Ryan & Amanda

{Weekend Visit}

2012-01-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we went to Morgan to visit the Tripps. They just bought an adorable house so we had to go and see it and let the girls have their first sleep over!

Taelyn and Avery are only 5 days apart so it's always so fun to watch them play. Aves crawls forward and Tae crawls backwards...but they made it work :)

Ry and Aves watching the remote control helicoper fly around

I got a little feeling of what it would be like to have twins...yikes!!

Their favorite part of the night -- Tub time!

Aves is lucky to have so many friends so close to her age to play with.
Love these sweet girls!!

Thanks for having us Shan, Ry and Tae!!

{Tricks}

2012-01-19T21:16:00.001-07:00

Avery has learned the sweetest trick!! We ask her for kisses and she leans right in to give you as many as you want- it seriously makes my heart melt every time!!

{dont mind the baby voices from me and my brother}

{New House}

2012-01-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official... we are building a house! I feel so lucky, yet SO overwhelmed!! It literally consumes my mind 24/7. This isn't just a sample board for design school anymore- this is real life!! Yikes!

Here are a few inspiration pics from the one and only, Pinterest.

{kids bath}

{master bedroom}

{kitchen, dining & entry floors}

{avery's room}

{laundry}

{loft}

{bathroom}

And now the fun begins!!!

{Florida}

2012-01-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

After Christmas we made a trip to Florida to visit Ry's parents. We were really worried to fly because Avery got a cold literally the day before we left. We got pretty lucky though, there was one extra seat on the plane and we got it- so Aves slept most of the time. Thank heavens!!

Sleepy baby waiting to board the plane

Grandma and Grandpa were so happy to see her!!

And Avery was absolutely OBSESSED with the pool. We warmed up the hot tub to bath temp and she spent HOURS out there in her little ducky everyday.

Swimmin with Daddy

Avery and Grandma

New Years Eve

We had a pretty calm New Years. Roasted marshmallows, ate lots of yummy food and watched the ball drop. At midnight we went up on the 3rd level and watched all of the fireworks across the water. It was amazing!!

A few days into the trip, we met up with my Grandpa who is from NY but lives in FL during the winters. It was so fun for Aves to meet her Great Grandpa!

Ry and Avery at lunch

While we were at lunch, this little Hispanic family fell in love with Avery. We left about 45 min after them and they had been waiting outside for us with this cute little pair of pink Uggs they had gone to buy for her. How sweet is that?! I guess that no one can resist her adorable little grin! :)

I sure have the cutest grandpa!!

New years day we got to go to the Dolphins game. Ry's parents gave us their season tickets and took the babe for the day.

We were SO hot and sticky at the game- but had such a good time!

Boating babe

Even though the water was a bit chilly, she loved it

And her favorite part-- licking the salt off of her body after. It was so hilarious!!

We got to eat at all of our favorite places

Had lots of pool days

Happy bikini babe!!

This is her newest smile- she loves showing off her one tooth.

And then we chose the worst day possible for the beach, but the day before we left went to walk along the shore. About 5 min in we got hit with a gigantic wave that soaked us. Aves was shivering... so that ended pretty quickly :)

We are so lucky to have such a fun spot to visit! Hopefully we'll be back in the warm Florida sun soon!!

{Christmas Day}

2012-01-08T19:52:00.001-07:00

Ry and I had our fifth Christmas together this year. Seems so crazy that we've been together that long already!! Each year we've celebrated Christmas a little bit different. This year- we spent it at my parents. We had such a wonderful holiday and are so lucky to have such amazing family!!

Santa made it!

Christmas Stockings

Uncle Austen and Aves playing with some of her new toys

She liked playing with the wrapping paper and ribbon more than her actual toys!

...Until we set up this baby. She LOVES standing up to it like a big girl

After we opened presents and ate breakfast we went for a run outside. I don't think I remember a Christmas morning this was a possibility!!

Afterwards- Ash, Cole & the girls came over and we opened the rest of our presents together

ah- I just love these girls!

My two favorites!

Christmas dinner!

That night we stayed up way too late playing games with everyone and eating LOTS of Christmas treats!!

I love how we spent Christmas this year and cannot wait until next year when we're in OUR house!

{Christmas- Part 1}

2012-01-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

Christmas with a baby definitely means picture overload! This started out as one post and then got MUCH too long so it's going to come in two parts. Anyway, this year was so special with a little baby of our own around. She is so much fun right now, crawling all around getting into everything and she sure has the cutest little personality that's starting to show!!

The week leading to Christmas we enjoyed lots of time with family and friends for annual Christmas talent shows, gift exchanges and lots of yummy food.

Ash mom and I - family Christmas party

( I'm loving Rubie sneaking into the back of the pic)

Aves and her cousins

I'm the luckiest!

My sweet great-grandma playing Christmas songs for everyone. She is incredible!! She cannot see but continues to play amazing music all from memory. We're so lucky to have her still!

The girls with their GREAT GREAT- Grandma

Loving my little family

Christmas Eve's Eve {is that right?!} with a few of our best friends!

Avery sporting her new hat on Christmas Eve

And the sweetest picture of a tired baby in her Christmas jammies wondering what in the world all of the craziness is about :)

{Christmas Day to come!!!}

{merry christmas}

2011-12-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

Have a wonderful Christmas day!!

Love, Ryan Amanda and Avery

{Santa}

2011-12-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we went with some friends to go and visit Santa for the first time. The girls were going to be the cutest, and we were so excited!

... So excited that we talked for too long before getting in line and Santa left for the night.

Total bummer- but the Aves and Emery still got plenty of pictures!!

As always, eating her shoes!

We had Avery's 6 month pictures done a few weeks ago and left pretty disappointed. Little stink didn't crack one smile in the 2 hours that we were there!! Of course, the second that we left she was all smiles and giggles, just as she is here.

She seriously is the happiest baby ever!!

Also, Ali and Eric had us over for a dessert night and a little bday celebration- they are the sweetest! Thanks again!!

Kass made an amazing red velvet cake- My fav!

(which I did eat the next morning!! :) )

And then we have this sweet thing again! Doing what she does best....

Unwrapping, eating and tearing apart all of our Christmas presents!

Yes, I realize that this is titled 'santa'. We have attempted to go visit multiple times, but somehow haven't been able to actually sit on his lap!? However, tonight was the night!! Aves finally got to meet him! I will post about that real soon, just thought I'd give a tiny update on the last few weekends!

2011-12-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Oh my heavens, I love her!!

{Month Catch Up}

2011-11-27T19:20:00.002-07:00

Has it really almost been a month since Halloween?! Do we really have a 6 1/2 month old baby?!

What the...Where has time gone?!!

The past month has been so busy. Here are pictures to catch up - details to follow!!

Aves and cousin Brek- screaming little babes!!

A bit calmer

Midnight snack.. She officially wants EVERYTHING we have

Favorite way to sleep. Feet in the air and holding on to her toes.

Cutest ever!

Lots of football games!!

Bundled up!

Grandpa Keith sneaking Aves some Coke and lemons

Play date with Tae!!

(this is the only picture that looks like Ave's might be dominating- Taelyn took Avery out multiple times! :) )

Thanksgiving in St. George

Kissy baby!!

Uncle Austen loving his girls

He might be her favorite person

Avery officially SITS UP!!

Visiting Grandma Teen!

And last but SURELY not least..

The cutest husband alive!!

Promise we'll be back for more- sooner than a month too!

{Happy Halloween}

2011-10-31T13:24:00.002-06:00

Love...Our little 'BOO'

{Sweetest baby girl...}

2011-10-24T09:19:00.002-06:00

...In the whole wide world!

Avery seriously gets sweeter by the second! Usually she sleeps from about 9pm-6am, wakes up for a bottle and goes back to sleep for an hour or two. This morning, Ry didn't bring her into our room until about 7:45. She drank her bottle and fell asleep for a few min. I opened my eyes and she was silently staring at me sucking away at her bink. Once she noticed I was awake, she slowly reached up and started pinching my hair between her chubby little fingers. We laid nose to nose for fifteen minutes while she brushed her tiny fingers on my face and softly played with my hair. It was honestly the sweetest thing ever!

I love this baby so much I can't even handle it!! I'm going back to work next week (for reals this time!) and I'm sure going to miss her darling little face!

..To a week full of Avery, pumpkin patches and HOUSE HUNTING!!

{Life Lessons}

2011-10-16T12:30:00.001-06:00

There are many different experiences in life that teach us different things. Yesterday, I feel like I learned more from one experience than a dozen others combined.

