Meet the Browns . . .

It's raining, it's pouring...

2011-11-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

Rainy season is here, and although it hasn't been too bad, it is wet. But a little thing like weather does not make a toddler want to stay inside, so rain clothes were necessary. She's lookin good huh?

Pumpkin Picking

2011-11-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

I took Aliyah to a pumpkin patch this year and she had a blast! Not so much with the pumpkin picking part of the day, but they had a huge pile of saw dust with a bunch of cars and stuff for the kids to play in and she loved it. She literally played for hours. They also had some farm animals to look at and a small corn maze. She had fun in the maze too. Grandma met us there, so one of us would run ahead in the maze and Aliyah would run to find us. Other than when we went in the maze, she got really mad whenever we took her away from the sawdust pile, so if she looks upset in some of the pictures, that's why. She just really wanted to keep playing. We had a great time and will definitely go again next year! Hopefully we'll find a time that Dad can come too!

Trick-or-Treat!

2011-11-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

I guess I should say trunk-or-treat. Halloween was definitely a little more fun this year, as she is starting to understand what's going on. Aliyah got to go to two Halloween Parties this year, one with our ward and one with Grandma Natter(we went down to spend her birthday with her and finished the day trunk-or-treating.) She still doesn't really understand the whole trick-or-treat thing, but she liked to carry around the bucket and got pretty excited when people started putting stuff in it. And isn't she the CUTEST ghost you've ever seen!!
I also got to go to an adult Halloween party. It was really nice to get out and spend time with my friends without a child in tow.

Washington Summer...

2011-09-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

We got home just in time for the best part of Washington's summer, no rain and 80 degrees pretty much all the time. Perfect! And conveniently, Steve had about a month of no work and all play, before he had to go back to school. So, we spent a lot of time in the sun and the water. Aliyah had a blast, and so did we. Her are just a few of our outings:

This is on the Puget Sound just a few minutes from our home. I think this was her first (but definitely not the last) experience eating sand. And it was impossible to keep her out of the water even though the beach was more rock than sand and the water was freezing.

Kent Fountain- She loved filling that cup and dumping it all over herself!

This is Angel Lake, also very close to home. We spent a lot of time here on those warm sunny days, sometimes going a couple times a week. It is a really nice park and the lake was really warm and had a lot of shallow area. These pics were taken the first time we went to the park. We were just planning on checking it out and walking around, but as soon as Aliyah saw the water, there was no saying no. Needless to say, we weren't prepared for swimming, but had a great time anyways.

We are seriously loving the area we're living. There are so many places close by to enjoy, especially in this beautiful weather!

Aliyah's Birthday: Part Two

2011-09-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

A few days after we got home from Guatemala, we had another little birthday party for Aliyah with our families. She seemed to have a good time and got lots of fun gifts. It took her a little while to understand the idea of opening presents, but by the end, she was doing her share of tearing. We are happy to have so much of our family close by to share these occasions with us.

This party also allowed me my first attempt at cake making/decorating. Although it definitely wasn't perfect, I'm pretty proud of it. I made a chocolate/chocolate mousse layered cake with marshmallow fondant and Tres Leches cupcakes for the non-chocolate lovers, which were super yummy. Aliyah wasn't so sure how she felt about them though; by the time we got to the cake, I think she was just ready for bed, she was just so pooped from all the attention! (I may have overcompensated a little for her sadness in one of those pics. I look like a crazy mom!)

In the end, a good time was had by all.

Guatemala: Complete

2011-09-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

The rest of our time in Guatemala was a lot more of the same; walking, swimming, hiking, playgrounds. But one new thing we did do our last week there was going on the ziplines. This was AMAZING! It was a series of 8 ziplines high above the nature reserve from the previous post, and it was so incredible to fly above the trees and look over at the lake. It's hard to explain and we don't really have pictures because it's difficult to handle a camera while wearing leather gloves, but seriously one of the highlights of my trip.

Steve also had the opportunity to take a boat across the lake to the island of Santiago with his friend Juan a few days before we left. Juan grew up in a small village on the island and Steve got to spend a night there with him.

We really enjoyed the trip in general, but I'm not going to lie, I was soooo ready to come home. The plane ride home was a little rough, Aliyah is not a big fan of sitting in one spot for very long or of falling asleep while being held, so there was a little crying, a little frustration, and a lot of happiness when we reached Seattle. It was all worth it when we laid down in our own beds that night, and then, after waking up at least once a night the entire time in Guatemala, Aliyah slept until 8 o'clock the next morning.
One of the greatest things we gained from our stay in Guatemala is an immensely increased measure of gratitude for the many many things we have, both materially and conceptually (such as standards of cleanliness and clean water), that so many people go without their entire lives. We are so greatly blessed and will strive harder to not take these blessings for granted.

4th of July

2011-07-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it turns out that the 4^th of July isn’t a very big deal around here. Big surprise, huh? So, in order to celebrate, Aliyah and I got dressed up in our red, white, and blue and went outside to play (and take pictures!) We also went swimming. And later that night, Steve and I watched fireworks on TV. I know, very exciting, but it was the best we could do. Bet you wish your 4^th was as exciting as ours J But seriously, it was a pretty good day, not too out of the ordinary, but good none the less.

Recent Happenings...

2011-07-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

The past couple weeks we have been enjoying our surroundings. A few of the highlights have been the botanical gardens and the nature reserve,( both within a five minute walk from where we’re staying.) We’ve also enjoyed our immediate surroundings, especially the pool and the playground!

Botanical Gardens

This parrot attacked me! I was a little afraid to take the pic.

Aliyah loved the bunnies

Nature Reserves

There was a crazy downpour. Once we reached shelter, Aliyah made some friends while we waited it out.

