see lil' Lil! The first thing out of everyone's mouth when they saw Lily, "Her mohawk is gone." Yes people, her did grow so now she sports a comb-over.

We arrived on Friday, June 12th and were off to our first graduation! My cousin Laine graduated high school--canNOT believe it...not because we didn't think she'd make it--I just can't believe she's that old. It was a realization that I'm THAT old--yikes. And my cousin Elise just graduated from college at Washington State...geeeeeeze.
So I was hoping Lily would do ok with all the people around, sitting through an entire graduation, wouldn't get too antsy, etc. Come to find out, all we needed were my Aunt Rosalie's sisters and definitely, Sid (Rose's sister's husband)! Not only did Jeanie and Robyn snag Lily right away (love you Lily, but the break was ok by me), but they entertained her and put her to sleep in Jeanie's arms. Wonderful! Below is just a glance at Lily ogling at Sid...she'd even be facing forward and just her eyes would look over at him...pretty dang cute.

The Daly Crew...Taryn, Laine, Elise, and Nolan...pretty ugly kids, huh? :)

Lily checking out her Uncle Craig

It worked out that my Aunt Susanne's (my mom's twin sister if you didn't figure that out!) was in town from Missouri the same time we were up there for Sydney's baby shower. So Susie and Lily got to meet each other! Now we just have to work on my cousins Megan and Amanda and we'll be set!
And Lily's onesie is a shout out to her Grandpa...you can't read it, but it says, "Grandpa Jim taught me all about aardvarks!". I think he thoroughly enjoyed this outfit.

And to the reason we ventured up to Washington...Baby Fee! And Syd, too, of course! My mom, Aunt Rosalie, and myself co-hosted my sister's shower who is due August 12th. Yeah, we can't wait to meet Baby!!! Although it's hard to tell, Syd is holding up her first gift she opened...PeePee Tee Pees. It's a boy! Which means he will be only the 2nd boy on the Daly side (finally Nolan has someone) but he's entering the Swenson & Fee side on more of an even playing field.

Thanks to all the lovely ladies who helped Syd get one step closer to motherhood and joined us at the baby shower.

There was food, presents, extremely creative one-of-a-kind onesies and blankets (everyone had the task of designing their own onesie for Baby to sport including a "Baby Got Back", some bling-bling, and something about loving cheerleaders), and the signature drink, "Maternitini". Also, Sydney chose Dr. Seuss as the nursery theme...how many Dr. Seuss trivia questions did you get right, Syd? At least you and Branden are equivelant in your Green Eggs and Ham knowledge! :)

Leave it to Sarah to make collecting the gift wrap garbage into a drinking game!

My little cheeseball! Somewhere along this trip, Lily learned how to "cheese" for the camera. I tested it out and pulled out the camera at various times this day and sure enough, this smile was boasted just about every time! I think Megan taught her.

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck! Mickey Mouse...
Sarah brought Minnie Ears back from Disneyland for Lily and Hadley - love them! Thank you Sarah!!

Minnie Cheeeeeeese!After the shower, we drove over to Megan and Ryan's house to visit our favorite 2-year-old gal-pal, Hadley! Here she is showing off her "summer" pajamas as Meg calls them (Sar called Meg out right away to point out they were about two months too small) and accessorized with Lily's headband. Lily has one great role model to look up to--knows how to ham it up that's for sure!

Seriously, where did this devilish grin come from??

We had a great babysitter for the night. Thanks Rudy, you're the best! Although Lily looks a bit guilty...I think she bribed him with treats to stay up past her bedtime.

Lovin' her Great Grandma Jay!

On their way to being BFFs!

Hey Grandma, is that present for me? I'll show you how I roll over again!

Too much fun with Grandpa!

Lily's 1st Wedding...outside of womb

2009-06-04T09:50:00.005-06:00

Lil did amazing in the church during the ceremony! Just one little peep of joy as we celebrated our friends Jessica Jacob and Matt's wedding. And I about died when I put on this dress because (gushing mom) she just looked sooooo cute - love her!

Joining us at the big shin-dig was our great friends Jessica, JT, and their lil' man, Sevin - who could be in the top ten of cutest kids ever...the strawberry blond hair and baby blue eyes--Lily has definitely tagged him as her future boyfriend, one of many I'm sure!

