Our Baby is TWO!

I can't believe it. On May 23 our precious Nicole Debra turned two years old. It feels like just yesterday that we were looking at our new little baby girl through misty eyes while touching her perfect little fingers and toes. Nicci is by far the best thing that has ever happened to us. She has such an electrifying personality and yet she is so tender and loving. Her birthday was so much fun, words can't begin to describe it. I've heard many times that 'pictures tell a story best', so with that said, here are dozens of pictures of Nicci's special day!!

Happy Birthday our dear Princess!

Her day started out with mommy making her favorite breakfast, Blueberry muffins! While she ate it i held her on my lap and told her the story about the day she was born. It was a very special experience.

She had fun watching Dora with her balloon and crown! Soon after that it was time for a sweet little birthday nap. :)

Here's Nicci's big present! "Coconut" is the newest addition to our little family! We call her 'Coco' and Nicci loves to chase her around the house and scream her name as loud as she can. lol. It's precious.

~~~~ Nicci's Birthday Dinner & Ice Cream ~~~~
McDonald's & Baskin Robbins

-Making a wish-
Her birthday dinner- Cheeseburger, Fries, & a Chocolate Shake. Her favorite meal! :)

FUN times at Baskin Robbins

~~~ Special Moments ~~~

The beautiful Birthday girl!