One of the monkeys from the reserve escaped and was chilling on our balcony one morning

At the pool and playground Playing with her new friend Maylla

Around the house

Feliz Cumpleanos!

2011-07-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

Aliyah is one! Crazy, I know! For her birthday, we went over to a friend’s house to celebrate; his birthday was the day before. We had a piñata, a cake, and a traditional Guatemalan dinner. Aliyah had fun playing with other little kids, even if they were a lot older than her, and it was fun to celebrate with Juan’s family. We had a good time, but I’m excited to celebrate with our family once we get home too!

A few fun facts: She has been walking for over a month. Her first word is "hola," it's not always clear, but sometimes she says it really well. She waves whenever someone says "adios" and when it's bedtime. She claps when you say "yay!" or "good job!" She has learned to give kisses, where her nose is, and dances whenever she hears music. She still doesn't really like to play with real toys very much, but seems to prefer household items. She now has six teeth, 2 on top, 4 on bottom. She went to the doctor about a week before her b-day and she was 21.7 pounds and I think 77cm long (but I'm not positive on that one because I cant find the paper.) She's apparently huge for Guatemalan standards, but I think pretty average for US standards. We'll find out when we get home!

Getting ready for the party

Playing at the party

These little boys LOVED her, and she didn't mind the attention

The pinata

Birthday dinner

The birthday kids

The cake

Happy Birthday Aliyah!

Welcome to the Jungle...

2011-06-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well, the first leg of our journey is officially over and a new one has begun. On Friday, Steve finished his classes in Antigua, and Saturday, we moved to Panajachel. Our last week in Antigua flew by and I can’t believe our trip is almost half way over. We are settling in to our new place, and again adjusting to our new surroundings.

Living in Panajachel is quite the change from living in Antigua. For one thing, we went from living in the middle of the city minutes from everything, to being in a secluded little place in the middle of the jungle. Don’t worry, we’re not far from civilization, but if you look out the windows, you would think so. Another change is going from living in a hotel room, to living in a little apartment. We have a bedroom, bathroom (with really hot water-another change), living room, kitchen, and balcony.

We are very excited to one, not share a room with Aliyah, and two, have a kitchen, but these things have presented their own challenges. We figured out that Aliyah sleeps much better if she has her own enclosed room, so although it may seem strange, we gave her the bedroom. We sleep upstairs on our futon couches, which I actually think are more comfortable than the beds, so it works out well. I’m excited to cook again, but our kitchen lacks an oven, which was a bit of a surprise for me, but we’re working around that. The other challenge is that we’re starting from scratch. We don’t have all the normal little stuff you’re just used to having in your kitchen, like spices, baking soda/powder, measuring cups and spoons, whisks, mixers, or blender. And then there’s the difference in food. Things are definitely different here, but it’s kind of fun, or at least interesting, to try and come up with something tasty for dinner.

Aliyah is sleeping better now that she has her own room, and we are glad that there are more places to let her run around. And it’s not all rocks, there’s grass too! There is also a pool and a little playground, so hopefully we will be able to keep Aliyah entertained. One down-side, there are not a ton of people that want to hold her, talk to her, and play with her. She is having a bit of people withdrawal, and she really misses playing with other kids. Other than that, she is a happy kid. I don’t feel like she’s much of a baby any more, she’s getting so big! And she’s only walking; she’s very independent and would quickly wander off if we didn’t watch her. And she claps and waves at appropriate times. She’s also eating normal food and loves it. She eats a ton! One of her top teeth has come in, and the other looks like it should pop through anytime.

Steve is working with a lawyer in Solola. It’s only been a couple days, but the guy is super nice and he seems to be enjoying it so far. And I’m just chillin’. Trying to keep Aliyah entertained and learning to cook with very basic ingredients. The weather is wonderful, and the surroundings are amazingly beautiful, and I hope to come back with a nice tan :)

Our new place

Playing on the balcony with Daddy

The view

We live down by the tall tower.

Pics added to previous post...

Hola from Antigua!

2011-06-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

So we've been here in Antigua, Guatemala for two weeks now, and it's taken a little while to adjust, but life is good. Antigua is a beautiful old town and we've become familiar with our surroundings and are enjoying the sights. Steve has law classes 4 hours a day and I meet two hours a day with a Spanish tutor. Aliyah is walking all over the place! Unfortunately, learning to walk in a world where there is no carpet and there's a lot of cobblestone is not the easiest thing to do, and she's got the bumps and bruises to show for it. But she's learning quickly, and loving all the attention she gets for pretty much everyone, other students, hotel staff, people on the street, everyone. I guess there's no denying she's a pretty cute baby!
This past weekend, we also had the opportunity to visit Panajachel on Lake Atitlan. It was beautiful! While there, we met up with one of Steve's mission companions and spent the evening with him, his wife and baby, and his wife's extended family. It was interesting to see the way they lived and a good opportunity for me to practice my Spanish. Unfortunately, we were only there for a day and a night, and for a good amount of that time, I was pretty sick, so we didn't get to see much of the town. Fortunately, a week from now, we will be moving to Panajachel, so we will get to see as much of it as we want!
And now, some things I like about Antigua, and a few things I don't.

Things I Like:
It's very pretty in an ancient sort of way.
Everything is within walking distance.
I don't have to cook. (We live in a hotel.)
The other students are super nice and I don't feel like I'm an outsider even though I'm not a student.
I'm learning Spanish.
The food is delicious.
Our hotel is nice.
The weather is wonderful. (Upper 70s to low 80s, mid 60s at night)

Things I don't like:
The city is old, so although our hotel is nice, it's an old convent built in the 1600's and lacks a few amenities. But really, it's not bad, it's very pretty, just old.
Sharing a room with Aliyah. This has probably been the most difficult thing. It's taken some adjusting and some creativity, but I think we've about got her back to her normal sleep schedule.
I'm not good at Spanish.
We have to find a place to eat twice a day.
The food does not always agree with our stomachs.