Since I'm usually the one snapping all the photos, I made Ken take a pic of Jess and I...so Lily actually knows she had a mother growing up!

So it looks as though Ken and I better watch out cuz we have a partier on our hands! Lily totally rocked it out on the dance floor and I'm pretty sure she and Jess could perform a seriously awesome duet!

Wheeler Farm Finally!

2009-06-04T09:40:00.003-06:00

So after probably like a year, I finally took Miss Lil to Wheeler Farm...ok, so she hasn't even been alive for a year, but it seems like forever that I've been saying we are going to the Farm! Pretty sure Gretchen just gave up hope on the Bartons. But, we made it on Sunday and still, some may not believe because these photos don't actually show any animals...but I promise we saw some horses, cows, sheep, goats, and the very scary, kinda' ugly, bigger than Lily white duck-goose things with the weird growth on their beaks! We strollered far far away from them...

Lily was not as worried about the big birds as I was...

Blog Gods hate me

2009-06-02T12:29:00.003-06:00

So for some reason, I couldn't include both Cereal videos in one post (totally the Blog Gods fault), so no Cereal Take 2! And Syd, there was a message to you--take note of Lily's bib.

Rice Cereal Rulz!

2009-06-01T16:43:00.007-06:00

This is for Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunties & Uncles...well and anyone else who isn't bored by Lily's "1st Time" videos. They can get a little long but, of course, completely entertaining to us proud parents and we don't want to get yelled at when she's making her wedding slide show montage asking why we weren't good parents and didn't record all momentous occassions?? We'll remind her she's lucky she's the first child cuz you know the 2nd kid and so on get totally jipped! Anyhoo...here's Lily's debuting in her 2nd time eating rice cereal (and don't pay attention to the baby talk coming from behind the camera)!

"I'm Going to Jackson", Hole that is

2009-05-25T22:44:00.011-06:00

The Memorial Day Weekend (kinda an oxymoron...day-weekend) brought the Bartons and great friends the Thompsons to Jackson Hole, Wyoming! A few pics from the trip...

We set off to Grand Teton National Park to hike up to Jenny Lake and some apparently pretty waterfalls. I say apparently because after paying the $25 park fee, we get to the trailhead and wouldn't you know it, the trail is closed for reconstructive purposes! But, we walked around anyways and let the kiddos take in the scenery...pretty sure Lily was asleep about 5 minutes into the walk.

Yeah, family photo! Troy, Gretchen and Gage - so cute

"OH Dad, you're just saying I'm the cutest cuz I'm your daughter!"

"Ok, maybe you're right...I'm pretty dang cute!"

We strolled around downtown Jackson Hole, a cool little ski town and found a park to take in the view. But before our walk, the Thompsons insisted on doing the tourist thing (a bit of a tradition during their family trips!). Can you guess what that was by the following photo?

What?! Oh yes, we went and did the old time, black and white photo - costumes and all! Just a glimpse of what Ken and Lily doned in the photo. Lots of fun but I won't lie...I was a bit grossed out by the thought of thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of people wearing the same outfits prior to us. Luckily no weird rashes broke out! But the photo guy still remains creepy and weird.

So after a long day of window shopping, photo shoots, and park going, we had to unwind for some sampling. Beer sampling, of course, at the Snake River Brewery & Pub (no idea if that's the official name but you get the idea). As you can imagine, this was Ken's least favorite part of the day. Right.

And as Ken and I sipped our Pale Ale, Stout, and my favorite, The Discombobulator, Lily sampled her own finds like this rubber ducky - ahhh, the plastic tastes so good when it hits your lips!

Thanks Gretti for planning the trip and making my 30th B-day a great celebration! Good times!

Swaddle No More

2009-05-25T22:16:00.002-06:00

I'm a big girl now - no more swaddle! Well, after we got yelled at by Lily's pediatrician, Dr. Ferreria, to not use it anymore, we tried our luck. Ok, he didn't exactly yell, but he did tell us she needs to be able to suck on her fingers at night to sooth herself back to sleep...so swaddle no more! Ken and I thought it would be a long night...that Lily surprised us yet again.