10:30 pm Friday - I finally returned home from a LONG night at the church. I was in charge of getting 72 hour kits put together for the ward. What a task. I have been working on it for the past 5 weeks, making 4-5 trips per week to various stores to gather all of the product. Finally the night came where people were to come and pick up their kits. I was so relieved to have this done. After getting home, I laid out all of my things for the next morning so that I wouldn't forget anything.

5:50 am Saturday - My alarm goes off. I begin to "heat" my back and do a round of exercises and stretches that I learned this week in physical therapy. (like I said, I was doing EVERYTHING possible to be able to run) I got dressed and woke Ryan up to get ready to drop us off at the starting line.

6:50 am Saturday - We were on our way. Ali and I talked the whole way there about our nerves and how we were going to do the best we possibly could. In my mind I continued to worry if I'd even be able to finish half - I was in quite a bit of pain already.

7:45 am Saturday - The race began. We were about 1/2 mile in and I told Ali she needed to go ahead. My pace was so slow and I honestly didn't know how much further I could go. She refused, promising me she was staying until we finished one mile together. I agreed in hopes that my back would really warm up and the pain would lessen. Mile 1 marker was about 20 feet ahead when I looked at Ali and said "go". She turned to me with tears and said "are you sure?" .. "yes, just go". As tears streamed down my face, I watched her pass 5, 10, 20 30 people until I couldn't see her anymore. This is where my journey alone began.

The next 12 miles were the hardest of my life. It was the longest 2 1/2 hours I could ever have imagined. We had trained together for the past 7 weeks never running more than 6 miles without each other. I knew I had to do this. I pushed through the pain until about mile 5 were I reached to a long stretch that I couldn't see anyone ahead or behind me. Tears again rolled down my cheeks and I thought to myself, "I can just call Ryan, he can come pick me up and I'll meet her at the finish line". But, I continued. Soon enough, I came up on 3 girls. One younger girl by herself and a pair of older women. I told myself that I would finish with them. I kept a slow but steady pace the whole time, never stopping as I knew I wouldn't be able to start again. Mile 9 hit, and I honestly felt kind of numb at this point. I knew I was running with a major limp as one of the officers directing traffic asked me if I was okay and if I wanted to keep going. I smiled and crossed the street.
The next 2 miles seemed so hard. My back really started to flare up at this point, I text Ali saying "TEN". I knew that if I told someone I had made it that far, I had no choice but to meet them at the finish line. Although in pain, 11 and 12 came and went little bit quicker. We were on a trail passing a golf course. I had been running along side the younger girl for the past 2 miles and she was really starting to struggle. (she told me she had JUST found out she was pregnant - BLESS HER HEART!) Each time she slowed down and walked I would turn around and cheer her on telling her she could do it, we were SO close and were going to finish! She'd get a smile and start running again. This encouraged me so much to keep going. The 12 mile aid station came quickly. I knew I could do just one more mile, but as I ran it felt like the longest most painful mile ever. I turned a corner and saw Ryan running to me. My eyes filled with tears and I told him how much I hurt. He ran the last stretch with me until I had about 50 yards left. I saw all of my family ahead and Ali came running towards me, again with tears in both of our eyes.

We had done this.

She ran across the finish line with me just as we had planned. At this point, I felt so overwhelmed and so proud that in so much pain I had accomplished something I'd worked so hard for.
Today, I realize that the doctors were in fact right. My body would regret running. Dang it. I'm sure this means I'll be back to physical therapy this week.. But looking back, I wouldn't have changed one thing.
I learned so much in one day, I don't even know where to begin.
1- You can do anything you put your mind to
2- Friends are amazing
3- Never give up
4-Determination
5- The end is SO worth it
6- Ice, Heat, Ice Heat, Ice, Heat
7- Ryan is incredible (taking care of Avery when I can hardly walk)
8- Silent prayers will get you through
9- Hard work
10- Don't stop
11- Ice, Heat, Ice Heat, Ice, Heat
12- Support is 100% necessary
13- Dedication
.....

Thanks Al- Sure love you!!

{Weekend}

2011-10-13T15:27:00.000-06:00

My intentions were honestly good.. I swear. I totally planned on blogging more this week BUT have been dealing with a pinched sciatic nerve. Awesome right?! I'm doing anything and everything to "heal" it as fast as possible to still be able to run the half this weekend. PRAYING HARD!!

Last weekend was a busy one! Friday night we enjoyed a yummy pasta dinner with friends to get ready to run Saturday morning. We woke up bright and early and headed to the race at Thanksgiving Point. It was my first "official" race and I totally loved it!

We were all so lucky to see these cute boys at the finish line waiting!

That afternoon, Ry and I took Avery to her first Utes game. It was a bit chilly, but she was still so good and loved being outside watching everything around her!

(are those cheeks not the most kissable thing EVER!?!)

Sunday after a wonderful baby blessing, we went to visit Ryan's dad and grandma. It was so nice to see them, and Aves loved getting to play with Grandpa Steve!

I think that this is such a sweet picture of them.

She is so spoiled and so so loved!

We're now hoping for a quick heal and a killer run this Saturday!! Cross your fingers! :)

{Conference Weekend}

2011-10-09T19:46:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we enjoyed watching conference and relaxing! In between sessions on Sunday we had ourselves a picnic at the park and played with our little Aves. The weather was amazing and it was so nice to be outside!

Such beautiful weather!!

The glasses begin like this...

Quickly turn to this...

And then straight to the mouth.. Just like EVERYTHING else!

Gosh, I sure love these two!!

I have so much to catch up on.. Lots of posts to come this week!

{Rain or Shine}

2011-10-07T09:06:00.001-06:00

Rain or shine, baby...RAIN OR SHINE!!!

Pretty sure I have hit the addiction point.

There was literally snow, wind and pounding rain in our faces yesterday and we still managed to finish a 7 mile uphill run. My legs were numb the rest of the day and after 24 hours I think I'm almost thawed out.

Here's to the next 2 weekends of races!!

{Thanksgiving Point 10k tomorrow and SoJo half next weekend}

SO EXCITED!

{daddy's choice}

2011-10-02T17:04:00.000-06:00

This is Ry in charge of getting Aves dressed and ready for the day...

He ruled out the headband and decided to go with the extra small cowgirl hat. Way to go daddy!!

(he thought she looked so cute, he took this picture of her. I found it on the proud daddy's phone - so sweet!!)

{Update}

2011-09-27T16:22:00.001-06:00

2 weekends ago we did the DIRTY DASH up at Soldier Hollow. We had such a good time! We started out with a team of 6 and finished with a team of 4. Kass ended up getting sick and wasn't able to run- fortunately.. this meant we had a photographer for the day. Thanks Kass!! :) We weren't so lucky when it came to Ryan.. he separated his shoulder about 1/4 mile to the finish line. Poor guy- I seriously felt so bad for him. Well, I still do... but it's getting better and we're keeping our fingers crossed for no surgery! Ali and Eric have all of our pictures - so check out their adorable blog to see them!! Dirty Dash 2012 better be ready for us to return- much stronger and well prepared!

As for Avery- she's still as cute as ever!!

... Told ya!

She's growing like crazy and making us laugh every second. She's found her "outside voice"... She loves to yell in her high pitched little voice. I really need to record it one of these days, it's so great. We've been enjoying the fall weather and constantly being outside. Football games are a must every weekend and we're getting really excited for Avery's first Halloween.

Last but definitely not least... TAYLOR SWIFT TOMORROW. I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight I am so excited. I may or may not cry. Don't judge- we love her at our house.
Pictures of that to come REAL soon!

{Avery's Blessing}

2011-09-12T18:19:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago we blessed Avery...It was such a perfect day! I am the luckiest and most blessed girl ever. I have a beautiful and healthy baby along with the most fabulous husband ever! We feel so lucky to have the gospel in our lives and the priesthood in our home. Ry gave Avery the most incredible blessing- and we are blessed with such amazing friends and family that were there to support us on such a special day! Everything was so busy, and honestly we forgot to take more than a few pictures.

Maybe next time around we'll remember :)

Our little family of 3

I wish we would have gotten pictures of everything else, but this was part of the food table

Me and my sweet girl

Taking a little nap after the big day came to an end

We love our little Avery and are so blessed that she is a part of our family!!

{5 Days Left...}

2011-09-11T20:43:00.000-06:00

So excited to do the DIRTY DASH this weekend!

{4 Months}

2011-09-05T22:10:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe that we have had our sweet little Avery for 4 months already! It's amazing how fast time goes by. We love her more and more each day, even when it seems impossible and feels like we've reached our "love" limit.. (I know that sounds so silly.. but seriously!) I wake up loving her that much more! Being a mom is the greatest blessing I could ever imagine, I love every second of it. Even the late nights and early mornings, I always squeeze her and remind myself how lucky I am to be a momma to such a sweet baby girl.

