And then there were three...

August 2011 - in France

2011-11-24T10:40:00.000+01:00

Metz in August was hot!

And I looooooved it.

We went on walks outside.

Liam loved to get out and climb up the stroller.

His ability to climb has only created more mischief.

We went swimming at Metz plage.

If you missed my post about that and speedos, click here.

We also had some rainy days... through which we managed to survive.

We went on walks in the rain and Liam loved riding on Allen's back.

And checking out all the people on the bus.

These walks outside usually resulted in hat hair for Liam.

Don't mind the half shut eyes.

Hilarious.

We also lazed around in our pj's before Allen started school.

What fun!

And of course Liam ate some baguette at any moment we had a piece to devour.

And a baguette with cheese is even better!

Yum! Yum!

Eating is a favorite past time.

Bathtime too.

And so is sleeping, thank goodness!

Can't forget playing!

This is the toy we bought Liam with his birthday money he got from friends/family before we left.

Thank you!

He LOVES it.

More play time with forts!

Who doesn't love a good fort?

Allen also played this game with the umbrella that Liam couldn't get enough of.

Liam took his first steps in August.

It was totally out of the blue.

Just one day after breakfast he decided he was going to take 4 steps in a row.

We captured some video after the fact (within seconds after) but he was too excited he could barely do a couple steps.

It's amazing watching your child grow before your very eyes.

August 2011 - before France

2011-11-21T14:20:00.003+01:00

So I'm still playing the catch-up game... but when am I not?

August before the move was CRAAAAAZY!

2 weeks of deciding what to pack and where to put everything for 2 years was not my idea of fun.

But we survived... somehow.

And so did Liam.

After his shots.

We did manage one last trip to Seven Peaks where Liam LOVED to crawl in the water.

He would go head first straight in and didn't get scared when he'd crawl past the point of being able to touch the ground. He'd just keep going... no fear.

We were actually lucky enough to have Allen with us for a whole day of fun (the summer work party).

It was great.

With obviously delicious food.

And lounging in the sun.

Liam attended his cousin Kelsey's birthday party where they went to the movies and saw Winnie the Pooh.

They were the cutest.

Liam got a haircut before our big move.

Check out his studliness.

And some important visits with the cousins.

Gavin here has always been a good buddy.

Even after being attacked and pinned against the cupboard by Liam for his cookie... Gavin is still all smiles.

We borrowed a little walker toy that the little man thoroughly enjoyed... even if he didn't catch onto the whole walking thing then.

And apparently I was too busy to dress him every day seeing as he has been in his diaper or pj's for half of these photos, ha.

Liam's new skill for the month:

Learning he can carry things with him while he crawls,

either in his hand or in his mouth.

Hanging with the Aunties.

They were extra good to Liam while we were there.

One thing Liam has loved to do for a long time is put his toes up under the high chair tray.

He rarely has them dangling.

Always propped up.

Oh and last but not least -

He graduated to a big boy car seat!

That we borrowed for all of 2 days.

And despite what his face may be saying here,

he loved it!

Quilt

2011-11-17T14:38:00.000+01:00

Allen's mom Nancy had been working on a quilt for Liam while he was still in the womb.

However, it required Allen to draw 4 pictures on 4 white squares to be incorporated into the quilt.

This did not happen until we were about to move to France.

Nancy worked tirelessly on the quilt so that we could take it to France with us.

And I am so glad she did.

We LOVE it.

I love the colors, the animals, the fact that Allen got to draw for it and that it was homemade from Grandma!

Here's a close up

Turtle:

Giraffe:

Elephant:

Monkey:

A touch of love:

And Liam LOVES it.

He has slept with it every night since we've moved to France and he looks darling all tucked under this beautiful quilt.

Thank you Grandma Nancy!

Oh!

And we can't forget to mention that Allen specifically requested that the blanket have "tickles".

When Allen was younger he loved his blanket that was tied, or rather, had "tickles".

And so specially made with

"tickles"

for our sweet baby Liam.

Tickles!

Our Place

2011-11-15T20:59:00.000+01:00

I would like to introduce you to where we live.

And where we have lived the past few months.

Across from Allen's school - Georgia Tech.

We look outside our apartment window and this is what we see.

The school.

We are in what would be considered "on campus" housing. Though this houses more than just Georgia Tech students, but other students from the neighboring schools surrounding us.

It is absolutely gorgeous.