Lean, Mean, Pooping Machine...6 months & kickin'

2009-05-19T22:27:00.006-06:00

Get outta' here - I'm 6 months today!Things that I have learned & discovered in my 180 plus days of life:

1. Smile - it's pretty fun to flash that

2. Giggle - I'm still working on this but when Mom & Dad find that ticklish armpit, it's over!

3. My tongue! I like to stick it out - maybe at you if you're lucky!

4. Air zerberts...ya know, flappin my lips pushing air through, air zerberts!

5. Roll over - tummy to back no problem...back to tummy - uh, that dang arm doesn't quite tuck under all the time

6. My toes...pretty cool to suck on those

7. Mom says I take after my Auntie Syd because I'm babbling on and on now! Also, if you ask her, she will tell you I am definitely saying, "Mamamama"...I'll buy that to make her feel good.

8. And finally, I'm in serious training to master this sitting thing. How am I doing?

Now back to that lean, mean thing! Lily had her 6 month appointment yesterday and she measured up just fine on that percentile chart....

86% in height - 26.77 inches
23% in weight - 14 lbs 8 oz

80% head size - 17.13 inches (uh, I know not that exciting but probably still important!)

So I totally stole this idea from BF Megan & Hadley (Hads) Prentice's blog and it was a must to take photos on the kid chair in the doctor office! Thank ya' Megs! Here's a look back on Lily's growth...

6 Days Old...a bit camera shy or just real pissed that Mom took her out of the nice, warm blanket to take this stupid photo!

2 Months Old...ya, check out that mohawk - it's all natural. Don't be jealous!

4 Months Old..still got it, still got the mohawk - definitely don't take after my Grandpa Jim in the hair category!

And again, a look back at the 6 month photo op. It's absolutely amazing and crazy and joyous and heartbreaking to see your little one grow up so fast! I would just politely nod my head at those who told me, "Don't blink, they'll be graduating high school before you know it." And then, think to myself, "Ya, ya, ya...whatever. You obviously don't remember 2 am feedings and dirty diapers every 1/2 hour. Pretty sure you don't miss that!" And now...I miss 2am and a garbage full of diaper-doos. We love you Lily and trying real hard not to blink!

Found it! Ozzy aka Willie the Groundskeeper

2009-05-15T15:38:00.005-06:00

As mentioned in the past post, I said I'd give Gretti and Troy's (aka T-Bone) dog, Ozzy, a cameo photo, so here it is...although it really doesn't do his "look" justice! If you're wondering, he is a German Wire Hair which in German is "Drahthaar." Basically, a hairy bird dog! We love Ozzer!

And so the other dogs don't feel left out (mainly Chief because Troy totally favors Ozzy...hopefully not an indicator of what T-Bone will be like when Baby Thompson #2 comes around!), I included a couple of Cash and Chief. This one was just way too cute not to put in. If you look closely, you can actually see Chief's leg around Cash, like, "Hey guys, this is my lil' bro Cash."

One more...so these crazy dogs (they are brothers, by the way so two peas in a pod!) followed me out to the garage one night as I was unloading the trunk. And as labs always are, quite excited thinking we were going "for a ride" (if you're a lab owner you know you can never even mutter these words!). I set something down and turned to see this "are you serious?" moment. They waited a long time for that ride to actually depart.

Grandma Sheryl's 1st Visit!

2009-05-15T09:35:00.010-06:00

Ok, let's do some reminiscing and recapping! A few "firsts" in Lily's life...

We needed to share some pics of Grandma Sheryl's first time meeting her first grandbaby in Lily's first week of life. Of course, Lily had to sport her favorite onesie for the visit (courtesy of Auntie Sydney...along with 2/3 of Lily's wardrobe provided by Auntie--thank you for clothing our child!)

Grandma's first time holding Lily Jay

Sunny days in November! Lily's first ever walk with Mom, Grandma, great friend Gretchen (aka Gretti), Gage (aka Rager Gager), Cash the Dog (ours), Chief (Gretti's dog...aka Chiefie Beefy, Cheddar, Cheddar Bomb, and the list goes on), and can't forget Ozzy (also Gretti's...aka Ozzer Pozzer, Oz Man, Poo Eater, and Groundskeeper Willie of the Simpons). Can you keep up with the nicknames?