So far, things have been great and we are enjoying this adventure. We're learning a lot both in and out of the classroom and are blessed to have this amazing opportunity.

For we like to help Mommy for we all love her so...

2011-05-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Aliyah has become so "helpful" around the house! She wants to do everything that Mommy does. Unfortunately, she has not quite figured everything out yet...Helping with the laundry

Helping with the dishes

Putting "away" groceries

"Cleaning" the bathroom

Feeding herself

Organizing the closet

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

Easters Past and Present

2011-05-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

During the Easter season, I cannot help but reminisce about the amazing experience I had four years ago of doing a study abroad in Jerusalem and I feel inclined to share. While there, I came to know Christ and understand His life in a way that I hadn't in the past. I happened to be there for Easter, and had the opportunity of experiencing Easter in a few different ways. The sabbath day in Jerusalem is Saturday, so the Saturday before Easter we had a nice sacrament meeting and it was a special experience to speak of Christ's resurrection while looking over the city in which it took place.
That night, I went to midnight mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It was humbling to see so many Christians from all over the world gathered together in honor of Christ's resurrection, but for how holy of an event this was supposed to be, I was surprised by how irreverent it seemed. We showed up hours early in order to get a spot inside. Shortly after, the building was packed, there were people touching me on all sides. We were sandwiched in so tight and the heat was incredible. There were people pushing and fighting for a better spot, and to be honest, I never figured out what we were trying to see. I expected some sort of ceremony or sermon, but from where I stood, there never seemed to be one.
The highlight of Jerusalem's celebrations for me was sunrise ceremony at the Garden tomb. We walked to the garden at 4:30 in the morning to get in line before it opened. We sat outside the garden for the next hour singing hymns about Christ and his resurrection. This was a special time for me to be in this amazing place with so many people that I had grown to love dearly, honoring the life and death of our Savior. The spirit was very strong and it was an amazing feeling that I hope to never forget. Although the feeling changed as we entered the garden, it was still a positive one. The ceremony was one of great celebration, with a live band, upbeat songs, lots of clapping, and"Hallelujahs!" It was like a big party and it was a joy to see so many people truly celebrating Christ's resurrection. As much as I enjoyed this, it still did not compare to the simple spirit and reverence I felt before the ceremony, sitting with my friends singing hymns.
I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to experience these many things and the opportunity I have to sit and remember them every year. I know that Jesus Christ loves me. He gave His life for me. And He lives again!
This Easter was not quite as eventful as that Easter four years ago, but it was nice all the same. We went to church and later had a delicious dinner with Steve's sister, Betsy and her daughters, Brittany and Karissa, and his brother, Roger and his son, Luke. And it was another excuse to take pictures, so enjoy :)

Nine Months!

2011-03-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! Aliyah has grown up a lot in the past couple weeks! She is now 18 and a 1/2 pounds and 27 and a 1/4 inches long! She is definitely on the move and getting into everything! She is a super fast crawler and can pull herself up on anything! She is starting to let go of the things she is holding on to and standing on her own for a few seconds. She walks along furniture, along the wall, holding on to mom's legs, holding our hands; let's just say she doesn't like to sit on the floor much anymore. She has learned to open the cabinets, but lucky for me has not started pulling stuff out yet. It's time to start baby-proofing for real this time. She is getting more adventurous and will crawl into other rooms to play (get into things) without having anyone with her. She has learned to climb, which helps her reach things she's not supposed to. Her mobility has been a little bit challenging for mom, but she is loving it!(Climbing on a box so she could pull stuff off the table and discovering that the cabinets open for the first time.)

(Pulling herself up.)

(Walking along the walls in the kitchen.)

Another new development, Aliyah is no longer toothless! She had two teeth pop through on March 19th. They didn't seem to bother her at all at first, but a couple days later she got kind of fussy and we were grateful for baby orajel. The pain seemed to subside after just two days, and now we are good to go! The funny part is, she didn't get her two front teeth, she got the ones next to them. They're like little bottom fangs!(It's hard to take pictures of teeth.)

Along with turning nine months old, came sleeping through the night! For the past two weeks, Aliyah has gone to bed around 7 o'clock and doesn't wake up until anywhere between 4:30 and 6:30, and then after being fed, normally goes back to sleep until 7:30. I love it! Yay Aliyah!
One new thing that is not so fun is tantrums. Little temper tantrums have become a fairly common occurrence at our house. Anytime she doesn't get what she wants, like to be picked up, or if we take something away that she's not supposed to have, she lets out a crazy scream and the tears start flowing. If she just wants to be picked up, I often give in. I really don't like the crying. I know that I need to be more consistent about not responding to the tantrums so that she doesn't think she can get whatever she wants by crying, but it's kind of hard for me. Don't get me wrong, she's still a happy baby, but the tantrums do exist.(I found her playing in a jar of vaseline that she figured out how to open. At least that's not snot all over her face. She was not very happy when I took it away and cleaned her up!)

(playing with daddy's basketball)

On another note, a small update on what's going on with me and Steve. This month I turned 26. I really can't believe it. It doesn't seem like college and even high school are that far in my past, but then I think about everything I've done in the past eight years and realize it's true. The week of my birthday was Steve's spring beak, so we were able to go down to my parents' for a few days to celebrate with them (and watch lots of basketball!) (Sharing Teddy's bone, trying to help those teeth pop through!)