And the nice pathway around the lake is great for taking walks.

(of course now that it's winter... it doesn't look this nice.

Oh to be summer again.)

Our front door.

Very important.

Our bedroom.

Our bed made from 2 single beds pushed together.

This housing is NOT meant for couples or families.

Just single students.

However, we are not the only family here.

I know there is at least one other family... maybe more in hiding.

Truthfully, it's not ideal.

Especially with loud music and parties... which are to be expected from college students.

But those have been minimal,

thankfully!

Next the kitchen:

Complete with a small sink,

hot plate and fridge.

Notice, no oven or freezer.

Our shelving for the kitchen.

Where Liam loves to pull everything off the shelves.

Note microwave, a bonus!

Enough room for a highchair and no where to eat.

Our buggy to go grocery shopping.

Second bedroom, Liam's room.

Again shelves where Liam loves to rip all of his folded clothes off and onto the floor every day.

Lastly the bathroom.

2 sinks, a definite upgrade from our last place!

And a shower and tub which is half the size.

A definite downsize from our last place!

ha.

But perfect for the baby.

There is also a room with a toilet.

Not pictured.

It's tight.

Imagine living in 2 bedrooms with a hallway that has a kitchen and a bathroom in it.

But we're surviving.

For those who lasted this long, I made a video!

Welcome to our humble abode

(for us at least).

The Move

2011-11-13T14:27:00.001+01:00

I realize it has been forever since I last blogged.

It's really a long story.

But I won't bore you with it,

I'll just keep on catching up.

The Move to France...

We had a pit stop in Toronto before flying to France.

The plane tickets were cheaper that way and it was a nice way to break up the long flights.

Not to mention see my sister.

Little Liam loved visiting his Aunt Britta.

Even when we put this crab mustache on him, ha!

While at the airport Liam discovered many new things to play with such as;

the newspaper bin...

When we got on the flight he screamed at first and I heard someone say

"Get ready for a loooong flight!"

As if I didn't hear them.

Pshhhhh!

But within a half hour he was zonked out.

And that was pretty much the case until we got on the train from Paris.

He loved looking out the windows and playing in the train.

And then we arrived home to this:

Somebody hadn't finished fixing our apartment and tools and junk was scattered everywhere.

Go figure.

Liam used this as his highchair for the first few days.

But we managed to survive.

Jetlag and all.

1 YEAR: Photo Shoot!

2011-10-12T02:16:00.005+02:00

Days before we left for France we had one last family photo shoot.

Here are his 1 year shots.

His smolder...

he learned it from Flynn Rider

in Tangled.

His "can I please have another cookie?" grin.

His smolder again, so he can have that cookie.

Pretty please?

Love this smile.

The Lake

2011-10-10T10:23:00.001+02:00

So this summer

(wow I'm still catching up...eeee)

we were lucky enough to go to the lake a few times.

Once was for Jessica's birthday

(Allen's sister).

Which ended up being a lot of fun!

Liam thoroughly enjoyed himself.

The birthday girl and baby:

It was a lot of fun to hang out with Allen's siblings. They're so fun.

Liam even had his first tube ride.

He was half laughing / half crying the whole time.

He couldn't decide what to be.

Too cute.

One of my favorite things to do on a boat is watch other people's faces when they get tossed, thrown, trying to hold on for dear life... hilarious.

Our faces:

Liam sleeping away.

The party continued with a BBQ.

Allen's dad gracing us with his hula hooping skills.

And of course birthday cake!

Made by Deanna.

Yummo!

That evening we took Jess to go see the new Harry Potter.

in 3D.

A good time was had by all.

We went to the lake a couple times with my cousin and her fiancé Nathan.

They're getting married and I'm going to miss it since I'll be in France.

But I am so thrilled for her.

Love you Katrine!

California

2011-09-22T10:04:00.001+02:00

We went to California for Allen's brother Rob's wedding.

It was really great to see Kelly (the bride) and her family again. We just love them.

And they just love Liam.

haha.

At the wedding rehersal:

They rented a gorgeous venue.

Allen's sisters were kind enough to watch Liam while we went in the temple for the sealing.

And he played outside looking like a stud, of course!

The family outside the San Diego temple.

Us and sleeping Liam.

The wedding reception requested no children so I had my good friend Jose and his wife Lidia watch Liam.

Jose is a mission buddy.

Thanks Jose & Lidia!