I was uploading pictures that Ry has taken since she was born, and I am amazed at how fast they grow. Everyone always said, "enjoy her being tiny.. they get big so fast". Well, I feel like she's still my 'tiny' girl - until I look back at pictures.

mmmm.. Sweetest 6 pounds ever!

Love snuggling my baby!

Skinny little lady!

First smiles!

Getting ready to leave the hospital!

and now.. our 4 month old lil chunk with the most kissable lips ever!

Happy FOUR months Aves!!

{Summer Nights}

2011-08-28T21:56:00.000-06:00

This summer has been so amazing for us!

We have been spending as much time outside as possible, and our little Avery LOVES it. If she is getting cranky.. we just head out and she's instantly all smiles and giggles.

She's so stinking cute!

(Looking at this makes me want to get her out of bed to snuggle!!)

Aves riding her favorite puppy.. Maggie!

Ry decided to use her blanky to make a du rag (sp?)
Seriously, the things he does with her make me laugh so hard sometimes!

Besides being outside.. her favorite thing is to be naked - YIKES! :)

She was in absolute heaven for about an hour this night!

Playing with daddy - she giggles when you put her up in the air.

It's adorable!

Love this sweet babe!

And last but definitely not least... football games!

She seriously loves it! there is so much going on, she doesn't make a peep the whole time.

We decided she likes to people watch too :)

{Avery's Room}

2011-08-08T08:52:00.000-06:00

We are moving this weekend, I pretty much have the whole house packed and ready to go...

Except Avery's room. I haven't packed one thing in there. It seriously makes me so sad to take it all down when I feel like I just finished it!! I took a few pictures so I could remember her very first room in our very first house!

{Lake Powell 2011}

2011-08-04T14:53:00.004-06:00

Lake Powell is seriously one of our favorite vacations ever! This was Avery's first time there, and I think she LOVED it. She told us she definitely wants to go back :)

We have lots of pictures, so we'll let them tell the story!

On our way to meet the family

Stopping for a little lunch in Kanab

Love my happy baby!

Driving and more driving!

These 2 cute babes hung out in the houseboat the whole time

Ty & Caleigh

Only Ryan would pose jumping off a cliff.. crazy boys.

Glad I wasn't there!

The boys navigating us to our destination

Hanging out on the boat

Sleeping baby!

Cousins

Love my Ry!

Love them!

Aves first time in the Lake.. Look at that cute little bum!

She LOVED it!

Lots of laying out!

Aves hanging out with grandma. They were BEST FRIENDS the whole time!

Last day, heading back to the marina

We had SUCH a great time and cannot wait until next year!

{3 Incredible Years}

2011-08-01T09:28:00.000-06:00

August 1, 2008 I made the best decision of my life! I was a lucky bride, marrying the most amazing man in the world. Ry has taught me so much in the past 3 years, I can't even begin to thank him. We have done so much together already- I cannot wait to see what an eternity will hold!

Things I dont ever want to forget:

Buying our first house together
An amazing honeymoon
Finding out we're having our first baby
Engagement
Late night movie dates
New jobs
Vacations- {Lake Powell, Florida, Park City, Oregon, Mexico, St. George, Texas, Arizona, Atlantis Bahamas, Las Vegas}
Holidays
Avery's arrival!
Both of us graduating
Bringing home our sweet baby
Lost marathons
Concerts
Basketball, Baseball & Football games
Camping
House projects
Blessing our little Avery

... I could go on and on ...

I am the luckiest girl alive- honestly. Can't wait to celebrate this weekend!!

(I have many more posts to catch up on this week!)

{Laughing Babes}

2011-07-21T08:38:00.000-06:00

We're off to the BEST spot for a summer vacation..

LAKE POWELL!

I thought I'd leave you with a video of our Avery baby!

She laughs now... it's freaken adorable!!!

LOVE HER! :)

{Fourth of July 2011}

2011-07-11T11:40:00.001-06:00

For the 4th of July my parents rented some cabins up at Palisades Park. We spent a few days up there swimming in the lake, laying out, golfing, eating way too much and watching all the kiddies run around. We had SUCH a blast!

Rubie & Sophie getting ready for the lake

Our cute cousin, Morgan, celebrated her 16th birthday while we were there..Aves and the birthday girl!

Sleepy baby

Soph and her beautiful mamma

Watching Daddy in the homerun derby

Rubie & Dalton playing at the lake

Avery's first day at the beach

crazy cousins

mmm- I am obsessed with those lips!!

Ry and Aves getting some dinner

Some of the girls

Ry giving her kisses before leaving to golf for the day..
she's thinking.. "enough already!!" :)

Go Ry!

Our little family on the 4th!!

I love my family so much and am so glad we got to spend such a fun weekend together!

Now we're off to St. George and Lake Powell for the next 2 weekends..
I never want summer to end!!

{Avery's Firsts}

2011-06-21T14:14:00.000-06:00

Avery is SEVEN weeks old this week. I seriously cannot believe how fast time flies! She's growing so fast, I already want to get pregnant again so I can have another little one by the time she gets "big".

I love all of my time with her so stinkin' much. Seriously, we have so much fun together. And I'm just completely obsessed with her! I haven't even gotten my camera out once since I've had her- but luckily I've had my phone to snap pictures of all of her "firsts".

Here is a little bit of what we've been up to the past seven weeks..

Avery getting her ears pierced!

First photo shoot with her adorable cousins!

First time hanging with her best friend Taelyn

(Shan, I know you have better pics.. this was the only one we had :) )

First ride in the new stroller

First pool day-She was so tired after a long day outside!

First bonfire at grandma's

First Father's Day.. with the best daddy in the world!

First earrings!

First 0-3 month outfit... FINALLY!

First time going to church- she was an angel baby the whole time!!

First time meeting her stinkin cute cousin, Brek

First time snuggling up to sleep with her favorite pink binky!

One month BIRTHDAY!

First time playing with her adorable little friend Landon

First Memorial Day with the family

And last but definitely NOT least...

First poop on mom.. Thanks Aves!

I sure love all of the firsts that we've gone through already.. I can't wait for all of the others to come!!

{Love Love Love}

2011-06-01T17:29:00.000-06:00

3 baths and 3 outfit changes later...

I seriously still cannot get enough of her!!

I'm pretty sure she's sick of all the kisses- but I just can't stop!!!

{Birth Story}

2011-05-24T22:00:00.000-06:00

I've keep telling myself that I need to write down the whole birth experience before I start forgetting all of the little details. Finally, almost 3 weeks later I'm getting to it. Here's how it all happened!!

34 Weeks: I had a bit of a scare. I was getting ready to leave work and my vision started to get a little bit blurry. I assumed I was just getting a migraine or something and was going to head home and rest from a long day at work. One of the girls in my office insisted on following me to my exit "just in case". Thank heavens she did- just as I was coming around the point of the mountain my body went numb. I called her and told her and she told me to pull over immediately and she was going to take me to the ER. As we headed to the hospital, my communication started to fall apart. I was trying to tell Ryan what was going on and where to meet me, but couldn't get full sentences out...everything was just jumbled words. We finally arrived, got the run around between my doctors office, labor and delivery and the ER and after what seemed like an eternity, I was dressed in a gown gown and being rushed in for an MRI and EKG. After about 6 stressful hours, lots of tears and endless amounts of tests, we found out that I had a TIA (or "mini stroke"). Luckily nothing had affected the baby and there was no permanent damage to my brain- but both my OB and Neurologist wanted to induce me early to avoid the risk of this happening again and to make sure that I was off of the blood thinners before delivering.

