.

My Birthday

2012-01-23T20:09:00.001-08:00

I am so lucky to have a wonderful family!! I had a great birthday spending time with all of them. My Mom and Abbie worked so hard on my party and it turned out so cute!!! It had everything I wanted! We had soup from Kneader's, curtis bakery cake, and chocolate covered oreos. We even got to have it outside. The clouds parted right in time to eat and it was perfect. I had so much fun! Thanks Guys!!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T20:04:00.001-08:00

I have always loved Christmas, but now that I have Vivie it is just the best!!! This was the first year she understood anything about it and she had super fun. She loved handing out the presents more than she loved opening them. Her two favorite gifts came from Santa, she loved her shoes and a really cute club chair to keep at Papa and Guhguh's house to sit in. My dad has started a tradition where he gives us each a little something from Tiffany's and it has become one of our favorite things. This year I was shocked to see that Viv was included!! Her necklace is sooo cute, and she loves wearing it. I will never forget it!

Thanksgiving 2011 and the Polar Express

2011-12-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Thanksgiving this year. It is always nice to spend time with Ash and her family! While they were here, we had our Polar Express themed Christmas party. It is such a great way to kick off the holiday season!! Moma and Abbie did a great job with the theme!

Our Family Pictures

2011-11-09T18:28:00.005-08:00

Thanks to Alisha Shaw for taking our pictures!!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Halloween this year was super fun!! We had a circus theme this year and it was awesome! Vivie and I were clowns, Nick was a bearded lady, Abbie was a concessions girl, Braxtin was a strong man, my mom was the ringmaster, moxie was popcorn, millie was cotton candy, gram was a fortune teller, and my dad was Charlie Sheen (possibly the biggest circus freak of all). We had a great time!

More Fall Fun!

2011-10-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

We had soo much fun at the farm that we had to go again at night! We love the pumpkin patch and the animals the best!! Nick and I also celebrated our 6th anniversary this past week. We are very very lucky to have each other!

Festive!

2011-10-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

We love to go to the farm in October! Viv loves the animals and there is nothing like picking pumpkins in fall!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Ellett

2011-09-23T22:05:00.001-07:00

Abbie and Brax got married!! I have been waiting for pictures so that I can do my post and here are just a few. The real pictures are coming soon! It was a lot of work to put it all together, but it turned out so good!!! I am so proud of my mom for creating the whole thing. It took us one trailer, countless cans of spray paint, four trips to target, and three days to get it all done, but we did it! Abbie looked beautiful and Braxtin looked so handsome. Love you guys!!!

family reunion/hamilton's birthday party 2011

2011-08-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

We always do a big trip to Salt Lake the first week in August because we have the Evan's family reunion at cherry hill and Hamilton's birthday. This year we took Viv to the zoo for the very first time, she loved the monkeys and the wolf because it looks just like a doggie. Grandma Veon had a birthday party for Viv and it was so fun! She got a lot of cute things and got frosting wasted!!! On Saturday we went to hammie's birthday and Viv had a blast playing in the water with the boys! Ashley is an amazing party planner and she made the cutest Bubble Guppies cake for him!!On Sunday we headed to cherry hill for the reunion. Nick's family has a bean bag game that they always play and at the family reunion they have a big tournament every year. Vivie got to play for the first time and she thought she was very cool!The next day we played in the water at cherry hill. Viv loved pirate's cove and the lazy river. She had fun playing with her little cousins Brooklyn and Kenzie!

Vivie is One

2011-08-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Vivie had her one year old doctor's appointment and she weighs 19.36 lbs.! Quite the change from her 4lbs 9oz last year!!!She has made great progress! She is crawling everywhere, when she crawls she uses her feet instead of her knees, it is really cute. She says lots of words: hi, uh oh, mama, dada, guhguh, thank you, cracker, tada, doggie, what's that?, and mimics almost everything you say. She pulls up and walks along things very well and she can stand on her own until she realizes that she is. She loves sharing carrot cake with her guhguh and riding in her cozy coupe. She continues to be obsessed with dogs! She loves to go to the tv and bang on it (especially when you tell her no). She loves bath time more and more. All in all she is a big girl!

Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood... Vivie had a birthday!

2011-07-30T15:34:00.001-07:00

I knew this day would come, just not this quickly! My little Viv is 1! I decided to throw her a Winnie the Pooh themed party and it was so fun! We swam because that is Vivie's favorite thing to do and I got her lots and lots of balloons because she absolutley loves them!! All in all it was a success!!