The father of the bride and the beautiful bride walking down the aisle.

*sigh*

Here we are eating.

It was gorgeous and delicious.

The bride and groom groovin' on the dance floor.

Their big smooch before taking off from the reception.

Hooray!

We drove to California and so on our way back we stopped in Vegas to see my Grandma Ona.

I love her SO much!

This was Liam's first time meeting his great-grandma.

I was glad we got to make a visit before our move to France.

Love the pink hair Grandma! :)

Lucky for me, my 2 sisters were also in Vegas that weekend.

One from Utah and one from Canada.

Together for a moment at Grandma's.

Liam did surprisingly well the whole drive there and back. A special thanks to Allen's cousin Amy who drove with us that fed and played with him.

Congrats Rob and Kelly!

xoxo

Liam's DAY of BIRTH!

2011-09-19T21:30:00.000+02:00

Liam's actual day of birth was quite eventful.

We had to travel to San Francisco to apply for our French visas.

So we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it and we left on Liam's birthday.

We woke up to balloons and a hat.

He played in his decorations hanging from the ceiling for bit.

Then we packed up and headed to the airport.

When we got to the airport we gave Liam his birthday present...

a Camelbak water bottle!

If you know anything about Allen and I, we always have our Camelbaks with us at all times.

It was most appropriate that Liam get one too.

And a dinosaur one seemed to fit the bill.

He loved it!

Our flight to San Francisco was great and we checked into the hotel without any problems.

First stop,

a cupcake shop

so Liam could have his very first birthday cake.

This was very important.

So we lit a candle...

let him look at it.

And then blew it out for him.

Haha.

Then he went to town on his cookies and cream cupcake.

Yum!

I couldn't get enough of these cake photos.

When he had scarfed the whole thing down he was willing to share what little remains he had.

Umm.. no thanks little man.

Then off to hit the town by
cable car!

We didn't rent a car for our trip seeing as it is

San Francisco

and we used public transit the whole time without a glitch.

Liam LOVED the cable cars soo much.

He would hold on and look forward jumping, screaming in delight.

Everyone thought he was a doll and we of course so did we.

We then went and rented bikes to bike across the Golden Gate bridge.

Liam loved it and his birthday present came in handy a lot.

Of course we didn't exactly pick the best day for weather so half way across the bridge it started raining and then once we got into Saulsalito it was super windy and raining.

Brrrr.

We grabbed the ferry back to San Francisco.

And then had to wait in a huge line to grab the cable car home.

Liam was asleep by the time we got off.

It was a long, fun day.

Happy Birthday little trooper.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIAM!

2011-09-13T21:18:00.000+02:00

My little man turned the

BIG ONE!

We decided to do a shark theme party because we have sung the "baby shark" song to him ever since he was little and he loves it.

First, the food.

A watermelon shark carved by Allen

with goldfish crackers on the inside.

We had a BBQ, burgers, dogs and all the fixings.

Along with these fruit kabobs, salad and veggies.

My sister-in-law Andrea did an amazing job on the treats table.

Check it out:

I loved the shark cupcakes!

The party:

Can I just tell you how much fun we had putting this party together?

It was a blast!

I love themes.

I love parties.

We had signs for his party leading up the driveway to the backyard.

Where upon you entered and saw this...

There were kiddie pools where you could fish

and a water station where you could play.

The Pier, where the food was :)

Shark Bait... oooh ha ha!

The swing-set was available for playing.

There was water balloon volleyball setup ready to play.

And my personal favorite,

a shark photo prop that Allen painted!

(yes, I married an artist!)

We took pictures of the guests as they came in.

I loved it when our friends got into it!

Allen's mom... classic! Love it!

Save me! Ahhhh!

The guests:

Once greeted by the photo prop then guests were invited to put on a shark fin.

Made by my awesome sister-in-law.

Thanks Andrea!

I loved watching all the little sharks run around the yard and play.

Too cute.

Especially Liam <3.

Cousin Kelsey and my sister Caryn. Darling.

Some kids got in the pools fully clothed... eek!

My favorite was Ava in the pool singing

"I'm in the pool with my pretty dress."

On repeat.

Grandma Nancy and Grandma Suzi with Liam. So lucky to have them both!

I wouldn't have been able to pull this party together without Allen and Andrea's help.

But most especially my sister Tara who helped from beginning to end with decorations, food, clean-up, etc...