38 Weeks: I had been dilated to a 1-2 for the past couple of check ups, but only 60% effaced so the doctor told us to come in Wednesday night at 9 and we'd get things started. They gave me this magical little pill that was to help thin out my cervix and start contractions. Well- magic is the word because those contractions came fast and boy did they hurt! 2:30 am I asked for the epidural and I should have done that 7 hours earlier! It was so heavenly and I could finally sleep. 7:30 am the doctor came in to check things. I hadn't dilated anymore but was now at 75% so they broke my water and started me on pitocin. Silly me.. thought that there was no way I'd be having her any later than noon. We shortly learned how LONG it takes the first time around, especially when you are 2 weeks early. Hours and hours were passing and I was only SLOWLY making any changes. 8pm came and I finally had a break down- the tears just started flowing. I was so overwhelmed and so frustrated that I was only at a 5 after almost 24 hours. I had the sweetest nurse in the world, and the most encouraging incredible doctor. He came in, sat on my bed and looked me in the eye and said "We are doing this! I am only here waiting for your baby, we're not doing a c-section... it's me and you- and you're going to do this!!". I guess that's all I needed because within about 45 min I was a 7 and 45 min after that I was a 9 and the nurse asked if I wanted to do a practice push, so I did. Things were moving perfectly, so they told me they were going to call in the doctor and we were going to keep pushing. I got super sick at this point, started shaking and throwing up. I have no words to explain how incredible Ryan was during all of this. I went into my own little world while pushing, I don't think I opened my eyes the whole time. One of the the only things I remember is his sweet voice telling me how amazing I was doing and "you can do this babe" over and over. After about 30 min of pushing I heard the sweetest cry in the whole world. They immediately put my sweet little Avery on my chest and I was in complete heaven. It's seriously like time had stopped. She was instantly alert and perfectly calm. She had her little eyes wide open and was just looking around so peacefully. Gosh- I would relive that moment a million times if I could. There is absolutely no way to describe how amazing it feels. We had SO many friends and family waiting in the hall, and we were so proud to show her off to everyone when they came in. Many more amazing friends and family came and visited and we are so blessed to have them all in our lives.

We couldn't ask for a more perfect blessing for our family. Little Aves has brought such a happy spirit into our home and lives. I love having an adorable little friend to hang out with all day everyday and NIGHT!! More updates on what we've been up to later- for now, pictures to remember the hospital..

(not sure why they're so little, click on them to make them bigger)

Waiting...Waiting... More Waiting!!

Finally! She's HERE!!

Amazing friends and family!

I haven't gotten pictures back from all of my family, sorry for the ones that are missing! :)

Ready to go home!!

Mother's Day and our new little life together!

Sweet Babes

2011-05-14T14:46:00.000-06:00

Gosh- time goes by so fast with a little babe to take care of! Bringing her home and starting our new life together has seriously been the most incredible thing we could imagine.

We have lots to update- but for now... a few pictures from the hospital.

Isn't she the cutest thing ever??
We're pretty obsessed! :)

Avery Ryne Bullard

2011-05-06T16:57:00.000-06:00

6 lb. 6 oz. & 18 inches long

Beautiful and healthy as ever!

...

2011-04-27T12:05:00.000-06:00

ONE...

WEEK...

LEFT!!!!!!!!

(I hope this answers all of the "are you still pregnant" questions I'm getting :) )

{Our Crazy Life}

2011-04-13T14:07:00.000-06:00

The past few weeks have been so insane I don't even know where to begin! We have had so many up's and so many down's, life has literally been a ROLLER-COASTER!

We've been having so much fun spending time with friends and family these last few weeks before the baby, I've spent some time in the hospital due to a stroke 2 weeks ago, my mom spent a few days as well due to a heart attack follwed with surgery, we have had a couple of amazing showers for the baby, we've been running around like crazy from doctor appointment to doctor appointment, and we've been getting our house ready to sell...

I can honestly say that through all of THIS..

I am the most blessed girl in the world!

We have the most incredible family and friends, and wouldn't trade them for anything!! I have learned more about myself in the past 3 weeks than I ever could have imagined. So- a big thank you to everyone for ALL of your love and support! We love you each so much!

There are about 8 girls in my ward that are pregnant right now, and it's so fun to watch everybody grow!! They put together such a great shower this week, and I seriously love each one of them!

(sorry for all the girls we didn't get pictures of, we remembered a little late!!)

Bowling with our cute friends Adam and Katie! She's getting a cute little bump too! And mine is turning into the size of a bowling ball... literally! :)

Some of my best friends from HS had a little dinner/dessert night. I love them so much! It's so good just talking all night and catching up on everyone's lives- I feel so lucky that we've all stayed so close!

My amazing mom and sister did a shower for us and did such an incredible job!!

we have so many amazing friends and family that came to support our sweet little babe!

And last but surely not least... we have been enjoying all the date nights we can get!

With the "little" medical issues that I've had, they'll be taking her early. I was given a time frame between the last week of April and first week of May. We're keeping our fingers crossed for MAY still though!

We can't wait to meet this sweet little baby and introduce her to all of her amazing friends! :)

{Spring Update}

2011-03-16T12:40:00.000-06:00

Can I officially say it's spring now..? Man, am I ready for some consistant sunny weather already! This is killing me. Luckly we were able to get out of it for a bit week last week...Ry had a conference for work down in Vegas, so I tagged along to sit by the pool and do some shopping. It was seriously such perfect weather, and a much needed relaxing vacation!

My camera died the first day we were down there, so we only got a few pictures with our phones. I'm totally okay with it though, this belly in a swimsuit didn't deserve too many pictures! :)

We made sure to eat at all of our favorite places that we don't have in Utah. This includes Taco Maker- sick right? I ate there 3 times, and loved it so much! Why are there not any up here anymore?!

We did lots of shopping- the baby got MORE clothes that she doesn't need. I'm thinking I'm going to have to change her outfit 3 times a day to get through everything before she grows out of it.

Watched LOTS of basketball games. Ryan went to way more than I did, but I just couldn't sit inside that much when the sun was out and it was seriously perfect outside!!

Spent plenty of time by the pool - poor Ry had to study while we were down there. It'll pay off, I'm sure of it!

Now we're back home.. just waiting for this baby to finish cookin' so we can just meet her already!!

EIGHT WEEKS LEFT!

The nursery is coming along great. I can't wait for it to be finished- it's been quite the project! Here is a sneak peek of the room, the walls are done and we're now working on all of the other "little" details. More pictures to come soon!

{29 Weeks...}

2011-03-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

And moving right along!

I seriously cannot believe that we only have about 10 weeks left until we get to meet this little girl! Pregnancy has gone by SO fast, and I can honestly say that I've loved it so far. Of course, no one likes to gain weight and some days I feel much bigger than others- but overall it has been such an amazing experience! I am really going to miss all her little (and big) kicks and punches all day long. And I love that she comes everywhere with me right now, not that either of us have a choice... but still I love it!!

I'm praying that the next 10 weeks go by fast and smooth, we're ready for her to get here already!

Now for remembering the belly, week by week...

{Valentines Catch Up}

2011-02-14T22:29:00.001-07:00

A quick catch up for Valentines- and yes, one day was missed (oops!!)

"On the fifth day of Valentines your true love gives to you...

Chocolate strawberries that're delightful,

Ry I love you so much it's frightful!!"

"On the sixth day of Valentines your true love gives to you...

Balloons filled with a memory,

Cause baby, we've got chemistry!"

"On the seventh day of Valentines your true love gives to you...

Your favorite treat for breakfast,

because you "do nut" know how much I love you!"

"On the eighth day of Valentines your true love gives to you...

A love note in a box,

Cause babe- you knock off my socks!"

"On the tenth day of Valentines your true love gives to you...

Candles from your wife,

because babe-you light up my life!"

"On the eleventh day of Valentines your true love gives to you...

A perfect way to start your day,

don't forget how much I love you...okay?!"

And the 12th and FINAL day of Valentines- we'll keep that one a secret! :)

We celebrated our Valentines on Saturday since Ry had school tonight. Can I just say that I've seriously got the best husband in the world! He spoiled me all day with a massage spa day, movie, amazing dinner and flowers.

I love you SO much Ry and am so grateful for everything you do for me and this sweet little babe on the way!

{Day 4}

2011-02-07T11:10:00.002-07:00

On the FOURTH day of Valentines your true love gives to you...

Three bottles of coke, because our love is not a joke!

{Day 3}

2011-02-07T10:55:00.003-07:00

On the THIRD day of Valentines your true love gives to you...

Heart shaped mints filled with cream, because baby... you're a dream!

{Day 2}

2011-02-07T10:52:00.005-07:00

On the SECOND day of Valentines your true love gives to you...

Two glasses and some bubbly... to toast because you're lovely!

{12 Days Of Valentines}

2011-02-03T09:56:00.006-07:00

Every year I do the "12 days of Valentines" for Ry-

Each of the 12 days, he gets a surprise and a cheesy little poem.

Every year I look forward to Valentines and everyday I get so excited to give him his next surprise!!

Today was Day ONE!

His favorite candy bar, custom wrapped for Valentines...

With a little love note inside of course!

1 day down... 11 to go! This seriously might be my favorite holiday!!

{Growing Bump}

2011-01-20T10:58:00.004-07:00

Growing Baby.. Growing Belly!!

{Summer Babe}

2011-01-14T12:05:00.004-07:00

These are officially MINE!

I seriously just can't resist!!!

Why is everything SO much cuter when its tiny!?

{Nursery}

2011-01-12T13:06:00.006-07:00

FINALLY!!

Since we bought our condo 3 years ago, I have been dying to decorate a nursery.