The Boys

2011-06-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

This week we have been fortunate to spend a lot of time with Ashley and the boys. We went to Thanksgiving Point and Vivie got to ride the pony for the first time. I thought she would be apprehensive, but she loved it!! Although it was freezing, so we didn't get much time at the farm. Then we headed south to our house where it was baking hot and they spent tons of time in the pool, which was also super fun!! It is so cute to watch them interact! The boys love her and she loves them back!!! Bentley is so good with her, he always watches out for her. He asks me if she can have a toy and proceeds to tell me that it is clean before he gives it to her (do you think all the adults around him are germaphobes or what?). They all just sit and laugh at eachother and Viv thinks she is super big just like them!! I can't leave Mollie out of this post because she got a brand new 'do this week!! I no longer own a bear... I own a lion!!

10 months

2011-06-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

I know I say this everytime, but I can't believe she is 10 months!! Vivie has really grown up a lot over this past month! She crawls like a pro, you can barely keep up with her!! This last week she has learned to say "hi" very clearly and she waves while she does it (so cute) and mimics almost everything you say too. She loves eating anything her papa makes her and loves sitting with him while she eats. She is growing so fast!!

9 months!

2011-05-07T17:38:00.001-07:00

Vivie is nine months and I just can't believe it! She has gotten so big! She has had her first taste of diet coke (the point of no return), she loves to drink from cups or water bottles!! She still loves swinging and playing outside. She isn't crawling but she is getting close. She refuses to eat any baby food, so she eats a lot of cheerios and vanilla wafers. She sleeps with us almost every night and takes up more space than Nick and I combined. There is nothing like a good snuggle!!

Vegas

2011-05-07T17:21:00.001-07:00

We decide to go to Las Vegas for a little pre-mother's day celebration. It was way fun!! There was lots of good food and some shopping. Vivie does so good, but by the end she was ready to go home!

So Very Royal

2011-04-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

Since there has been so much fuss about the Royal Wedding, we couldn't let it pass by with out a celebration of our own.So, we did what any self-respecting American family would do, we wore fancy hats and had tea with the Queen. Ok, so we aren't so much tea drinkers so we really had diet coke in tea cups and the Queen slightly resembles my grandma but it was super fun and perfectly proper nonetheless!

Easter!!

2011-04-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun Easter!! It was so fun to watch Viv get her Easter Baskets and get all dressed up! I think we overwhelmed her with so many things to look at, but it was good!

Spring!

2011-04-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

This is Viv and Moxie playing in the warm spring air! PS the tulip did not survive!

Vivie's Photo Shoot

2011-03-31T20:26:00.000-07:00

We got Vivie's 6 month pictures taken and they turned out so good!! We love them! Our friend Alisha Shaw (One Memory at a Time Photography) took them for us and she is so great!

8 Months

2011-03-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

Vivie is 8 months!! She has grown so much! She loves to sit and play on her blanket with her toys, she really loves her penguin and her snail. She loves to play ball with Moxie! She wants to taste anything your eating, in this picture she has just eaten a vanilla wafer and it was tasty! She will not eat any green vegetables. She has started to drink out of a sippy cup a little, but she prefers taking a drink out of a big girl cup and spilling it all over! She makes lots of sounds, some of her favorites include the G sound, the K sound, and the Th sound. She loves being outside!

Pickles!

2011-03-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

Today Vivie tried pickles for the first time and they were a hit! We thought it would be good for her to hold on to and chew on, however with her new tooth she was able to slice the pickle in half. She quite enjoyed the flavor.

A Tooth!

2011-03-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

Today Vivie got her first tooth! She has been in a lot of pain, so we are all excited that she finally got it! She won't let me get a picture of it yet, so more to come!

7 months

2011-03-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

Wow! Vivie is 7 months old. She can do so much now!! Rolling is so easy for her now, she can definitely get where she wants to go. She can sit pretty good, she is just a tiny bit wobbly now. She loves her wonder bug, it makes me laugh that she still crosses her feet even when she stands!! She is a little short for it still so Nick put the wii fit board under her so she can reach!

Super Bowl

2011-02-07T19:50:00.001-08:00

I love the Super Bowl! This year was the best one yet, because Viv was there! She loves football so she was very entertained!

Vivie's 6 Month Check Up!

2011-02-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

Vivie has just turned 6 months, so it was time to head to the doctor again. She is so much fun! Viv loves people, everyone wants to be around her because she is so happy it is impossible not to smile and laugh along with her! She thoroughly enjoyed her visit to the doctor (especially because she got to have bare feet almost the whole time and they spent 90% of it in her mouth) until she got her shots. These are her stats: Height 25.2 inches (30%) Weight 14.09lbs (14%) Head Circumference 16.9 inches (66%) (insert joke about mommie's big, round head here!). She has grown so well!! In fact she has gotten so big that she can finally get off her preemie formula! She can do lots of new things too! She eats her cereal really well now, she is pro at rolling from front to back, she makes lots of sounds, and with the right help she does a mean Irish jig!