Thanks Tia!

You're the best!

My BFF! xo haha.

The cake:

My sister Tara had this BRILLIANT idea to make

cakeball sharks.

Brilliant, I tell you.

So we made a large cake for the guests.

Cookies 'n cream ice cream cake.

Yum.

And a baby one for Liam.

Complete with his own baby shark.

It turned out so cute.

We lit the candle...

I brought it close and he went to grab the flame.

Everyone

SCREAMED!

Liam cried.

Even though he didn't touch the flame.

Just the excitement made him jump.

Proud parents:

Once he got a bite of his cake, he couldn't help but dive right in.

Literally.

What a fun and memorable party.

I love that little baby shark.

Happy Birthday!

Thanks for the best first year together!

Important News Flash!

2011-09-01T21:34:00.000+02:00

Quant À Moi...

Quant à quoi?

moi?

Uh?

I interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you some important news...

I am starting a

NEW BLOG!

Yes, a

NEW BLOG.

It's going to be my perspective, adventures, and opinions of

life in France.

It's called

Quant à moi

If you go to the site you can read what it means by clicking on the "about" tab.

It has tabs!

I know right!?

What's even more exciting is I have my

OWN

.com

quantamoi.com

www.quantamoi.com

Genuis, non?

Don't worry, I will still be keeping up on our family blog.

I know you were all so worried.

;)

First off because I have not even caught up on our summer before our move yet.

And second because this is our family history in the making... since I don't keep a journal.

tsk. tsk.

Alright.

Now go read it...

I'll try and make it worth your while.

You're more than welcome to share the link with your friends if you enjoy it that much.

12 months!

2011-08-31T20:15:00.000+02:00

Our baby has survived 12 months of our parenting!

And to show our love for the

Tour de France

here is Liam showing his support.

One day if we have it our way, he will love to ride bikes as much as we do.

Since we moved into Grandma and Grandpa Perl's the month before moving to France we were lucky enough to enjoy the playground in the backyard.

Liam enjoying the wagon he won with friends that came to play!

Eve, Liam et Sophie

Playing under Grandma's counters with the swinging chairs.

We also got to enjoy Macey's carnival.

Liam competed in the baby race with a walker.

But ended up being pulled to the finish line because he didn't want to walk he just wanted to stay put.

We still won a prize of baby wipes.

Hooray!

Liam and Daddy on a fine sunny afternoon.

Liam has been learning to walk with rolling objects.

He prefers the laundry basket.

Does that shock you?

Always leaning towards those household chores.

When Liam and I do groceries he

ALWAYS

sits in the cart like this:

Just chillin'

He has become less thrilled about his car seat as of late.

Unless there are plastic water bottles nearby to play with.

He is still obsessed with the broom...

And loves to pump it and build those arm muscles.

He also loves to push the buttons on the TV and he believes if he doesn't look at me, I can't see what he's doing.

This makes me think of when I was younger and would hide under my blanket and pretend I was a 'rock'. Because if I was a rock in the living room no one would notice I was there... because the rock was so not out of the ordinary.

Riiight?

Oh the fun of being a child.

Canada Day!

2011-08-29T22:38:00.000+02:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

(July 1st)

Allen's family decided to celebrate Independence Day on the 1st, again.

I decided that this was great because then I got to celebrate Canada Day.

Liam loved these glow sticks.

The child-safe fireworks

Liam and Aunt Jess

Of course Allen couldn't resist letting Liam have a sparkler of his own.

Good thing he was very attentive.

Our Canadian-American family.

These glow sticks also made a great teething toy.

Apparently it was a LONG day of FUN.

On July 4th our family did the Freedom Run.

I was dying half way through.

But we managed to finish... and not last!

And it was nice that Allen decided to do it

WITH

me the whole way.

Thanks Al!

Allen's work offered to pay for families to do it and I'm a sucker for anything that's free... even if that means inflicting pain on my out of shape body.

haha.

Liam enjoyed it.

Most especially watching everyone around him.

Except when he wanted to get down and run with everyone else... then it was no longer fun.

It was more fun to convulse his body.

I need to run

FASTER

next time to ensure he doesn't get bored.

We'll see about that...

First Hair Cut

2011-08-28T20:13:00.000+02:00

Liam got his first professional haircut.

Apparently I'm not one of those super moms that can cut my own kids hair.

Fine by me.