I finally get my chance! I'll be honest- my plans for a boy were detailed and well thought out. Well, we'll have to put those plans on hold because this is going to be no place for a little boy to come home to. Things are only beginning and I've already gotten myself into a lot of work, as well as Ry! But, if everthing goes as planned- it's going to be great and oh, so worth it!

(thats what I keep telling him as I draw diagrams and examples of what I want done)

The fabric for the bedding is here and ready to go! Wish me luck, I've never sewn something so complex before- but May is coming fast so I better get going!
YIKES!!

{Christmas 2010}

2010-12-29T09:54:00.004-07:00

We had such a great Christmas this year!

We got to spend so much time together and with our families, it was perfect!!

Unfortunately, the only pictures I have are all from my phone so the quality is terrible.

I've got to get better at the camera thing!!

After a wonderful Christmas Eve with our families- we decorated a gingerbread house, went to look at lights and then Santa visited our house!! :)

Christmas morning was so fun with Ry and I. We cannot wait until next year when we'll have a sweet little baby to open presents with!! She sure got spoiled this year though!

...AND...

We're HALFWAY done!!! I cannot believe how fast pregnancy has gone by! I feel her kick, punch and roll around all day long and I seriously LOVE it SO much! And my belly grows more and more everyday- she's really starting to poke out now!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas... and Happy New Years!!

{Suggestions}

2010-12-16T09:40:00.003-07:00

Needing a little help here- any suggestions you have.. I'd LOVE to hear!!!

First, does anyone know of where to take really great prenatal yoga classes? I've got this sudden urge to work out and heard yoga is amazing when your preg! Or if you know of any at home workout DVDs that are a must have...?

Second, I just hit the point this week where it's getting uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach. How the crap do I sleep now.. on my back?!

I swear I had more questions... my pregnant brian just can't remember them right now though.

I'm sure I'll be back for more tips and suggestions :)

Thanks for the help LADIES!!!

{Week 17}

2010-12-08T14:13:00.005-07:00

Okay- I feel like kind of a creep posting this picture.. and mostly I just look chubby and not pregnant haha but with recent requests... here is the only way to prove that there is a baby in there- bare belly :)

We're almost half way there!! AND- I'm pretty sure I felt her move last night and again this morning.. SO EXCITING!!!

{Thanksgiving}

2010-12-01T18:52:00.009-07:00

We just returned home from another fabulous visit to Florida to be with Ry's family for Thanksgiving. We has such a great time relaxing and spending time with the family!!

We spent lots of time laying out and reading by the pool

Watched some GORGEOUS sunsets

I swear our whole trip revolved around food. We ate at so many yummy restaurants- I'm sure the doctor will confirm that I've finally gained some baby weight! :)

Enjoyed a yummy Thanksgiving dinner

Went to a Miami Heat game

Celebrated my birthday

And made it safely HOME!!

Although I can't feel her yet- I'm positive the babe loved the warm weather and wouldn't mind going back VERY soon to visit Grandma and Grandpa!! :)

{Baby Results}

2010-11-20T08:45:00.005-07:00

Here SHE is!!! Our sweet baby GIRL!!

We couldn't be more thrilled!!

(a little shocked.. but SO excited!!)

{Baby Bumps}

2010-11-16T13:42:00.004-07:00

Sorry to disappoint those of you looking for a baby bump... I check every morning to see if there's one too! Here's proof... Nothing yet.

BUT!! We do get to do a little sneak peek on Friday to see what the little babe is!!

I'm so excited I can can hardly stand it!
Once we find out, I won't have to buy a boy and girl version of everything I find :)

ANY GUESSES!?!

{Flash Back Friday}

2010-11-05T09:57:00.002-06:00

Because YOU made my day!!

Taylor Swift Concert- June 2007
Graduation- April 2010

Thanksgiving- November 2007

Taylor Swift Concert- May 2009

Graduation- June 2007

{Sweet Baby Lime}

2010-10-27T09:52:00.005-06:00

This week- my baby is the size of a lime... A LIME!

It seriously grows so fast- May will be here before we know it!!

Baby Center tells us that the babe is busy kicking, stretching and hiccupping.

SO CUTE!!!

I'm still feeling awesome, and just about out of the first trimester!

3 months down... 6 to go!!

We cannot wait to meet our sweet little Baby B!

{Speak Now}

2010-10-26T09:47:00.002-06:00

Flash back Friday came way to soon...

but THIS couldn't have taken longer!
Taylor Swift-

I LOVE YOU!

{Flash Back Friday}

2010-10-15T11:09:00.002-06:00

First of all...

THANK YOU for all of your sweet comments!!

We are so excited and there will definately be more details to come on our sweet little babe!!

Now for the good part! Last night I found a laptop that I thought I had lost about a year and a half ago- Yes, I know...leave it to this girl to lose a freaken computer!

Anyways.. I've been going through pictures for the past few hours and seriously have been dying laughing. These were the good old days- and I thought I would start using every Friday as a time to reminisce!!

Yay for graduation!!

(Caleigh, Steph, Amber, Me, Aleigh, Em)

ps- you'll soon find out I've had every hair color at every length
Halloween- or maybe just a regular night.. nothing would surprise me
(Jennica, Rachel, Courtney, Me, Em)

Dance...Dance...Dance!!

(Bre, Steph, Jennica, Me, Em, Allerie, Lizzy, Kaitlin, Andrea)

Always up to no good!

(Me, Alex)

Girls Night Out!! Definately had lots of these!!

(Em, Amber, Me, Caleigh, Ashleigh, Alex)

And sorry Em, maybe if we didn't spend EVERY waking minute together, you wouldn't be highlighted so much!! :)

Thats all for now.. off to a fun Halloween filled weekend!

{Baby}

2010-10-09T08:44:00.004-06:00

{Sponge Bob}

2010-10-04T14:20:00.004-06:00

She thought that a Sponge Bob bandaid would stop her chapped lips from burning and she could enjoy her pizza and breadsticks... Oh, our sweet little Rubie!!

{Grateful for the Journey}

2010-09-24T14:45:00.003-06:00

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are. As you create a home, dont get distracted with a lot of the things that have no meaning for you or your family, but think about your successes. Have a joy in your home. Have joy in your children. Have joy in your husband. Be grateful for the journey."

-Marjorie P. Hinckley

Loved It.

{Fall Begins}

2010-09-13T14:00:00.006-06:00

Fall is finally here!

Definately our favorite time of the year!!

Football is here, the air is crisp

and the holidays are JUST around the corner!!

We've been up to lots of fun things lately,

trying to take advantage of the beautiful weather!!

Salt Lake Fair
Football Games- GO UTES!!

Lava Hot Springs

Baseball Games & Fireworks

And of course- the state fair

I love all of the time that Ry and I have been able to spend together lately!!

Can't wait for all of the other fun things we've got planned! ;)

{As Promised}

2010-09-01T13:10:00.004-06:00

Okay Okay-I know these are a little late...

But when you don't work-

it's almost like everyday is the weekend right?! :)

(I think I could get used to this!!)

Enjoy!!

{DONE!!}

2010-08-26T15:04:00.004-06:00

What. A. Project.

This took double the time we were expecting-

But it turned out perfect!

(not quite sure why all the pictures lighting are SO different)

I look back at the before pictures and wonder

-HOW and WHY-

we waited as long as we did for this?!

...and the end result....

This was SO worth all of the late nights and hard work!!

I'm so proud of the boys, they seriously did such a good job!

And believe me, it looks even better in person!!

{I am promising the "after" pictures of the bedroom makeover this weekend!!}

2010-08-16T15:37:00.003-06:00

We've started another project!!

This time-we've got multiple rooms going at once...

Yikes!!

{..Pictures to come soon..}

{...Juneuly...}

2010-08-01T01:08:00.004-06:00

WOW!! What a summer this has been!

Things have been SO busy
and we've definitely been slacking on the blogging.

That's what summer is about though right?!
...forgetting about the "important" stuff and having fun!

But, now it's time to document!
Here is to June and July...
we'd like to call it... "Juneuly"
{multiple posts to follow}

{...Lake Powell...}

2010-08-01T00:51:00.006-06:00

This past week- we've been in Lake Powell with Ry's family..

we had SUCH a good time, it was hard to leave!

Yes, this is us in matching tie dye!!
This is what his grandpa wears every year..
So we all decided to make shirts to match!
What a surprise that was!!! Another awesome day with Rodney!
{we love the socks with water shoes}

The boys jumped off cliffs that were

WAY too high for comfort!

We celebrated Ry's real birthday..