The big news in all of our lives is that we our going to Guatemala this summer! Steve applied to a law program down there and was accepted. We will be spending a month in Antigua, where Steve will take classes learning about international law. Then, we may spend another month in Solola, where Steve has found an internship, we'll know for sure by the end of this week. We're excited, it should be a fun adventure! We've also enjoyed beautiful weather this past week! Aliyah and I got to go on nice long walks, play at the park, and even went jogging one day! We can't wait until the sun is here to stay! I have been loving spending time with my girlfriends, we have dessert nights, playgroup, do crafts, and just hang out. And Steve has found some guys to play basketball with again. Life is good for the Brown family!

Happy Valentines Day...

2011-03-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

So I'm realizing that I'm always about a month behind, but oh well, someday I'll be more on top of things. (Likely story, huh?)
Valentines Day is not even that big of a deal in our house, but I couldn't resist posting these adorable pics of Aliyah. Other than Aliyah's cute outfit and the beautiful orchids Steve brought home for me, it was a pretty ordinary day.

Right after Valentine's Day, Aliyah turned 8 months old. Along with this came two new discoveries, scooting and sitting up on her own! She had been scooting for awhile already, but only backwards and with little control. At about this time, she discovered forward motion and started getting up on her hands and knees and rocking, as well as crawling backwards. On Valentine's Day, she went from laying down to sitting up on her own for the first time. The next day, she figured out how she did it! We are all very happy that mommy and daddy don't have to sit her up anymore. In the past three weeks she has mastered the art of crawling and likes to play with anything that is not a toy. She has also learned to pull herself up to stand using pretty much anything, including the flat wall. She loves to get up and down and up and down and is starting to walk along the furniture. She also likes to blow raspberries. She's not very good at it, but she purses her little lips and tries so hard. She thinks it's pretty funny, but I think we think it's even funnier. I love all the new things she is learning, but I've had too recognize that keeping my eye on her and playing with her is more important than the other things I'm trying to do around the house. Life may have been easier when she couldn't go anywhere without my help, but I think this is more fun :)

The Past Two Months

2011-02-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

I suppose it's time for another update.

First came Christmas and a much needed break for Steve. Steve's parents came for another quick visit a week before Christmas for a total of three visits in 2010. Aliyah's going to get spoiled:) We then headed down to my parents' for a few days, including Christmas Eve and morning. We had a nice time and Aliyah seemed to enjoy herself, although some of the older children (Michael) were a little upset that they had to wait for the baby to wake up Christmas morning before we could open presents. We enjoyed a leisurely day,then joined Betsy and her family for Christmas dinner. Yum!Didn't matter what it was, as long as she could chew on it.

(Mommy made her Christmas leg warmers and her stocking)

One of the presents we got for Christmas was a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." Up to this point, Aliyah had not been a very good sleeper, and it was only getting worse. She had gotten so bad that after sleeping an initial three hours, she would wake up every hour at least. We decided enough was enough, and after reading a couple chapters of the book, decided to start sleep training that night. No more fighting her to sleep or responding to every cry. As hard as it might be, after reading a little, we realized that it ultimately would be better for her because she would finally be able to get the adequate amount of sleep that her little body needs. So, we put her down awake for the first that night and she cried for 1 1/2 hours. It was a very difficult hour and a half, but after that, a miracle happened, she slept for almost 8 hours! Then, after being fed, she slept another 4, without waking up at all! The next day, we laid her down for her first nap, and no crying, she went right to sleep. Ever since, life in the Brown household has been much happier. We occasionally have relapses and she cries for a little while, but never too long. Aliyah now sleeps 13 hours a night waking up only once or twice to eat! I saw a baby onsie that said "All Mommy wants for Christmas is a Silent Night." Couldn't be more true, best present ever!
We spent New Years at my parents' house as well. Good thing too, because both Steve and I got super sick with some sort of stomach bug and I'm not sure how we would have taken care of Aliyah if we had been on our own. We were very grateful that Grandma and Grandpa were there to watch her, as well as take care of us. Needless to say, this was definitely not my favorite New Year's ever.

We spent the rest of our break relaxing and enjoying not having anything to do. We also went to visit our friend Stephen up in Bellingham, leaving Aliyah behind for our first night alone in 7 months! And she did great, thank you Betsy! Steve was also able to go to the Seahawks playoff game with his brothers. He had a great time! Said it was the best game he'd ever been to! I'm glad he was able to go :)

Aliyah at 7 months

Right around 7 months old, Aliyah got tired of sitting in one spot. Although she still can't crawl, she can roll from one side of the room to the other. Only problem is, she gets to the wall and tries to keep rolling. She is also really good at scooting backwards, the problem with this is that she's trying to go forward, so she often backs herself into things and gets mad because she's getting further and further from the things she's trying to get. It's so fun to watch her discover the different things she can do!

This past month she has also discovered that she LOVES to jump. We started putting her in the Jumperoo again, and instead of just sitting there looking at the toys, she jumps, and she jumps hard. It's great because now I just stick her in it while I get ready for the day or pick up the bedroom, since the only doorways to put it in are either to the bedrooms or bathrooms.

My mom gave me another solution for getting things done without ignoring Aliyah, while in the kitchen. Now Aliyah gets lots of sink baths while Mom makes dinner! And she loves it!
And that is life as we know it right now! Steve is back in school and applying for summer externships (hopefully more on that in the future.) And Aliyah and I are keeping busy going to play groups, grocery shopping, visiting Grandma, and just hanging out at home. Life is good!

Where Does the Time Go?

2010-12-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

Time seems to be going so fast, and Aliyah seems to be growing even faster! I can't believe she is already six months old! She's learning new things and getting cuter by the day! But let's back up a little bit and visit the highlights of the past couple months.

4 Months - Aliyah reached her four month mark in mid-October. As seen in previous posts, at this point, she had learned to roll-over and loved playing with anything that wasn't a toy. She was quick to laugh, and we loved to hear it! She was weighed in right at 14 pounds and 24 and 1/4 inches long.