We went to Cookie Cutters

which is specifically for children's haircuts.

And when it's less than $2 more than the other hair places... I'll pay it to not have my child screaming the whole time.

Plus he got to ride in an airplane!

Come on people!

This place ROCKS!

He loved grabbing the steering wheel.

And was even well behaved when they shaved his head with the electric razor.

The final hair cut.

We kept the top longer so it could sweep nicely.

We're more a traditional hair style family.

And he got a balloon!

Who doesn't want that!?

Next time I'm coming here for my hair cut, I hope they'll let me ride in the pink car!

;)

Swimming

2011-08-27T22:34:00.000+02:00

We put Liam in baby swim classes for a few weeks this summer.

Not because we think our child is a swimming prodigy, but because we want him to be able to save his life if he ever fell in a body of water.

And that is exactly what they do here.

They teach your child to float on their backs without freaking out and drowning themselves.

Life saving skills.

They practice by sitting our wee babe on the edge and pulling him into the water.

He then has to turn over onto his back.

He floats and kicks his little feet to the edge.

He then grabs the edge of the pool.

The skill of turning over to grab the edge is still a bit rusty, but everything else he was catching on real well!

Then he takes a moment to relax and bask in the sun.

At the end of his lesson he got to play in the pool.

After the lessons Liam was less afraid of the water and at Seven Peaks in the pools he would just crawl straight into the water with no fear.

Even water that was too deep for him.

I can't decide if this was a good or a bad idea.

ha.

Camping - Family Vacation

2011-08-26T20:12:00.000+02:00

For Allen's family vacation this year we went camping at Strawberry Lake.

It was fun fun fun!

Except of course when Liam wouldn't sleep...

not so fun fun fun.

But here's the recap.

Every night we would bathe Liam in this little blow up tub

(purchased at Dollarama - told you it was the best store EVER!)

And then he would fall asleep and we would put him in his tent and sleeping bag.

Cute right?

So cute.

We put this little tent inside ours.

He slept fairly well the first night.

Then it went downhill from there.

Too hot, too cold, who knows?

But when it was morning this is what we were greeted with...

We went canoeing.

A family favorite around here.

Liam wanted to row SOO bad.

He loves anything with a long stick.

Hence why he loves to sweep and vacuum.

Meal times were especially fun with all of the variety.

And doesn't everything taste better when you're camping?

We went for ATV rides.

Grandpa driving.

Not so sure about it.

And within 10 minutes was fast asleep for the rest of the ride.

I had no idea that was possible.

Moi et mon amour:

Deanna, Tina and Doug

(siblings of Allen)

in the other ATV.

There were of course campfires with s'mores.

But apparently I was too busy shoving my face and having marshmallow covered fingers to take any pictures.

Uncle Mark found this hilarious hat for Liam.

It made me think of my Dad and his obsession with

Davy Crockett.

And me always playing the song on the piano for him.

"Davy, Davy Crockett! King of the Wild Frontier!"

Growing up we actually had a hat just like this that Tara wore non-stop, right? ;)

It was all I could do to not buy it.

SO cute!

And the BIG event for Liam?

He said his FIRST word.

"Doggie!"

Uncle Parker and Aunt Crystal had their 3 dogs along for the camping and Liam loved them.

He can't get enough of the word

"Doggie!"

Emily's Birthday

2011-08-25T20:13:00.000+02:00

My birthday was low-key.

And wonderful.

We had been packing to move out of our apartment and I was getting way stressed.

My good friend Esther took me out to lunch and then we went to the park with the kids.

Then Allen took a half day at work and hung out with me the rest of the time.

He made plans.

Babysitter fell through.

Plans stayed.

Baby added.

We went to one of my favorite restaurants

Pizzeria 712

yum!

Just thinking about it is making me drool.

For dinner I ordered a pizza with all things yummy on top, including asparagus.

For dessert we ordered their chocolate mousse cake.

It was divine.

And having Liam at the restaurant with us...

NOT

so divine.

But it was still fun to have him with me for my

birthday celebrations.

Then off to the movies.

We went and saw Rio.

Liam has never been a media kid, so watching the movie only entertained him for about 15 minutes.

But he lasted playing with everything else we had brought him.

What a trooper.

And for another indulgence when we got home?

Cupcakes!

DELISH!

This one was red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

I <3 cupcakes.

a lot.

understatement.

Thanks Al for an awesome birthday!