I brought little mud cups for his cake

Got to spend time with these 2 precious little girlies

early morning wakeboarding boys club

and last but not least.. my Ryan!!

We haven't even been home a whole

day and cant wait till next time!!

{...Happy Birthday Babes...}

2010-08-01T00:33:00.005-06:00

Since we were going to be out of town for Ry's official birthday,
I planned a little something for the weekend before we left...

He's been in desperate need of some new golf clubs-
so with the help of his good friends...
we got him all hooked up with new stuff!!!

The big idea that I had to surprise him
with all of it Saturday morning at the golf course,
sort of got ruined by the fact that my alarm didn't go off..oops!

It ended up all working out and we had so much fun!!

SURPRISE!!!
Ryan and Kalab

Paparazzi came along!!

But they loved it :)

and he had his own personal caddy for the day

Happy early birthday BABE!!!!

{...Palisades...}

2010-08-01T00:18:00.005-06:00

We went to the Palisades with my family this year...
it was SO much fun!!

We kayaked around the lake

and jumped off the platforms... We had lots of delicious smores!!

watched the kiddies play

and while the boys golfed...

we SWAM!!!

and then of course... we rode the 4wheelers

We had such a good time relaxing

and enjoying eachothers company!!
Can't wait to go back!

{...Randoms...}

2010-08-01T00:05:00.007-06:00

-These are all of the pictures that don't really-
-fall into any of the categories above-

Mini Golf

Camping with friends!!

Spending time with our favorite two year old...

one minute she's awake...

the next she's not...

Draper Days Parade

REAL games with friends

4th of July

{ Florida Round 2 }

2010-06-15T10:49:00.007-06:00

Oh my picture overload!!! I had NO idea we took so many pictures!

This was one of the funnest trips we've ever taken!!

Florida for 10 days with some of our best friends!!!

Couldn't have asked for a better vacay!!

(please dont mind Ry's SICK mustache!!

There was nothing I could do to confince him to shave that baby!)

we did lots of boating
- lots of eating -
so many yummy restaurants and BBQ's

Miami and South Beach for a few days

Celebrated Nadya's BIRTHDAY!!

More Boating...

(ps-this is ry's cousin Cole.. he's single for any of you ladies who need a date :))

Fun nights out on the town

play days at the beach

yummy crab by the ocean

Florida Keys for a few days

without getting into a long story- we would never recommend them! :)

Again- sorry for the picture overload :) there were so many to choose from!

Can't wait for the next get-a-way!!

{SNEAK-PEEK}

2010-06-01T11:33:00.005-06:00

Here is a little preview of the make over we've been working on!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Final details are being finished up..More pictures to come!!

{-Extreme Home Make Over-}

2010-05-24T09:55:00.004-06:00

Bullard Edition!!

My house looks like a construction zone!!!

Our bed is in the middle of the living room...

My couch is the new dresser...

I'm sure the neighbors are SICK of the noise...

My husband is done with my bossy perfectionist attitude...

But its going to look great- and we're almost there!!

-pictures to come-

<..Count-Down..>

2010-05-21T09:54:00.003-06:00

TWO weeks from today...
and we'll be back HERE...

AHH! I can't wait!!!!

The countdown is ON!

{-Date Night-}

2010-05-20T13:44:00.004-06:00

For this months date night...
we went to the Bees game and out to dinner.

It was so fun to see everyone!!

Of course we slacked on taking pictures..

But here are a few that we did get!!
ps-sorry Jess, I stole some :)

Can't wait for our Mexican Fiesta next month!!

{Little Ryne}

2010-05-12T13:21:00.005-06:00

Ry's mom was in town last week,
and one night we started looking through a bunch of old pictures.
I am obsessed with my mini little Ry..
He was -and still is- SOO adorable!!

I thought I'd share one of my favorites!!

I know- RIGHT?!

I'm loving the oversized sweater in this picture!!

And..I'm hoping our babes are JUST as cute as this!!

Graduation Part II

2010-05-10T15:23:00.004-06:00

Ry graduated back in December-

but the University of Utah only does the official ceremony after the spring semester

... so this weekend he got to make it all official.

I'm so proud of him for all of his hard work!!

4 years down- 2 to go!!!

Saturday night- I had a little surprise graduation party for Ry with some of our close friends-

We went to Sky Box to enjoy the Jazz game and each others company!

-the whole group-

We have such great friends and had such a great time!
Thanks to everyone who helped pull it together! :)

Vegas Baby!

2010-05-04T10:37:00.006-06:00

We decided to take a last minute trip to Vegas this weekend and had such a blast!
Ryan's brother is dating one of my best friends,
so we made them come down with us!

(i say that like they hesitated- they didnt, they love us haha)

We have lots of RANDOM pictures-

but thats what documenting vactions is all about...

Right!?!

Me and Cal- going shopping
Caleigh was SO excited to eat breakfast-
look how big that smile is!!

Cal and Ty-
me and ry- cute face babe.

delish dinner at Maggianos

so scared- getting ready to go on the Stratosphere

.. of course with our luck, we got on the ride adrenaline going and it gets shut down due to wind right before take off.. BUMMER!!

-intensely overlooking the city-

so pretty!!

and SO windy!! :)

We had such a good time- a much needed relaxing get a way!!

PS- Sorry for the delay Dana!! :)

College Grad!!

2010-04-19T09:35:00.003-06:00

My graduation was last Thursday

It was such a great day!!!

It was held at the Tabernacle on Temple Square

{PERFECT weather}
{getting ready to walk in}

{some of the the grads!}

{it's official-getting my diploma}

{i was so lucky to have all of my family there}

{well-almost all! Ry was out of town for work which was the only bad part of the day!}

{ash, me & mom}

{love my little brother and sister!}

{FINALLY }

{all of the Interior Design ladies...plus our 3 guys haha}

The only thing that I was missing was Ryan!

Other than that the day was perfect

and it was the best closure EVER!!!

::Organizing::

2010-04-13T15:56:00.004-06:00

With all of this extra time- the cleaning and organizing begins!!

Here is the latest "organizing" project I came up with-

...A cute and simple jewelry holder...

...all you need to make your own...

{ spray paint, wood, scrapbook paper, cabinet knobs or hooks and the fabulous- mod podge }

Let the crafting begin!!

{a BIG sigh of releif}

2010-04-09T13:21:00.006-06:00

I don’t even know where to begin...

I feel like I have been in another world for the past 4 months, honestly.
It is kind of a bitter-sweet feeling.

I am SO thrilled to be DONE.. but at the same time, I feel like I miss it already. I seriously will miss the girls, the time, the projects.. all of it. I never thought I’d say that. It’s been quite an emotional week. I have cried about everything- good and bad.. I don’t even know where the tears are coming from anymore. Bless Ry for dealing with me :)

Anyways!! So much to catch up on!!! This will all come in the next few weeks- but the latest event… EASTER!
We had such a great weekend! Relaxing, time with the family, and conference...couldn't be better!

Here are a few pictures to highlight the event!

The Easter Bunny visited our house :)
The girls trying to pretend its spring

Me and Ash

The Hunt

Ru Eating all the yummy candy she found

We ended the night trying to help Ash find a new house. :)

I'll be honest-

I dont really know what to do with all of my extra time now.

I have started a BIG list of "to do's" on the house...

We'll see how those come along- I cant wait to get started!!!!

Thank heavens it's Friday though.. Let the weekend begin!

Be back soon with more updates! :)

Almost There

2010-03-26T13:56:00.002-06:00

Okay Okay- I know it's been forever...
I keep hearing that I need to update.

Graduation is in TWO weeks and then I will be one free woman-
and back on the blogging train.

Until then.. enjoy a picture of the sweetest little lady alive.

I could just eat her!!

mmmm.

Be back soon!

i {LOVE} him

2010-02-26T09:04:00.001-07:00

...i am the luckiest girl alive...

-and i love him more than i ever thought possible-

Happy Birthday!

2010-02-22T21:22:00.005-07:00

Happy Birthday to the most amazing Mom ever!!

I'm so glad you picked me to be your daughter!!

I hope I can grow up to be just like YOU!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!
XOXO

Date Nights

2010-02-17T11:57:00.013-07:00

Last year from June to October- 5 of my close girl friends got married. Because of this- it seemed like there were showers, girls nights, weddings, wedding receptions etc. multiple times each month. Because of this we got to see each other so much, and it was SO much fun.

Now that ALMOST everyone is married, and we all have busy busy lives...
we dont get to see eachother as much.
At one of the showers in September we made an agreement to do a monthly dinner/date night. Everyone takes a month out of the year and hosts it.
Surprisingly, we've kept on this since October.
BUT- because I'm horrible at taking pictures, and we were out of town for the last one..
I am just getting around to this.