We are officially giving Nicci HER bunny!
Nicci's beautiful birthday flowers!

~~~~ The Day After the Birthday ~~~~

Seth is putting together the adorable kitchen that Grandma and Grandpa gave her! (I think everyone is hoping Nicci will learn the basics of cooking on her new kitchen so that she can cook for Daddy! :)

Jeff came into town the day after Nicci's birthday so we all went to Tony Roma's! YUMmmY. Nicci got a Dora umbrella for her birthday and she got to use it when we left because it was pouring! (It was a moment we savored) She was SO excited!!

"True Beauty"











Fun Times, Fun times!









Nicci LOVES her "Mama & Papa"!

Nicci loves her "Uncle Beff"










~She is our everything~

I made Nicci a Chocolate cake with Vanilla Sprinkled frosting. I decorated it Dora/Pony since she absolutely loves them both! :)

Blowing out her candles!!

Nicci is cutting the first piece of cake!!

THIS was her response to the cake i made her!! :( I have to admitt... i was mildly sad for just a brief moment! ...And everyone wonders why i HATE any kind of cooking? Well, there ya go. :)

OHHHH...BUT you give her an Oreo Fatboy and she eats the WHOLE thing while giggling and laughing. Yeah. That made me feel real warm and fuzzy. Thanks sweetheart. :)

Dearest little Nicci, Happy Birthday Sweetheart! We love you so much and will forever and ever!

Shame on Lazy Brandi...

I am so ashamed of my blogging lately ... i'm very disappointed in myself. As of Tuesday or Wednesday of next week i will be completely catching up! I'm looking forward to catching up on all the blogs i've missed out on reading lately as well!! These next two weeks are going to be very empty and loooong -most of you know why- so i have NO excuses to not blog my life away! SO, Coming Soon: Nicci's birthday, the fraud, Nicci coloring on the wall for the first time, Father's day tribute to my wonderful father and sweet husband, Nicci sleeping in her big girl bed, our 2 beach trips, and the 4th of july! Be prepared for some good times and the cutest pictures you've ever seen!

We took our first official family picture earlier this week. Cute eh'?!

If You're Happy and You Know It Stomp Your Feet!

Today Nicci stomped her cute little feet over and over as she explored the fun that the Water Park entailed! This morning Amy & i decided we'd take the girls to the Water Park and let them play for a while. Seth even took half the day off to come play with his girls in the water all afternoon. It was Nicci's first time at a Water Park and she had an absolute blast!! It was such a fun day i couldn't wait to post all of the pictures! How DANG cute is our little Nicci-D?!

Here's Nicci dancing around in her new swimsuit that she loves so much!

Me and the new BFFs. SO DANG cute.

How CUTE are they??

Love them.

Nicci going in the water for the first time.

My little DIVA!!

The two most beautiful people in the entire world.

Me & my Princess.

Oh so warm in her favorite Dora towel!

------ Here's some fun clips of our amazing day! ------


Nicci & i received an unwelcome spray in the face! It was hilarious.





After we came home and put Nicci down for a nap...we laid down & read Twilight! EEk...so good!

"Under the plan of heaven, the husband and the wife walk side by side as companions, neither one ahead of the other, but a daughter of God and a son of God walking side by side. Let your families be families of love and peace and happiness. Gather your children around you and have your family home evenings, teach your children the ways of the Lord, read to them from the scriptures, and let them come to know the great truths of the eternal gospel as set forth in these words of the Almighty."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

Who Woulda Thought?

Hello hello! Good grief i feel like i've been gone forever. I have so much to catch up on that it's becoming a tad overwhelming. We have been so busy going though many fun times and many crazy character building times. :) I will soon be blogging about the following: Nicci turned 2 and her birthday was out-of-control fun, we got a bunny for Nicci (she is ridiculously cute by the way), Nicci's new bff...and our new good friends (Amy & Randy), we were involved in some fraud which resulted in us losing the Accord BUT it turned around to be a huge blessing, we got another car -lol-, we have become officially debt free, Nicci colored on the wall for the first time (thank heaven for the 'magic eraser'), i can't get my nose out of Twilight, we have finally almost finished our cute backyard, and drum roll please... we got callings today!

Introducing the new Primary Teacher- 6 year olds here i come! :)

Introducing the new Assistant Cub Scout Master! He is going to do so great!

Seth is overly excited to be apart of the cub scouts; he is so wonderful with the youth! (Gosh i love him.) However, i went into getting my calling with the secret attitude of not wanting to be called to Primary, and now...who woulda thought...after letting it sink in all day and reading the manual a little bit, i'm looking forward to teaching these cute 6 year olds and being apart of their special little lives!!

"Happy Home Mommy!"

Lately we've realized that we have a little Parrot among us! Nicci is speaking almost full sentences now and is copying everything we say...it's actually really cute. She has really exploded in the personality department and has become quite the little comedian. Not only that, (not to be a ridiculously annoying proud mommy!) but she has outdone herself in the smarty pants department as well! :) The other day she took apart her Russian Doll and then put it back together all by herself. We took a video of her doing it and captured a little bit of her comical side as well. She's hilarious. Last night i said, "Nicci where do you live??" (and then i told her to say 'Happy Home') For the rest of the night she walked around saying, "Say Happy Home Ninny...Say Happy Home Ninny" almost in a mocking tone! (Ninny is what she calls herself) So this morning when i went in her room to get her she said, "Happy Home Mommy!!" I laughed until i thought i would die; i couldn't believe that she had remembered. It's such an incredible feeling when i say, "Where do you live" and i hear her respond, "Happy Home Mommy!" My mom taught me that when i was her age and i've always looked forward to teaching my child that someday. I really really love being a mom- more than i can express in words; it is seriously the very best job in the entire world! Somedays it's very hard, and other days kinda draining, BUT all-in-all it is certainly the funnest, most rewarding and exciting job anyone could ever have! I LOVE IT!!