Father's Day II

2011-08-24T20:13:00.000+02:00

I know I already made a Father's Day post.

But I wanted to say something more.

And since this is my blog and I can do whatever I want.

I will.

For Father's Day Liam got his Daddy a card

and matching ties.

So fun!

Liam is definitely a Daddy's boy.

It only makes sense.

Allen is such a wonderful father to Liam.

He plays with him A LOT.

They do "baby workouts" together.

They love to match (very important)

He changes his diaper ALL THE TIME (extra important)

He takes him for walks and adventures.

He is patient with him.

He feeds him when he's shaking his head like crazy and mommy gives up in desperation.

He gives him baths every night while I take some needed alone time.

He gets up in the night with him whenever that happens.

He snuggles with him when he's sick or not feeling well.

Allen is a great father and Liam and I are lucky to have him around.

11 months!

2011-08-23T17:02:00.000+02:00

Liam still loves his baths.

Especially loves to splash and get you all wet.

Oh what fun.

He has a pretty mean glare when he doesn't want to do something... like when you tell him it's time for bed, expect this reaction:

He's learning to steady

himself and can somewhat walk with only holding on with one hand.

He does a lot better with 2 hand holds,

but really has no desire to walk yet.

I don't mind waiting...

Cutest outfit ever!
Check out his alligator toes
:)

When Liam is in the bath Allen loves to stick foamy letters all over him.

But Liam doesn't mind, he just does his thing despite Dad's antics.

Doesn't he make the cutest shark bobble-head you ever did see?

He's mastering eating on his own.

Which is wonderful for me because I can do something productive while he feeds himself.

Marvelous.

He discovered the dryer and decided it was a must see.

He also discovered toilet paper.

I definitely could have waited for that day.

He LOVES to unroll it and then pull all of it around the house.

This is how I caught him the other day...

making a nice neat pile,

why thank you Liam.

Appa is still around and Daddy is still trying to get Liam to play with him.

We went to Seven Peaks a few times this summer.

That was SO much fun.

Except for the time when there was poo found floating in the lazy river and EVERYONE thought it was

MY child's!

Umm... no.

He was wearing THREE layers and they were tight layers at that... no poop escaping his hind quarters.

See the proof for yourself, nice clean bum.

ha.

Allen and I decided that taking Liam to restaurants was

OVER.

Done.

Seriously I don't know why anyone would take their kids to restaurants if they want to

ENJOY

themselves.

(unless of course you have angel children)

This last time we ordered and begged for the food to come quickly, scarfed our food down and ran out of there as quickly as possible.

What?

This sweet baby causing problems?

Actually,

YES.

He was screaming for more food, pounding the table, throwing the food, trying to touch the neighbors with his dirty hands and making a HUGE mess.

Blah.

At least he's still keeping up with his household duties.

Anniversary!

2011-08-22T18:22:00.000+02:00

I have the best husband ever.

Really.

He made all these plans for our 3 year anniversary.

First stop:

Granny's

Yummo!

When I was in Canada I got a pedicure at my sister's work for my anniversary. :)

Then he surprised me with a night at the Johnson Mill.

This is where we spent our honeymoon.

Located in Midway, Utah.

I love this little town.

It's such a quaint bed and breakfast.

For our gifts...

we decided to do the "traditional"

1st year paper, 2nd year cotton, etc...

3rd year?

Leather.

I hope faux leather counts!

I got him these Merrill knockoffs while in Canada.

haha

And he got me a nice dainty watch.

Love it!

Isn't it so great when your husband can pick out a gift you

LOVE

and you didn't even have to hint at anything?

This pic is for my friends in DC who went shopping with me...

I was in the dressing room...

they were bringing clothes for me to try on.

I got this outfit and a few others that I am SO in love with.

Good thing I have great friends that help me figure out the fashion world... because I am so clueless.

More of the Johnson Mill on our walk around the property.

The next day we went to the

Thanksgiving Point gardens.

It was gorgeous.

And we ate at the yummy cafe there.

I totally recommend it.

Thanks Allen!

You're the best!

3 years down.... Eternity to go!

Photo Shoot - 9 months!

2011-08-21T16:22:00.000+02:00

Liam's 9 month photo shoot

(sorry still playing catch up!)

Allen always balancing Liam!

If you look extra close you can see that at 9 months Liam was getting 2 top teeth.

Not the two middle top teeth.

The two teeth beside the middle ones.