For February we went to a Jazz game and out to dinner with everyone. It was such a blast- I love getting together with everyone and catching up!!

-The Ladies- -Me and Em-

-The Whole bunch-

Amber, Jess, Amanda and Cal.. WE MISSED YOU!! :)

until next month-

XOXO

Valentines Day

2010-02-15T00:11:00.006-07:00

This years Valentines Day was different than any other Ry and I have had!! We spent it in Utah for the first time! The past 3 years we've celebrated in Arizona-one of our favorite places!!

I was so excited to have Ryan to myself for the WHOLE day!!

We woke up... went to breakfast, went our ways for a few hours (group projects always come at the worst time- we missed our couples massages!) met to see Valentines Day-which I loved!! Then Ry lovingly took me to Nordstrom with no complaints :)
After that we headed to Salt Lake where Ryan had planned the night.

We had a really awkward moment when the little misses as the Grand America gave us a key to a room that there were already guests in- Yeah. We walked in. Awkward.

Anyways, we got that whole sitation figured out... finally got into OUR room, got ready for a night on the town, and headed out for dinner. We went to the Roof and had the yummiest romantic dinner ever. I love Him.

At the Roof-

sorry for the picture quality... I dont know what happened This morning we woke up and went to the spa-which might be the most amazing place I've ever been... We headed home after a yummy brunch and spent the day lounging around the house. THE BEST. I am so lucky to have Ryan as a husband. He seriously is the most amazing thing I could ever imagine.

Happy Valentines Day Babe!!
XOXO

{-K*K-}

2010-02-07T21:39:00.005-07:00

I REALLY hope that because

HE:

WON THIS:
THAT SHE:

GETS ONE OF THESE:

Yes- it's a guilty pleasure.. I love the Kardashians

And I dont care who knows it!!!

Park City

2010-02-03T13:15:00.004-07:00

A few weekends ago, we went to Park City for Sundance. I'll be honest- it was RIDICULOUSLY cold and we didn't walk around much. But we did go out for a yummy dinner and had great company while up there!

Our all time favorite place to eat is Baja Cantina-

Its the YUMMIEST mexican food EVER!!!

- Late Night Sillys-

Ryans family has a condo on Park City resort, but no one goes up there much so whenever we go we always find the most out dated random things. This time, the boys found these fabulous robes to wear out to the hot tub-
We insisted we got a picture of them before leaving :)

{.LOVE.}

2010-02-01T19:36:00.006-07:00

Yes- I am officially in love with Elizabeth Kimberly Design.
She is one of my professors at school,
and one of the most
AMAZING
things around.
Some of my favs:

I think I need both of these creations in my house

Check out more of her work- link on the right side of my page

Happiness

2010-01-29T14:01:00.005-07:00

As much as I hate early morning classes, late nights at school, rushing to SLC on my lunches, only feeling married on the weekends, missing American Idol and the Bachelor and ridiculously large projects everyweek...

I am so happy right now. I have been thinking long and hard lately about how I can be succsesful doing what I love, and I stumbled across this quote-

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

-Herman Cain

Love It.

-Holidays Update-

2010-01-07T13:27:00.006-07:00

We're HOME!!!! I didn't think I'd be as happy to say it- but I am... My bed has never felt so good!! :) However-- we did have the TIME OF OUR LIVES in Florida over the holidays!!! Ryan's parents have been building a house there for about a year, so they flew us down to see what they've been up to and show us around. Be prepared for LOTS of pictures- I'll just explain as we go...

We spent lots of time just laying out and hanging at the beach....
Ry and his brother Tyson hanging out at the beach-

The 3 of us drove up to Orlando for a few days and explored at the fun parks up there-

Universal Studios...

One of the rides- and my neck is still killing :)

It was ALL decorated for Christmas and looked SO cute!!! I secretly wish I was a little kid again :)

We took the boat out on the ocean and his parents took us on tours showing us all around..

The beautiful house his parents are building right off the ocean...

For christmas, Ryan got tickets for all of us to go to a few major sporting events while we were there- Miami Heat game was one of them...

We got to ride around in his parents awesome cars-

I keep telling Ryan "one day" haha

For New Years eve we went to down town Ft. Lauderdale where they shut down the whole main city and do a huge block party with a big ball drop at midnight- you can see the big ball in the picture below...

Ry me and Ty on New Years...

Another one of the games Ry got tickets to was the Dolphins vs. Steelers game- It was my first NFL game and it was such a blast!!!

FREEZING!!!! but- still fun! :)

Okay- there was this CRAZY lady who sat in front of us. She was the drunkest person I've ever seen in my life. lol She would turn around and dance for us and scream horrible things to the other fans hahah Fourth quarter comes around, she turns around and we notice that she had full on PEED her pants. WTF- RIGHT?! a grown woman who can't controll herself haha We tried to snap a pic that showed it, but you cant really tell- dang!

Us at the game...

We went a few hours early to tailgate with a bunch of his parents friends...

I think thats about it for now :) We honestly had such a good time-and cant wait to go back!!! Now its back to work and school!!

It's a long one....

2009-12-13T21:18:00.008-07:00

wow- it has been FOREVER since I've been on this thing. As always- our lives have been insane... and busy as ever. I have started a new position at my job- which has caused me to have to work more, much more. Ry has been plugging along with his last semester of school- which he finishes on WEDNESDAY!! I'm so proud of him!!! I finished my second to last semester of school a few weeks back, which just about killed me. We've been traveling quite a bit (which I have been absolutely horrible at remembering to take pictures) And then with the holidays, we've been spending much needed time with our families-nothing better!! :)

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I have really tried to stop and think about my life and all of the things that I am blessed with and so very grateful for. My family. My job. A warm house to come home to every day. True friends. A warm bed to sleep in everynight. A husband that loves me-and shows me every single day. The gospel. Yummy food. Ry's job. An education....The list could go on and on. I honestly am such a blessed girl.

During this season, I am especially grateful for my friends and family. We have had a few experiences the past few weeks that have been real eye openers as to who our true friends really are. It makes me sincerely sad for those who choose to be mean people and not live life as its meant to be. I'm so lucky that I have Ryan in my life to make me smile and forget about all of those silly people. He is more than I could have ever imagined.

Here are a few pictures to updates you on what we've been up to the past few months!!!

The Big TWO ONE!! :)

Ry and some of my adorable friends threw me a little surprise party the night we came home from St. George for Thanksgiving. Thanks girlies!! I love you!!

(more b-day celebrations)

Ryan and the cousins playing in the warm AZ weather!!

We went to AZ this weekend to take care of a few things for Ry's mom.. While there we got to visit some family, we had such a good time!!

Dinner with friends!

Sweet Ry and Rubie resting after a yummy Thanksgiving dinner!!

(i am in LOVE with this picture!!! Can't wait till its my little baby "B",as my mom calls it, that he's snuggling with)

Another of Ry and Ru- she loves him, just a little bit :)

I think that's about all for now. We're off to FL next week to be with Ryan's family for Christmas and New Years- I'm sure we'll have lots to update when we return.

Until then, we hope that you all have the most fabulous Christmas and New Years.

Love you all!! XOXO

-October Ends-

2009-11-02T10:19:00.004-07:00

This fall has been so much fun already!! Full of family, friends, school, holidays and football :) On Friday, we went to the season opener for the Jazz and had such a blast. For Halloween we went to my brothers football game (which by the way-they won!! Go ALTA!!) the Utes blackout game, to dinner and then off to some spooky sites around Salt Lake...Here are a few pictures of our fabulous weekend!!!

(sorry for the quality on the rest-gotta love pics from the phone!!)

As much fun as we had for Halloween...

I'm glad its over because it means the holidays are coming!!!

Yay for Christmas music!! :)

!!Updates!!

2009-10-20T13:08:00.005-06:00

Recent comments have really made me stop and think about my life in the past year and a half...Specifically, I've been thinking a lot lately about the time that Ryan and I have had to spend together being married. As much as I've wanted a little baby, pretty much from day one haha, I am so glad that we've decided to wait. We have had SO much fun together, words can't even explain. He is the most amazing person and I look forward to spending everyday with him! I love that we've been able to focus on eachother and build the "us" for our future family. I've been able to get to know him in ways that I dont think I would have otherwise.
The babies will come.... just not now :)
And I hope that clears things up for all of the wonderful gossiping friends out there :)

-Anyways.. a little update-

I realized our last post was about a month ago!!! Wow-where has time gone?! We're still alive and busy as ever!! School has started to consume most of our time--again! I can't believe that we're both almost done though, Ryan this semester and me next!! What a relief that will be!!