My Birthday!

2011-01-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me! Today was a great day, we went to Vegas for the first time since Viv was born! I was so excited to go and it was just as wonderful as I expected! Vivie did great! She fits right in, she even eats on the go!

Cereal!

2011-01-22T19:48:00.001-08:00

Vivie can finally eat cereal. There is definitely more on her face than in her mouth, but that's ok!!

A Special Day!

2011-01-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

Precious things are little girls,
even more precious than mother's pearls.
Pearls remind us we are special in every way,
that's why we wear pearls on our Blessing Day!!

Today Nick blessed Vivie. It was awesome! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family!!

So BIG!!!

2011-01-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

Vivie has gotten so big! I love it and hate it. She is 5 months old now and growing every day. She wears size two in diapers and 3-6 months in her clothing! She has recently decided that her feet are very fun to play with and she pays a lot more attention to her toys. She really wishes she could have a diet coke though!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

2010-12-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

This was Vivie's first Christmas! I can't believe it is already over, I hate it! This year was our year to spend Christmas with Nick's family, it was fun! We have to make a really quick trip because Nick has to work Christmas Eve and the day after, so we are literally up there for less than 24 hours. We pack a lot in though! Vivie is lucky because she is loved by so many people. She was spoiled by her mom and dad and both sets of grandparents!!

Christmas Party

2010-12-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

Every year we have our family Christmas party the week after Thanksgiving because Ashley and her boys stay home and my Grandma spends it in Alpine. It has become a really fun tradition. This year Abbie and my Gram went all out with our table decorations, it was way cute! Vivie slept through dinner, but she got to open her first Christmas presents!

Vivie is four months old

2010-12-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my little preemie is four months old! She now eats about 4 oz of formula every 2-3 hours and is starting to try and hold her own bottle. She sleeps really well now, on average 6-7 hours at night! She smiles all the time and makes the cutest noises! She wears 0-3 months comfortably.

Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep

2010-11-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

1. I am thankful I have a daughter to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade with (pictured above). She was a long time coming, but she is worth the wait. This Christmas season is filled with much more joy than last year!
2. I am thankful for my husband who puts up with a lot from me. I am thankful that he is such a great sport and makes everything more fun! I am blessed to be so excited to come home to him!
3. I am thankful for my dad. He is an anchor in my life. He is the most unselfish person I know. I am thankful that he always lets me know he loves me and that I know I can count on him. He goes far beyond what is expected of a dad.
4. I am thankful for my mom. I am thankful she has set such a high standard for me to live up to with my own daughter. She is truly the most amazing person I know. I depend on her in every way possible and she always pulls through for me. There is nobody that cares more about her kids than her.
5. I am thankful for my sister. I am thankful she is prettier than me, because if it was the other way around she probably wouldn't like me very much! I am thankful that I not only have a sister, but also a best friend. I am thankful that I can always count on her for a really great story and a laugh! I am thankful that she is so thoughtful and always takes care of me. I am thankful that she is so talented and shares those talents with me.
6. I am thankful for my grandma who has taught me what faith really is. I am thankful that she is always there and that we can have a close relationship. I am thankful that she is here for Vivie to have a relationship with too. I am thankful that people are shocked when they learn she is my grandma for the first time because she is super stylish!
7. I am thankful that I have an aunt who is more like my sister. I am thankful that she has figured out this kid thing before me so that she can give me tons and tons of advice ( and clip Viv's nails)! I am thankful that I can be close to her family and have a close relationship with her amazing boys!
8. I am thankful for my uncle and his family for being living proof that families (no matter how they come to be) are created by design and not by coincidence. They have taught me to stand up for myself and what I believe.
9. I am thankful for in-laws who have welcomed me into their family with open arms. They have taught me so much about acceptance.
10. I am thankful that I know we can be a family forever.

I love all of you, Happy Thanksgiving

Early Mornings!

2010-11-22T07:15:00.000-08:00

Vivie wakes up earlier and earlier! I dont have to get up until 7 when I go to work, and that has been working fine beacause Viv would sleep until 8. Not anymore, these pictures of her are at 6:40 this morning and we had already had our bottle and our bath. Good thing she's cute!!!

The Mouse

2010-11-21T15:40:00.001-08:00

This is Vivie's very cute mouse my mom gave her. It fits perfectly in her hand and she loves to hold it!