As you can see, Lily was alert the entire walk just taking it all in!
Just had to add a picture of everyone who was along for the first walk...Gretti was the photographer above but I had to give her a photo shout out! And I can't find one of Ozzy but I know I have one, so he'll get a delayed cameo when I find one...cuz everyone needs to see his old man eyebrows and beard!

It was a long day...Lily is exhausted! Grandma helped rock her to sleep and I'm not sure if she ever put her down from here on out!

Vegas, Baby!

2009-05-14T09:56:00.009-06:00

We made it through the weekend...the trip to Vegas! Not only the leaving Lily part but our ol' can't-party-like-we're-22-anymore-butts somehow managed to pull off two nights in Sin City with not too bad of hangovers. However, we were certainly ready to hit the road back to SLC and of course, Lily!

Joining us in our weekend getaway (well, actually we totally jumped on this band wagon, they had already planned this vacation), was our great friends, Carrie and Dave "Guder" Gudanowski. Funny...they are just plain funny--lovin' those grins!

And the instigaters to get Ken and I to join the debacle, the Weston's! Well, Sarah really was the master planner--surprising, huh? Sarah talking us into crazy activities! Good times were had...we did a little gambling--Craps for me, Black Jack for Ken...and some crazy poker game in which the dealer, Monica, told me I looked like her niece...mind you, Monica was Asian. Hmmm?? Not sure I, nor anyone, would agree with her observation. We basked in the sun by the pool and some beverages were consumed...just a few!

A BIG thanks to Ken's sister's family--Laura, Duncan, Tristan, and Will!! They watched Lily for us and we couldn't have felt more confident and comfortable with the situation. In fact, pretty sure Laur knows way more about parenting than we ever will! And if there were any parental nerves that needed calming, they settled when we were sent this photo on our trip.

Lily's first sleep over!

2009-05-14T09:28:00.007-06:00

In my attempt to capture Lily's giggles, she, as most of you would assume, outsmarts her mama.

And just when I thought I had her, she strikes again! At least we know her hand-eye coordination is up to speed...maybe too well. This video gets a little long and crazy voices are heard from the camera"mom" but bare with me; I'm a parent trying to capture all those kodak memories for Lily...ok, maybe for Ken & me selfishly!

2009-05-06T20:34:00.002-06:00

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

We're off to Las Vegas tomorrow leaving our lil' baby girl for the first time. It's a mixture of nervousness, excitement, sadness, anticipation and the list goes on. Lily will be well taken care of by her two cousins, Tristan & Will, with a bit of help from Aunt Laura and Uncle Duncan...so we're not worried there! I, however, am worried about the fact I have not consumed alcohol as you do in Vegas for well, well over a year...and college buds Carrie and Sarah with their hubbies Dave aka "Guder" and Chris aka "Big Chris" will be there, so as you can imagine, I'm even more scared! Ken, please pack the GIANT advil bottle. Miss Lily, we love, love, love you and will miss you tremondously but I've got to say we are looking forward to getting a full night's rest and sleeping in past 6am. Good luck Laur and Dunc! (and thank you!!)

2009-05-03T00:15:00.009-06:00

Here's me in the "final product". Here's how it started...

The car ride began like any other...this thing in my hair was new however...

hmmm...not sure I like this strange thing on top of my head??

It's creepin'...

Damn. I knew it would end like this.

2009-05-02T23:53:00.005-06:00

I'm in my Bumbo, I'm in my bumbo...

2009-05-02T23:50:00.001-06:00

Simply...one of my favorite pics ever. I came in to check on Miss Lil and this is what I found. I went straight for the camera...

2009-05-02T23:46:00.001-06:00

Some say I look exactly like my mom...pretty sure they also think Clay and Rubin are going to make it big.

2009-05-02T23:38:00.003-06:00

Trying this out...first post. Question: does it work? We'll see when i hit publish post...

Test Run

2009-01-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

Really have no idea how to do this blog stuff...I just got on Facebook for hell's sake! Give a girl some time!!