The kidney stones are GONE! And I'm praying those babies NEVER EVER come back. That was by far the worst 2 weeks I've EVER experienced!!!!
We're home from vacations for a few months, and I can honestly say its so nice to spend time at home!! Traveling has been great, but man do I love my own bed :)
Fall is our favorite time of year, and we're enjoying all the football games and outdoor activities lately!!

We've been playing with all of our friends and having the time of our lives!!! :)

-Better get back to work now-
but first, enjoy a few pictures....
XOXO

Bring It On!!!

2009-09-21T10:26:00.003-06:00

I So--this weekend really showed me that we can take on ANYTHING!!! :)
Starting Friday:
We headed out for a long road trip to Oregon with our friends Josh and Danielle to watch the Utes play Oregon State. The treck was going well until about 10 hours in, I started getting some stomach pains. I mentioned it but didn't think anything of it. Finally 3 am comes around and we make it to the hotel...
Saturday Morning:
I wake up in a really really bad sweat. These stomach pains have turned into the most excruciating pains you could ever imagine!!! I'll spare the details- but I was throwing up like crazy. I didn't want everyone to think I was "that girl" (the one who gets sick all the time) so I tried to play it down and tough it out. We headed to the game, walked about a mile to the staduim in the pooring rain, got up to our seats and the game began. At this point I really felt like I was going to possibly DIE- or maybe just barf on the Oregon fans in front of us haha so I ran to the bathroom. Again- I start throwing up everywhere. I seriously just sat there thinking, okay... it will go away, it will go away... I attempted to walk back up to our seats and couldn't make it. I sat down outside just trying to get through the pain. Within 5 min there were friends and paramedics all around. They start running tests and decide I need to be rushed to the hospital. So- we head to the ER.
At this point- I am feeling HORRIBLE that we drove 12 hours and my husband is missing the game. This honestly is what I was most worried about-
They hooked me up to a few IV's for pain meds and fluids. They rolled me in for a CAT scan, and then we just WAIT. In the mean time- the nurses realized that Ryan was missing his game. They figured out how to use my little monitor screen and put ESPN on so he could stay updated. It was totally cute of them, they were so good with him.
Time goes by and the doctors come in to tell the results.

KIDNEY STONE.

BLAH!!!!!!! A little 3 mm stone is causing this much drama and pain- I couldnt believe it.
Anyways... long story short- we left with tons of pain meds and a loss for the Utes. BOO!
I can say that we won't be going back to Oregon again any time soon!!
We didn't get too many pictures due to the hectic situation- but here's what we did get...

Danielle and I in the car
Me in the hospital with my sexy gown and all my IV's

Ryan out in the lobby watching the game

And Ryan in our room watching on my little monitor screen.

Things have gotten a little bit better since Saturday- I've got lots of pain meds... but still trying to pass this dang thing!!!! I'm thinking if I can stand this pain.. I can do anything! haha

Heartless

2009-09-14T13:49:00.004-06:00

Taylor-

I'm sorry.

He truly is HEARTLESS.

We Love You.

Texas!!

2009-09-10T08:49:00.006-06:00

Okay so... I know my last post was about the Utes- we truly are UTES FANS!!! :)
But- we made a little trade for the weekend and went to watch BYU in Texas.
It was so much fun, and seriously- and that stadium is
INCREDIBLE!!!

Here are a few pictures from our trip...

(you'll notice Ry wore his Utes hat to the game haha)

We also ventured off to SIX FLAGS-

I've never been, and it was definately all its hyped up to be!!

I left happier than ever-

Cotton Candy, Suckers and Soda

2009-09-03T12:11:00.002-06:00

LET THE SEASON BEGIN!!!

Mexico!!

2009-08-19T12:47:00.005-06:00

Words can't explain how much fun we had in Cancun!

It was SO nice to just sit and relax!!!

Some of the fun things we did while there:

Watched REAL pirate boats every night
(this is our view from the room)

Swam in the ocean

sat in our little cabana

Ry held a shark

I did a little parasailing thing-

I can't remember what they called it

This was our beach

AND-

Everynight we layed in a hammock for hours--

Just laughed and talked.

I love him.

I feel like I've added lots of pictures already.

Maybe more later :)

It's Here!

2009-08-13T09:00:00.002-06:00

School is finally out!!!

I can not even tell you how much of a relief this is!

Ryan finished 20 credits with 4 A's, 1 B and a completed internship!!

and for me.. well, I can say this was the hardest- most time consuming semester I've ever had.

ONE of my final projects took over 26 hours to complete.

However, it turned out FABULOUS :) If I do say so myself. I'll post pictures of it later..

Anyways...

Enough about school! I finally feel like I'm married again!

And I'm lovin' it!

We got to go to the gym together last night! First time in like 4 months-no joke.

AND-

we're officially celebrating our ONE YEAR anniversary starting tomorrow!

We're taking a 6am flight to CANCUN baby!

I seriously cannot wait!

If you have any suggestions of places "we HAVE to visit" while there- let me know!

We'll update when we get back! :)

XOXO

--First Timer--

2009-08-11T12:46:00.005-06:00

I can honestly say I've never been to a fair!
(correct me if I'm wrong-mom)
And Ryan is always full of random ideas...
so... we went to the fair on Friday night!

Just the two of us!
I loved it!!

We even rode the ferris wheel! :)

I felt like Ryan and Marissa on the OC-

which made me love it even more hahah

(sweet ry can't keep his eyes open with the flash :))

Ry's Birthday Pics..

2009-08-11T12:27:00.002-06:00

I'm little late posting these pictures... but here was Ry's birthday!!!

It was such a fun day, and I couldn't have done it without my sweet sister!

She grabbed the cake and balloons for me to surprise him at work
She cleaned my house that night
She shopped for all of our food for dinner
She cooked dinner for us (we had school all night! blah!)

She's amazing! I can say hands down she's the BEST sis! :)

Even though we both had work and school all day and night, it was such a fun day!

Happy 25 again Ry!

Congrats!

2009-08-03T13:09:00.007-06:00

One of my very best friends got married on Friday!

It was such a great day!

I can't say I have more memories with any girl but her!
A few of my favorites....

Dancin' at football games!!
Girl Nights!!

Dancin' at basketball games!!

Playing, just the 2 of us!

Senior Year!!

lil' reunions with us girls!!

Trips with our boys!!

Late nights with our boys!!

And now she is a BEAUTIFUL bride!!!

(well, now she's a beautiful wife!! haha:)

Congrats EM and TAY!!! We love you guys so much!!!!

XOXO

One Year Down... Eternity To Go!!!

2009-08-01T16:56:00.004-06:00

One year ago today, I married the man of my dreams.

I have had the most amazing year of my life.

We've already experienced SO much together and I can't wait to see what else is in our future!

I would not have done a thing different!

I love you Ry! Thanks for the best year of my life!

Many more to come!!

Ryan & Amanda

{Weekend Visit}

{Tricks}

{New House}

{Florida}

{Christmas Day}

{Christmas- Part 1}

{merry christmas}

{Santa}

{Month Catch Up}

{Happy Halloween}

{Sweetest baby girl...}

{Life Lessons}

{Weekend}

{Conference Weekend}

{Rain or Shine}

{daddy's choice}

{Update}

{Avery's Blessing}

{5 Days Left...}

{4 Months}

{Summer Nights}

{Avery's Room}

{Lake Powell 2011}

{3 Incredible Years}

{Laughing Babes}

{Fourth of July 2011}

{Avery's Firsts}

{Love Love Love}

{Birth Story}

Sweet Babes

Avery Ryne Bullard

...

{Our Crazy Life}

{Spring Update}

{29 Weeks...}

{Valentines Catch Up}

{Day 4}

{Day 3}

{Day 2}

{12 Days Of Valentines}

{Growing Bump}

{Summer Babe}

{Nursery}

{Christmas 2010}

{Suggestions}

{Week 17}

{Thanksgiving}

{Baby Results}

{Baby Bumps}

{Flash Back Friday}

{Sweet Baby Lime}

{Speak Now}

{Flash Back Friday}

{Baby}

{Sponge Bob}

{Grateful for the Journey}

{Fall Begins}

{As Promised}

{DONE!!}

{{Here we go Again}}

{...Juneuly...}

{...Lake Powell...}

{...Happy Birthday Babes...}

{...Palisades...}

{...Randoms...}

{ Florida Round 2 }

{SNEAK-PEEK}

{-Extreme Home Make Over-}

<..Count-Down..>

{-Date Night-}

{Little Ryne}

Graduation Part II

Vegas Baby!

College Grad!!

::Organizing::

{a BIG sigh of releif}

Almost There

i {LOVE} him

Happy Birthday!