Christmas Pictures

2010-11-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

Abbie was nice enough to take pictures of us last Sunday! it was a hard job! it is not easy to make a dog and a baby pose for pictures, and Mollie and Viv were there too!

Bumbo

2010-11-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

Vivie can sit up in her bumbo chair now (I know big girl)!! She is also making a lot more sounds! She is very aware of the dogs now, especially Moxie!

Vivie's First Halloween

2010-11-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

This was Vivie's first Halloween and it was so fun!! We started the festivities on Thursday when we went to Staheli Farm. I think the adults had more fun than Vivie, but it was fun anyway. On Friday we carved pumpkins, Viv slept most of the time. Saturday was our big day. She had to have two costumes because she looked so cute! She was very interested in my costume, she kept staring at my furry ears. It was a lot of fun to have a new member of our family at our Halloween party!

Smile!

2010-10-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

My little girl is getting big! Vivie officially smiled at 9 weeks old! I have been trying to get it on camera, but I cant ever catch it! Also, last night she slept for 6 hours straight!! I was worried about it so I woke her up to eat ( I know I am crazy)!

Vivie's First Pumpkin

2010-10-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

We went to get pumpkins at Frei's and it was so much fun!! Vivie was a asleep for most of the time and Aunt Babbie gets soo mad because her eyes are never open for pictures!

Two Months Old

2010-10-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Viv turned two months old on September 30! We went to the Doctor and she has made tons of progress! She is now 8 pounds and 2 ounces and she is 21 inches long! What a big girl!!

zonk!

2010-09-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

This is just a really cute picture of Nick holding Viv while she sleeps!

Someday my prince will come

2010-09-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

Vivie has a hard time falling asleep at night time (during the day she sleeps like a rock), so I decided to go in search of some music for her to listen to while she falls asleep. I found a collection of the Disney Princess songs and she is absolutely mesmerized by it! She will even listen to it while I get ready and it really helps. She loves Belle and Pocahontas the most. I think Nick really loves falling asleep to it too!!

Material Girl

2010-09-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

... So I know it could be considered questionable parenting to start dressing my daughter like pop icons at such a young age, but I couldn't resist! She is such a cute Madonna fan!

Fun with Monkey!

2010-09-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since Vivie got to come home!! We have been having so much fun! First Ashley and the kids came down to hang out. Bentley and Hamilton didn't get to meet Viv when she was born because she was in the nicu the whole time they were here. They were so excited to meet her!! The next weekend was also fun because Vivie got to meet her cousin Madison!! It was the first time Ryan had come down since we've had our house and it was way fun to spend time with the family! I also wanted to post this cute picture of Vivie in her monkey suit! When we started to feed her bottles in nicu she looked like a little monkey and she kind of sounded like a monkey too, so I started to call her monkey and it just kind of stuck. So, when we found a monkey suit at Target we had to buy it! Yes it is technically a Halloween costume and I think it was meant for a boy, but I added a bow and Viv will be wearing far more often than one night!

Home Sweet Home

2010-08-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

Vivie is home!! She came home on August 10 at 11 days old. We are so proud of her! It has been busy since she has been home. She has gotten her first bath, she had her first photo shoot, she had her first play date with her best friend Evie, and we have had lots of sleepless nights! She has also been to her first doctor's appointment, she didn't like that very much at all! She is in the 17th percentile on the preemie charts for her height and her weight, and everything looks good.

Vivie 8 days old

2010-08-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Vivie ate her whole bottle for the first time!!! She did so good I am so proud of her! Viv and I didn't do any skin to skin contact when she was born because I was so sick I couldn't get to her and she had to stay in the nicu, but yesterday Vivie's nurse suggested we do it now and it helped so much. Vivie loved it she fell right to sleep and didn't budge for two hours, I really liked it too. So, now we just hope we keep making progress!

Viv's first home videos

2010-08-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

This is Vivie's first movie!