5 Months - The month of November was a very eventful one, with a few more milestones for Aliyah.

5 Months Old

We broke out the big girl bath!

Time for solids!

We went to a hockey game for my sister-in-law Betsy's birthday. It was another first for both me and Aliyah. No fights like you see on tv, but it was still fun.

Sitting all on her own! In the beginning, she had to use her arms to support herself, but now she is steady as can be!

Seattle Snow Storm!!! A week before Thanksgiving, snow hit Seattle and everything shutdown as usual. Luckily for me and Aliyah, we just sat at home and watched the snow fall. It was very pretty from our point of view. Unfortunately, Steve was not so lucky. He had driven to school that day, hoping to stay late and get some extra studying done, but when the school canceled all classes after 3, he decided he should probably head home early. 10 and 1/2 hours later, he made it home at 2:30 in the morning.

Steve's parents came for Thanksgiving. We had dinner at his sister Betsy's, dessert at his brother Les', and then headed down to my parents' and stayed for a couple days.

6 Months - That brings us to now. Aliyah is now15 and 1/2 pounds and 25 and 1/2 inches long. She has finally found her feet and likes to lift them high then slam them down. She loves to stand all the time and we are grateful that one of our neighbors lent us their exersaucer so she is able to stand as often as she likes. She looks like she is always chewing gum, which totally cracks me up. And she is ready for her first Christmas.
Steve is finished with his first semester of law school and survived some brutal finals. We are now looking forward to a three week break to relax and visit family and friends!

The Simple Things...

2010-11-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

Lately, Aliyah doesn't really want to play with her toys, she'd rather play with the trash. I guess she's learning early how to be a penny-pincher. (Don't worry, she was supervised while chewing on the plastic Huggies bag, no fear of suffocation.)

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well, Halloween was not that eventful for us, seeing as Aliyah is a little too young to participate in all of the festivities, but I did get to make her a super cute Halloween costume! She looked amazing in my opinion, and we got to show her off at our ward Halloween party.
So, for her costume, I decided she was going to be a peacock. Seemed like a great idea, until I put the costume on her. I failed to remember that Aliyah likes to put absolutely anything she can get her hands on straight into her mouth. Needless to say, being covered in feathers was not the ideal situation for her. Within 5 minutes of putting her costume on, our living room floor was covered in blue feathers. We continued to leave a trail of feathers in our wake the entire night. In order to keep her from eating the feathers, we ended up having to put a bib on her and some mittens. They detracted a little from the look, but seemed like the best thing to do. So although her costume was a bit of a hassle, it was all worth it for the cute pics!
One thing I did want to do this Halloween was take Aliyah to a pumpkin patch. Unfortunately we never made it, but I survived the missed picture opportunity. It was probably for the better, I think Aliyah gets tired of posing for Mommy's photo shoots. :) We'll do it next year for sure!
For actual Halloween, we headed down to my parents' house to celebrate my mom's birthday. We enjoyed a nice dinner and cake, and Aliyah got to see her great-grandma again! All in all, I think it was a pretty good holiday.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' . . .

2010-11-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Aliyah officially learned to roll over two weeks ago! I put her on her tummy and she plopped right over. I decided I better try again because she had rolled a couple weeks before completely on accident. So again, I put her on her tummy and bam! And she did it again and again! I was very excited! Now she's done it at least once a day since! I know, my baby's got skills. Next trick, sitting on her own, we've been practicing. :)
1st day rolling!

Two weeks later

Reunion Revisited

2010-10-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

I finally got some pictures from the Natter Family Reunion!
Enjoy the pics!

The sweet lodge we stayed at

Hanging out in Leavenworth

Hot tub time

Hiking

The kids seemed to enjoy themselves

Horseback riding and kayaking

Relaxing at the cabin

Cousins!

Go Mariners!

2010-10-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it happened a few months ago, but I figured, better late than never. :) Shortly after coming back to Washington, we went to a Mariners game! We found some really cheap great tickets and decided that it was cheaper to go to a game than it is to go to a movie, so why not? We invited my parents to come along, and we all had a great time. Aliyah did great, was awake and happy through the first couple innings, and then after a short bout of walking, she slept through the rest of the game. And they even gave her a certificate for her first game! (Everyone loved her.) We played the Oakland Athletics and we won! Woo hoo! First sporting event, success.

A is for Adorable

2010-10-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

We finally got pictures taken of Aliyah! Unfortunately she was super tired, so we didn't get any smiley pictures out of her, but we still got some good ones. Thank you Trina Mitchell! As a side-note, I made all the clothes/props: dress, tutu, hats, shoes, hammock. It was kind of fun. I'm trying to develop my domestic talents. :) Here are some of my favorites!

Rodeo

2010-10-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

About a month ago we went to the Semi-annual Roy Pioneer Rodeo. That's right, the little town I grew up in has a rodeo. And not only does it have a rodeo, but it has one twice a year. So you would think that I would be a rodeo aficionado by now, but no, until a month ago, I had never been. So, Steve, Aliyah, and I met up with my parents and headed out to the rodeo. It was actually very entertaining, complete with bucking broncos, wild-cow milking, steer roping, barrel racing, and bull riding. And let's not forget one of my favorite parts, the rodeo clown. Apparently it's been the same guy for like twenty years. We really did have a lot of fun and may have to make it a more regular outing in Aliyah's childhood.

The Laugh!!

2010-10-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

Aliyah just started laughing within the past couple weeks and I love it! She seems to find the hiccups particularly funny. Her laugh is so much better in person, and it's hard to catch the best laughs on video because I'm too busy laughing at her. So this is just a small taste of how cute she is! :) It get's better in the middle of the video, so keep watching!

Three Months!