We are in the process of landscaping our backyard and so while Seth & i were outside Nicci found one of my hair accessories, put it on, and then went on a search for 'The Rock That Would Change Her Life'...and here's a picture of the magic rock she found!! LOL. I'm telling you, this girl is hilarious. :)

Here's Ninny putting her Russian Doll back together all by herself.
(You might have to turn off the music to hear how hilarious this girl is)

"Don't be a scrub! Rise to the high ground of spiritual, mental, and physical excellence. You can do it. You may not be a genius. You may be lacking in some skills. But so many of us can do better than we are now doing...We are people with a present and with a future. Don't muff your opportunities. Be excellent."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

My Dearest Mother

So i know everyone thinks they have the best mom in the entire world...but the truth is that I have the best, most wonderful mom in the ENTIRE world. :) Mother's Day was so amazing. I love having a specific day to dedicate to the most amazing woman i know. The day started out terrific....breakfast in bed! Seth made me french toast, eggs, bacon, and orange juice. It was so Y.U.M.M.Y. He was so incredible all day, he made sure i didn't lift a finger! He even made me breakfast all over again at 1:00am before i fell asleep. (Have i mentioned how much i dearly love my husband??) We then went to church with my parents and it was SO WONDERFUL!! The most amazing talks were given in Sacrament meeting (great job Ash!) and our Relief Society lesson was so special (wonderful job Stacie!) Being able to sit next to my mom during all the meetings was such a special treat...going to a new ward since we moved just isn't the same without her. Later that night we spent some real special time together and had some tender special moments. I love my mom so much. She really is the most incredible woman i know. My mom has a special love for everyone that most people can't understand. She is honest in literally everything she does. If a cashier gave her 2 extra cents in change she'd immediately go back to the store come rain, snow, or wind...she'd return it. She has an incredible passion for the gospel and puts our Savior first in everything she does. She is the most obedient individual i've ever met. She puts EVERYONE before herself. I can't remember the last time she bought anything just for her. My mom is pure in heart and never judges anyone. I talk to my mom everyday...we'll even watch movies together over the phone. :) She's my very best friend. She loves my husband so much and shows it in the way she treats him. Seth can talk to her for hours about UPS and she'll still be bright eyed and bushy tailed in the end. (I have to admit, i have fallen asleep on occasion when "UPS Stats" comes up...but NEVER has my mom!) My mom is a perfect Grandmother. She loves her grandkids with everything she has. Nicci's favorite person in the whole world is my mom. She calls her "Mama" and Seth & i joke that Nicci actually thinks my mom IS HER mom. lol. The joy that my mom can bring into a room just with her smile is absolutely incredible. She brings light and love everywhere she goes, & it's because she carries her Savior with her in her heart. I think she spends more time on her knees than she does on her feet. I could never ask for a more righteous amazing woman for my mother. I just hope and pray that i can be half the mother and woman she is. She's perfect, she's strong, she's my hero, she's obedient, she's loyal, she's fun, she's a healer, she's a comforter, she's my best friend, she's my angel...she's MY MOM!

I love you, i love you more, i love you more the mostest mom!

What a Wonderful Life

Seth & i were just getting ready for bed and having our nightly 'talk time' and i was so overwhelmed with how very blessed i am. I love my family so much. I spent the day with my mom and little Nicci and realized that i really have never been happier than i am right now. My mom and i are very best friends; i am so grateful to have her close to me in every way and to have her loving guidance in every aspect of my life. Her selfless love blesses so many lives, including very much my own. I have seriously the most amazing husband. He works so hard for our little family and always comes home with a smile and ready to play hard with his girls before he retires to bed. There's no place i'd rather be than wrapped up in his hugs. I have an incredible father that works harder than anyone i've ever met. He will answer his phone in the middle of any meeting just to answer whatever ridiculous question i have for him. And i absolutely could not survive without my adorable little girl. She is my pride & joy...my entire life. I have been so sick this past week and she has been so good for me. Everytime i coughed or sneezed she'd say, "Bless you Mommy." It just brightened my day to hear those three words. As i watch her run around everyday (while i miss her Daddy like crazy) i see so much of her wonderful father in her...i see his gorgeous eyes when she looks at me, his sweet smile when she laughs, and his love as she hugs me or says a prayer on her food before she eats. She's perfect. She is a literal angel that our Father in Heaven has blessed us with. I could not ask for a more beautiful and loving little girl. I could not ask for a more pure hearted & perfect mother. I could not ask for a more understanding & hard working father. I could not ask for a more loving, hard working, and literally perfect husband, and i certainly could not ask for a sweeter, happier, and more angelic child than my precious Nicci. I could not ask for a happier life. I'm so very blessed and so incredibly thankful for my kind Heavenly Father.