Meaning...

He looked like a vampire.

Seriously.

Thankfully the two middle teeth finally came and he was no longer the vampire baby.

Allen was always singing some crazy song he made up....

"Vampire Baby... da da da da da da"

Oh my.

haha.

By the end of the photo shoot he was

NOT

happy.

Can you tell?

Baby Contest!

2011-08-20T18:20:00.000+02:00

We entered Liam in a baby contest.
The Orem Summerfest.

I already had this adorable outfit for him and

dressed him up.

Allen decided Liam needed a talent.

So he balanced him for the judges.

Then we played on the floor while waiting for Liam's picture to get taken and developed.

We then went around to the booths and shows

at the festival.

Liam loved the characters...

creepy.

Later we went to the results for the contest.

And

drum roll please

.........

HE WON!

He won the
GRAND PRIZE

overall.

CUTEST BABY IN OREM!

That's right.

That's my baby.

Not to brag or anything.

haha.

He won a wagon!

And we all know we needed a wagon before going to France!

ha.

And then we got to ride in the parade.

Liam wasn't too thrilled.

Neither was I.

But it was an experience nonetheless.

Doesn't it look like Liam is my prize horse with his huge ribbon?

lol.

We love our little man.

Canada: Deux

2011-08-18T19:23:00.000+02:00

Liam sporting his crazy humid hair...

again and always in Canada.

If you don't know what

DOLLARAMA

is..

you have not lived.

It is the happiest place on earth.

Trust me.

You can tell by my expression that it really is.

I have a wee obsession with Dollarama.

I went there 4 times while I was in Canada.

I was only in Canada 3 days.

You just can't beat the bargains of the dollar store and buying a million things you don't need...

because it's

ONLY A DOLLAR!

Right?

Canadian chocolate bars...2 for $1

Chocolate and Dollar Stores are way better in Canada.

Just sayin'.

PS only 4 of these chocolate bars were for me.

I always take orders for my family while in Canada and bring home their requests.

I won't tell you who ordered the rest...

haha.

Does anyone have a second family?

Someone with whom they are so close they feel like they're family?

My friend's the Puddicombe's ARE my family.

Moi, Mary and Becky.

Becky has been my best friend for years.

We went to youth dances together and lived our crazy teenage life together.

It was awesome!

Never a dull moment when we're together and we always laugh our heads off.

Her mom, Mary, is my hero.

She astounds me with how loving and kind she is to everyone and is great mom and grandmother.

Becky is way ahead of me on the kid train and has 3 sweet little kiddos.

Timmy, Spencer and Maddie.
Liam just loved them.

They were so sweet to him and

played with him to no end.

I love having a friend who I can call and visit with and it seems like we haven't missed anything.

Despite living far from each other these past 8 years we have still managed to keep up with each other

matter what.

I love that.

Here was our goodbye that really wasn't our last because my flight ended up getting cancelled.

I was dropped off at Britta's house with one more night of visiting.

YAY!

It was grand.

Thanks for the fun!

Canada Trip: Un!

2011-08-17T16:30:00.000+02:00

We then flew from Baltimore to Toronto.

Liam played in the airport and did great.

That was nice.

Our first night there my Aunt kindly arranged for a family dinner.

It was so wonderful to see everyone.

I love my Uncle Randy and Aunt Pat so much.

They have been such great examples of love and of righteous living. I appreciate them so much in my life.

And I can't forget my cousin Meg.

Whom I fondly call Meg Teg.

Love her SO much!

When we were little Tara (my sis) and I would fight over her and would drive everyone crazy because Tara and I never wanted to share Megan with one another.

One time my Dad offered to cut Megan in half so we could each have a part.

I called the head.

Tara was mad.

Megan was petrified.

haha

Somehow she has always put up with my antics and we have had so much fun over the years.

Love you Meg!

I stayed at my sister Brittany's house while I was there.

Her husband Kyle was awesome, always making us dinner, serving us when we were being lazy bums...

it was great! :)

In the mornings when I would feed Liam he would skype Daddy and tell him all about his adventures.

He learned how to climb stairs

FIRST TRY!

At my friend Becky's place...

I met up with a great friend Joy-Ann.

She's wonderful.

I also met up another night with some great friends:

Kelly, (me), Nicole, and Cheryl.

Nicole is getting married soon and showed off her wedding dress

GORGEOUS!