2010-09-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is growing so fast! She had a check-up when she was 2.5 months and was right at the 50th percentile for weight, height, and head circumference. She smiles all the time, and even if she has just screamed for the past hour, the second she smiles, it melts my heart. She has now laughed a couple times and I can't wait until this becomes a more regular occurrence. It's so cute! It has been so fun watching her discover her hands and figure out what she can do with them. She is learning like crazy!

She's learning to fall asleep on her own! She has still only done it three times, but this is a big step for us. I now know that it is possible.

She likes to blow bubbles and does it all day long, usually soaking the front of her shirt. It might be time for a bib!

We broke out the big girl toys, some of which may still be too big for her, but she enjoys them anyways.

She loves to fly, especially when Daddy is pilot. She just loves playing with Steve in general!

And she's learning to grab things and I love it! she also likes to put anything she can get her hands on, straight into her mouth.

I think that's everything, but at the rate she's changing, I'm going to have to update more often!

The Pit

2010-09-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

I know I still need to write about our new place, but near our new place is a place we like to call The Pit. We first noticed it when we were driving around looking for a place to rent, I mean, how could we miss it, it's this huge, strange hole in the ground. Let me explain, The Pit is exactly what it sounds like, just weirder. Around the top, it is the size of a high school track and then it gets small as you go down. It's kind of like a stadium, but without so many benches and made out of the ground. After living in our new place for a couple weeks, curiosity got the best of us and we decided to go check it out. After our three minute walk to get there, this is what we found out:

The Pit is a part of a public art collection called Earthworks. That's right, it's art. "The Robert Morris and Herbert Bayer earthworks were developed in conjunction with the groundbreaking 1979 Earthworks: Land Reclamation as Sculpture symposium." It was once a gravel pit abandoned in the 40's, that has now been recreated into a work of art.
So you're probably saying, "What's the big deal?" Well, it's not really that big of a deal, it's just weird. The Pit was created back in 1979, and our little community was not built until three years ago. Up until that time, The Pit was the only thing on the hill. This strange, large pit in the middle of no where, surrounded by trees. It's got this kind of eerie feeling about it, like a window to the past. While the whole world has been changing drastically around it, The Pit is exactly the same as it was thirty years ago! It's just weird.
Now that you all probably think I'm crazy, this is what The Pit means to me today. It's my own personal exercise facility! Because we live on such a large steep hill, going on walks with Aliyah was kind of brutal, but now, I've got a nice little track just a few minutes away! Some days I just walk around it and some days I go up and down, do a little stairs workout. Anyways it's nice to have a place where I can go to just get out of the house and work my body. A place that I don't feel like I'm going to pass out when I'm done and isn't right on the main road. But I can't help but wonder, was someone else doing the very same thing as me thirty years ago?

Natter Family Reunion

2010-09-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Steve and I made it back to Washington just in time for the Second Annual Natter Family Reunion. This was the first time that we had all been together since our wedding, since last year Michael was on his mission in New York. There were also two new additions to the family in the past year, so everyone was able to meet Heber and Aliyah. This year, everyone came home to Washington for the gathering. Once everyone was home, we headed over to a beautiful lodge on the Chiwawa River, near Leavenworth, WA. We spent our time playing games, hiking, visiting the Bavarian city, white water rafting, horseback riding, relaxing in the hot tub, and just enjoying being around each other. The week was wonderful! Unfortunately, I left the picture-taking to everyone else, so I don't have any to post. So once I get my hand on some photos, I'll edit the post and you can see how much fun we really had!

Random

2010-09-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

I was going through pictures the other day and realized that the majority of Aliyah's clothes were polka dots. This made me laugh, especially since she was wearing polka dots that day too. Just thought I would share!

Farewell to Utah

2010-09-07T08:07:00.001-07:00

Although we were pretty excited to move home to Washington, saying goodbye to Utah was not the easiest thing. Yes, there were some things we weren't very fond of, namely unbearably hot days in the summer and eight month long winters, we' d been there a long time and had really grown to like it. We knew where everything was, it was easy to get around, everything you could need was within walking distance, and it really was pretty, especially when the trees had leaves. But the thing that really made us enjoy Utah were the amazing friends we made.
The majority of our friends are friends we made when we first moved to Utah six to seven years ago, and even though all of our lives have changed, we've managed to stay good friends through it all. We've gone to eachothers' weddings, been on multiple roadtrips together, and just genuinely enjoyed spending time together. These friendships made leaving bittersweet. Even as I type this, it still makes me sad to know it could be a while before we see them again.
We spent our last weeks in Utah hanging out with the people we love, enjoying the beautiful weather, and squeezing in a few outings that we hadn't done the entire time we'd lived there.
I spent as much time as possible with my best friend Bec and her kids. She had a baby three weeks before me and we've created a master plan for our daughters to be roommates at BYU 18 years from now so that they can become as great of friends as we are. We spent a lot of time out at the pool (the only way to actually enjoy the heat.) I think Steve went swimming everyday for our last two weeks there. I said my goodbyes at work and will truly miss the great friends I made there as well. Some things we squeezed in that we hadn't done before were a trip to Utah Lake, only about ten minutes away and we'd never been, and we rode the ski lift up at Sundance, relaxing and beautiful. Utah, we will miss you.As we prepared to leave, our niece, Brittany, flew down from WA just to help us move. She was a life-saver. She watched and held Aliyah non-stop so that Steve and I could finish the last minute packing and clean the apartment. She also made the car ride much easier, giving Aliyah bottles and keeping her entertained. We were definitely glad to have her!

More to Come . . .

2010-09-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

I realize that all the recent posts are about old things. Here are some things you can look forward to hearing about soon, hopefully. :)
Return to Washington
Natter Family Reunion
Our New Place

Blessing Day!