Vivie's Birth

2010-08-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

Vivie Anne Croft is here! She is beautiful and we love her so much, but getting her here was not an easy thing!! On Wednesday July 28, Nick and I made our way to our weekly Doctor's appointment. At our last appointment my blood pressure was really high and I was put on bed rest, however my one and only baby shower was supposed to be Friday in Salt Lake so we were hoping my blood pressure had come down enough they would let me go. Unfortunately my blood pressure was even higher than before. My doctor was out of town so another doctor in the office suggested I have a non-stress test to make sure the baby was ok and try to be super careful for the next week until my doctor came back. Nick and I went straight to the test, but my blood pressure had sky rocketed and we found out my fluid was extremely low so I was admitted to the hospital immediately. Then the waiting started. I was only 33 weeks and 6 days at this point and so we needed to try and keep her as long as possible. I got steroid shots to help develop her lungs in case we had to deliver. The next two days were very long and very scary because we just didn't know what to expect. They monitored me and Vivie very closely. Nick was very sick of the stork on the baby monitor watching Vivie, he was ready to watch her himself. On Friday morning we were supposed to have another non-stress test to look at my fluid, but over night I had gotten too sick and the decision was made that Vivie had to come out, so I was going to be induced. Luckily our good friend Elizabeth was in charge of the non-stress test and she came by to see us and pointed out that Vivie was breeched, so we had another ultrasound and it was determined that she couldn't be turned. So, I had a c-section and she was born at 10:15 on July 30, 2010 weighing in at 4 pounds and 9 ounces 16.5 inches long. Nick went straight to see here in nicu and I was left in surgery. Because of my severe preeclampsia, I had to be put on magnesium sulfate. I had no idea, but it is horrible! I was completely incoherent for two days! I couldn't even open my eyes or move at all. Luckily I have great family around me and everybody helped. I finally made it to nicu to meet Vivie on Sunday at 4:00 in the morning, it was the best moment of my life! She was doing great! She didn't even need help breathing! Each day after that consisted of the same thing, hoping that Vivie eats good. I am home from the hospital now so we spend lots of time driving between the hospital and home. The biggest problem is that Vivie is only allowed to have two visitors at a time so we have to take turns. She is doing really good though. She absolutely hates diaper changes! She gets so mad and just cries every time you do it. She also goes to the bathroom every time you get her diaper off, so you really have to be on your game or you go through three diapers before you've got her changed. Her biggest problem is with her grip! She is so strong and she grabs everything! She has ripped out at least one feeding tube every day. Yesterday she ripped out four, so today she has to have these tiny pink bunny socks tied on her hands with velcro! She looks so cute with her little boxing gloves! We love her!

The River

2010-04-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Recently. we decided to get brave and take Mollie to the river. She loves water so much! She thinks that going to the river is the best thing ever! The only problem is poor Nick has to sacrifice himself for the good of her entertainment. She can't go off leash because she is rather friendly and curious. We are not sure she would come back if she ran off exploring and anybody visiting the river or walking on the path would be subject to Mollie's very wet hugs. So, here is Nick taking one for the team and going for a swim he didn't anticipate.

Hungry?

2010-01-14T18:58:00.001-08:00

This is one plus to having a big dog! Once your dog reaches over 120 pounds they can feed themselves. Although Mollie still had her breakfast from this morning left in her bowl she thought the food right out of the bag would be better. So, she helped herself to the last of the bag of dog food. She also prefers to drink the toilet water instead of the fresh water with ice cubes I put in her bowl.

Nick's Day Off

2010-01-03T19:41:00.001-08:00

Nick got to take this weekend off. This was very much deserved because the last weekend he had off was in November (that's the holiday season for you when you are in charge of the toy department at Target). So, he decided to rest while I was at work by fixing our gate. When I arrived home I saw that he had a lot of help from Mollie. We were able to finish the gate and catch a few missed episodes of "Glee" so all in all it was a good start to the New Year.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-12-28T18:55:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas! We had so much fun this year! The whole week was great. It started on Sunday when I sang in the ward choir for the first time in a very long while. It was so much fun to be a part of the program. I was also very excited because I had Christmas Eve off for the first time in five years! It was everything I expected it would be. We decorated gingerbread houses and watched "White Christmas" several times. Christmas day was awesome too! It truly is the best day of the year! I am so sad it is over!

SHOW TIME!

2009-05-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

The Peerless spring show was this last weekend. Sarah and I went up for all three days and it was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun too! I got to work at the Joico booth with Mandy and Cat ( we had a lot of fun working our butt's off). Joico and Sexy Hair hosted a party at our hotel that rocked! Whitney entered the hairstyling competition and won!! Niced job Whit!! Of course, Steve's dancing was the thing to see! We all danced the night away!

BON VOYAGE

2009-04-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today Abbie left for New York. It was very sad! She and Braxtin had to leave at 6:00 in the morning. Needless to say, my mom and I are very sleepy! We had a fun time though. My mom and I spent the day in Las Vegas. We ate breakfast at the Terrace in the Wynn (one of the best patios out there) and We got to eat at the Cheesecake Factory in summerlin ( the best patio out there). All in all we had a great day, and Abbie and Braxtin have landed safely in the Big Apple!! We miss you Ab, have fun!
ps Abbie is the only one of us that takes pictures, so no photos on this one

Easter

2009-04-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!! This Easter was so much fun! We had a garden party and took Mollie to the splash pad! It was a great day!