Kelly and Cheryl are roomies and besties now.

I loved seeing them all and catching up.

I also had a moment with another friend Anita.

So sweet.

I feel so blessed to have such great friends that still find the time to meet up with me, if only for a moment.

Needless to say it was REALLY busy and no where near long enough to see everyone.

But it was great to see who I could cram in my schedule.

Brittany and Kyle were of course around a lot.

And LOVED Liam and have decided to definitely have their own children as soon as possible.

Right?

hahaha.

Wouldn't they make great parents?

DC Trip!

2011-08-15T18:56:00.000+02:00

I was lucky enough to make a final trip before our move to France to visit some extra special friends.

First stop

Maryland.

I went to Paris (in 2003) with some amazing girls.

Three who are near and dear

to my heart

for so many reasons.

SOMEHOW,

ALL OF THEM,

ALL 3

to be exact.

Have ended up on the east coast.

Within HOURS of each other.

Jealous?

Me?

OF COURSE!

SOMEHOW... I'M THE LONELY ONE

UTAH

Boooooo!

But don't worry... I'm not bitter or anything.

Or at least I haven't been since I'm now moving to France where they'll all actually WANT to visit me.

N'est-ce pas?

Alright... enough blabbering.

Here's my trip:

First time flying solo with the babe.

He did AWESOME on the way there.

Probably because the flight attendant was cool enough to give me an extra seat beside me that I didn't pay for.

Thank you Delta.

We went on walks to the park.

Enjoyed swings and especially all of the GREEN.

We had the greatest babysitters ever (shout out to Kassie's family) who watched our children while we went to the

DC Temple.

This is where my parents were married.

From left to right:

Kassie, Moi, Patience, Bekah.

Kassie was great and let me stay there all but the night we took over Bekah's house.

Kassie is AAAMAZING!

She even let me "steal" her name Liam.

Yep, there are 2 Liam's in this crowd.

Liam #1 (Kassie's)

and

Liam #2 (mine)

We don't mind.

And there was little confusion.

Growing up I had a good friend named Emily.

We had this ongoing joke every year on our birthdays to write in our card:

"To: Emily From: Emily"

We would purposely read the card aloud at our party and then burst into laughter because it was SOO hilarious to us.

I never remember ONCE being confused that my good friend's name was the exact same as mine.

If her mom was yelling at her house, I definitely knew it wasn't me! haha

If my mom was yelling at our house, I definitely knew I should pretend it was my friend! :)

Do you agree Emily?

(you know who you are, don't be shy!)

So here is my sweet baby with curly hair!

Did you know that the humidity took Liam's hair to a whole new level?

And his cute Auntie Poopoo giving him snuggles.

She better come visit! :)

Here's Liam #1 in all his glory eating olives off his finger tips.

It was soooo cute.

He's such a doll.

Here is my baby all decked out in blankets and carseat cover from

Humble Pie Originals.

I bought more than just that because

EVERYTHING

she makes is

ADORABLE!

My dear friend Bekah makes everything from Humble Pie and she is quite the seamstress and designer.

Check out the reversible carseat cover that you can hang toys from!

Hello!

Genius!

And I can't say enough about this blanket with nice soft mink fabric on the inside and the cutest owls you ever did see on the outside.

You should definitely

CHECK IT OUT

if you're looking for baby stuff

(I love and adore her bibs)

for gifts or for yourself.

Our final photo before departure from Bekah's place.

Left to Right:

Patience, Kassie, Moi, Bekah.

And I must say... there used to be

2 blondes,

2 brunettes...

Kassie, you have gone astray.

Just sayin'.

A couple more photos from the trip...

Naked Liam trying to escape and getting caught behind the baby gate

(aka baby jail)

And one more to show off his curls.

Oh how I will miss these ladies.

And already do.

10 months!

2011-08-07T23:10:00.000+02:00

My baby is 10 months.

Is 10 months still a baby?

Well I think so.

Check out his sweet shades.

This is his serious face, he sports it almost all the time.

Why?

I have no clue.

At the doctor's office for a visit he loved whomping his legs on the crunchy paper.

He loved watching people jump rope at Grandma and Grandpa Perl's.

It was non-stop laughter.

He is getting better and better at feeding himself.

And even better at making messes.

Daddy taking time to read to little man.

I could just eat him up.

What a stud.

I love it when he sleeps with his butt in the air.

I can't get enough of it.