2010-09-02T14:32:00.001-07:00

The weekend with the grandparents was topped off by Aliyah's baby blessing. Aliyah was blessed by her dad and had her name entered into the records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 4, 2010. It was a beautiful day and we were happy to share it with many of our friends and family. After church, we were able to go back to our place and enjoy a picnic with everyone. I couldn't have asked for a better day!

Visit From the Grandparents

2010-09-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

In the first couple weeks of Aliyah's life, we were blessed to have both of our parents come to Utah to visit us. My mom was actually able to be there when Aliyah was born and stayed for a week. The day she left, Steve's parents flew in and we were able to spend a week with them. That weekend, both of my parents came and we spent the weekend with both sets of parents. We went on a couple hikes, spent some time at the freedom festival in Provo, and finished packing our apartment in preparation for the move. It was fun to spend time with all of them and we are grateful for their love and support!

1st Bath!

2010-09-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

So, obviously it's been at least a couple months since Aliyah's first bath, but here are the pics! You can't really tell, but she actually really liked it. She was totally calm the whole time and didn't cry until I took her out of the water. Since then, showers are more common than baths and she possibly enjoys those even more. It's nice because on her grumpy days, when I'm not feeling very patient, I know I can always hop in the shower and it will calm us both down. Yay for showers!

The First Few Weeks

2010-07-13T15:29:00.001-07:00

The first few weeks consisted mostly of eating and sleeping, and going on long walks with Mommy, but as the days go on, she has become more and more alert. She follows objects, especially faces, really well. She's very strong. When laying on your chest, she lifts her head right up so she can look at you, and when she's gassy, she kicks really hard. She seems to grow and change every day and we can even catch a smile occasionally. Isn't she the cutest?

Baby Time!!!

2010-07-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

The last week of my pregnancy was entirely focused on trying to figure out whether I was having contractions or not. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to tell, and often tried to convince myself that Braxton Hicks were real contractions. Well, when the contractions came, 4 days after my due date, I knew, just like everyone said I would.So we headed to the hospital at 5:30 Wednesday morning, June 16th. Unfortunately, my contractions weren't strong enough. I didn't think they could get any stronger, but after monitoring me for an hour, the gave me a shot of morphine and sent me home. Thanks to the morphine, I was able to relax and go to sleep. A few hours later, I realized they could get worse. After holding off as long as I could, we headed back to the hospital around 4:00 that afternoon. Luckily, this time they admitted me! I got an epidural as quickly as possible, and the rest of the evening was a breeze. The doctor finally broke my water at 7:30 and things went quickly from there. I started pushing at 8:00, but then they told me to stop because I was going to quickly and the doctor was also delivering two other babies at the same time and my room happened to be further down the hall. Once the doctor finally arrived, I had a baby within minutes. It was amazing!

Welcome to the World Aliyah Michelle Brown!!!
Born June 16th, 2010 at 8:52 pm, 7 lbs 10oz, 19 inches long!

The Rest of Pregnancy...

2010-07-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well it's a little late, but the last month of pregnancy seemed to go for a very long time, maybe because I was really hoping to deliver early and ended up going four days past my due date. Even though I felt huge, most people still told me I didn't look big enough to be due. I beg to differ.
36 weeks
My friend Bec hosted a baby shower/BBQ for Steve and I. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed celebrating the upcoming birth of our daughter with all of our friends. Thanks Bec!

Me-36 weeks pregnant Bec- 38 weeks pregnant

38 weeks
39 weeks40 weeks and 4 days!!! Off to the hospital!

The Browns Go to Mexico...

2010-05-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

and El Paso and Arizona. In celebration of Steve's graduation and our upcoming two year anniversary, we decided to take a trip. We had the opportunity to spend a week along the southern border of our country and we had a great time. We started the trip flying in to Tucson and driving straight to El Paso. Here, we were able to stay with my friend Sahalie for a couple days, which was fabulous because we hadn't seen each other since Christmas. While there, we traveled a little south to Socorro, one of the areas Steve served in on his mission. We knocked on doors trying to track down what had happened to a few different families. Finally, we found one family he taught and visited with them for a couple hours, (well, Steve visited with them while I listened intently trying to grasp as much of the conversation as possible.)

After a couple days in El Paso, we headed back to Arizona for the Gila Valley Temple open house. The original purpose of this trip was to go to Steve's mission reunion, but it quickly morphed into many other things, and we didn't even end up making it to the reunion. When we got to the temple, we were just going to take the tour and then go visit people, but as we were walking in, we ran into Steve's mission president and were able to visit with him and his wife for a little while. After the tour, we found out that they were doing Spanish tours that night. As we were walking out, we ran into people from three different areas that Steve taught in, people that Steve had been trying to get a hold of and hadn't been able to. After visiting with all of them for a little while, Steve realized that this may be the only opportunity he'd have to go through the temple with someone he'd baptized. So we headed through the tour a second time, this time in Spanish! After the second tour, we headed over to another woman's house who Steve had taught before leaving the Gila Valley.

The next day, we went to church up in Sierra Vista. This was a very small Spanish branch, but luckily, most people spoke English too! After church, we visited a couple more families in the area. At one house, I got to try minudo (a traditional Mexican soup with cow stomach) for the first time. I must admit that it was not my favorite. It didn't taste bad, it was just more of a texture and visual dislike. After eating a couple dinners in Sierra Vista, we headed to Tucson to visit one more family. It was a really great experience for me to be able to meet so many of the different people that Steve taught on his mission, and see the difference he was able to make in their lives. They were all so caring and wanted to give you anything they possibly could. I was able to meet some truly amazing people and learn a lot more about Steve's mission and Steve was able to reconnect with some of the people he had become so close to. It was a great experiece.

After we finished with all of the mission visiting, it was on to the real vacation. We were able to go down to an amazing resort in Rocky Point, Mexico with two of Steve's brothers. The weather was perfect, the resort was beautiful, we were able to relax and just really have a great time! Other than just laying around on the beach and at the pool, we spent a day out on the Sea of Cortez fishing! I hadn't ever really been fishing before, but I was lucky enough to catch the first fish, and it was definately lucky because it was hours before I caught another one and I probably would have gotten discouraged if I hadn't already caught one. After a few days there it was time to go home. I think we were all sad to leave and get back to real life, but I was definitely grateful for the much needed vacation before this little baby comes.

*Steve did catch bigger fish than that, that just happened to be the first one he caught. :)

33 Weeks! We're Getting Closer!!!

2010-04-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

A little blurry, but I thought it was time for an update. The count down is on! I had another appointment today and everything is looking good. They found out that my iron was low at my last appointment, which might explain why I had been so tired, so I've been on an additional supplement. My iron is back up to the low end of normal, but they want it higher so they're keeping me on the supplement. I have another appointment in two weeks, and then it will be every week after that! It's almost time! Woo hoo!

29 Weeks!

2010-04-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

Baby Shower #1!!!

2010-04-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago I had the opportunity to go home to Washington for a fantastic baby shower! My mom flew me home to visit as a birthday present and threw me a shower while I was there. The shower was a lot of fun. I got to see a lot of people from church, who probably think of me as a little girl, not someone who should be having a little girl, my sister-in-law Betsy and nieces drove down to see me, and my grandma made the trip as well. We played some fun games, the diapering challenge was the most entertaining. Betsy turned out to be the ultimate diaperer, and she claims the only cloth diapers she ever changed were Steve's. I got a lot of great stuff, thanks to the generosity of all who came, and my mom even made a blessing dress for the baby. It's beautiful.
The trip was a ton of fun. I got to relax, spend time with family, and even check out a few apartments to start getting a few ideas for when we move there in August. And I was reminded how much I really do like Washington! I'm excited to be moving home and to be close to our families. I couldn't have asked for a better trip!

My New Boots!

2010-03-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

These are my favorite booties yet! Not that I think they're better than the others, I'm just really proud of these ones because I had to come up with the pattern on my own and they turned out super cute. Who knew I was so talented? I just figured I would need shoes for every season. I wouldn't want her feet getting cold. :) But I can't decide if I like the brown or the pink buttons better. Let me know what you think.

Old Project

2010-03-09T20:06:00.001-08:00

I started this valance a long time ago, September I think. I was so close to finishing, I just had to put the tabs on the top, and then I quit. When I was pulling the sewing machine out to sew the ruffles for my onesie, I knew my mom would kill me if she knew I, one, hadn't finished it, and two, started another project before I finished this one. So before I made the onesie, I finished this. This was my first sewing project completely on my own, and without a pattern, so, not too bad. Unfortunately, the color of the material blends with the color of the wall. I didn't really think about that when I bought it. But, all-in-all, I think it turned out pretty well.

More Baby Goodies!

2010-03-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

I saw this cute little onesie on someone else's blog and loved it! I had some fabric scraps and some plain white onesies laying around and figured I'd give it a try. It took a little while to learn more about my sewing machine, but I think I figured everything out. I love the way this turned out, but I think I'll continue to experiment. I also had to add my signature with the little crocheted flower on the tush.

Two More Weeks...

2010-03-02T08:13:00.000-08:00

Whether you can tell or not, I am getting bigger. This pic is 24 weeks. I'm now 25 weeks and just had another doctors appointment. Everything looks great. I'm measuring just a little small, which I think is great, especially since the doctor said I'm healthy and it's nothing to be concerned about. You may be tired of seeing the same thing over and over again, but it's all I've got to blog about, so, enjoy!

The Brown Collection

2010-03-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

I've continued to make booties because I have nothing better to do with my free time. I was showing them off at work one day and one of the members freaked out, she loved them. I've sold five pairs so far! So, I've expanded my color options. I love the brown, and once they're crawling they won't get dirty as easily!

Getting Bigger

2010-02-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm getting bigger everyday, but looking at the pictures there is not much change. I think she's just moved up a little bit. So here are a couple more pics for viewing enjoyment, both taken at 22 weeks.

Crocheting Fun

2010-02-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

I saw these cute little booties online and decided I really wanted them, but didn't want to pay $20 for them. I thought maybe my mom could figure out how to make them just by looking at the picture, but turns out it's not that easy. So I ended up buying the pattern so she could make them for me and then I remembered that I knew how to crochet, granted it's been about 8 years. So after a few mishaps and with the help of some online tutorials, these are what I've come up with. This was my first pair of booties so they're not the best, but I love them. I now have three pairs of the little mary janes, and I think they're getting better as I go. I decided that my daughter might need a little variety to her shoe choices and created the flip flops. I know they wont stay on her feet, but I plan on putting a ribbon or little piece of elastic to go around her heel.

Blogging Begins

2010-01-24T17:25:00.000-08:00

Well, after much peer pressure, we are finally making the giant leap into the blogging world. I make no promises of constant updates or clever posts, but I will try and keep you updated on the major happenings of our lives.

Speaking of major happenings, that brings me to the reason for finally giving in to blog pressure... Steve and I are having a baby! (as you should all know) So, as a result, here are the beginning belly pics.

ten weeks

16 weeks

18 weeks

and now, 20 weeks! I'm halfway there!

I realized the other day that although I feel like I'm getting huge , it all depends on the angle you look at. I look down and see my belly everyday, and that's something I've never experienced before. So to me, I'm obviously pregnant. But then as people continue to find out that I'm pregnant the all seem so surprised and I couldn't figure out why, then I realized that this is what they see... I guess that's not so different.