The First Seven Weeks

It's been just over seven weeks since I went from counting kicks to counting fingers and toes, ounces of formula, and toothless little smiles. I remember all the comments about how life will never be the same - and they were right! While it's been a bumpy ride at times, it's also been one amazing adventure as I continue to marvel at this sweet little girl. Lily has grown so much and I can't wait to watch her grow more every day.

In the past seven weeks, Lily has enjoying a lot of 'firsts' including her first holiday, first snowfall, first bath, first zoo visit, and first trip with the Oveson family to a cabin near Zions. Ali's been around for many of the adventures and I know that she already has him wrapped around her little finger. I love to watch them play together, especially when he sings her lullabies in French.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of our fun times together!

The Oveson Family Halloween party: We had some fun costumes this year! We all enjoyed some great homemade soup and the kids had fun decorating cookies.


This year, Lily was our little 'Princess Witch' and we were definitely bewitched by Lily in this cute costume!

Lily and Aidan: Lily has a very special friend, her three-year-old cousin Aidan. He absolutely adores Lily and is always willing to give his favorite stuffed animal, Bunny, to her so she can sleep well. My favorite is those moments when he thinks your not looking and he will stand over Lily and say, 'oh, she's so cute!'

Lily's First Bath: She was a little unsure of this new experience, but now loves it - especially when I wash all those beautiful dark curls!

My Beautiful Lily

As a new mom, I may be a little biased - but I think this little girl is such a beauty! During our time at the hospital, Lily and I got to share some fun moments - including her first little smile.

Lots of Love

Lily had lots of visitors over the next couple of days! Thank you to all my family and friends for all their support - Lily is sure to always be surrounded by love. A special thanks to Aunt Marci, Uncle Chad, and cute cousin Aidan for all their help!

Dad and Daughter

Proud Dad Ali

Uncle Matt showing his sensitive side

Uncle Chad, Aunt Marci, and Aidan

Uncle Mike

Aunt Mary and excited cousins: Zach, Preston, and Kyle

Amber and Lily

Alyssa (She was so scared!)

Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jim

Welcome Little One!

On Thursday, September 10th, I received the best gift I have ever been given - the gift of welcoming my sweet little girl. After 16 hours of labor and some clever nurse tactics, the world stood still for a moment as a beautiful little girl was finally placed on my chest. Lily Ntjila weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces and was 20 and a half inches long. She arrived with a full head of dark curls that we all have come to love!

Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, along with Aunt Marci were all present to welcome this precious little girl.

Right After Birth

Grandpa meets his first little Granddaughter

Grandma was in love at first site

Proud Dad

The Perfect Season: Again

For anyone who knows me, of course you knew this blog was coming. What an awesome season for my Utes ending with a huge win over the TDS! As always, this year was a blast to watch and I had the best time tailgating with friends at several of the games. It was a bit of a tragedy that I could no longer sit in the MUSS, but Matt (my official partner in crime) and I still lost our voices several times watching our Utes complete yet another perfect season.

I can't wait for the BCS bowl . . . GO UTES!

Nephew Dates

I've always had a strong desire to be that fun aunt for my 5 little nephews (a 6th is one the way). So awhile back we started what we call, 'Aunt Missy Dates'. Essentially, it's when we all just get to be kids and have a blast! Past dates have included the Utah State Fair, Dinosaur park, Dinosaur Museum, Disney on Ice, Nickelcade, Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point, and of course the Polar Express. Right now, it's usually the three oldest boys (Zachy, Pres, and Aidan) with me and Matt. I'm sure the younger ones will come along too once they get older.

These dates are typically filled with their own fair share of silly and cute moments that I wish I had time to go into more detail about. . but for now, here two funny little stories and some pics from a few of our adventures.

Utah State Fair: This was our most recent adventure. Unfortunately, Aidan couldn't join us at the last minute and it ended up being Zach, Preston, and myself. The day was full of funny sayings and lots of questions from Preston. We did about everything that fair had to offer from Pony Rides, to fun houses, to finding Star Wars Legos (the boys favorite!). However, my favorite little moment was when I caught Preston just staring at me. I said, "What's up, buddy? What are you looking at?" His reply, "Nothing. I just like you."

Aidan: Last year we went on a very cold adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express (aka the Heber Creeper). We had Zach, Preston, Aidan, their parents (Mike and Mary, Chad and Marci), myself, and Matt. The whole adventure was quite funny with the boys not knowing whether to cry or hug Santa, and a little 16-year-old Elf flirtin' it up with Matt. I talked to my sister, Marci, just the other day who informed me that Aidan had found his bell from Santa. He told his mom that he had to keep it in his pocket cause Santa 'gived it to him with Aunt Missy'. Aidan is so cute and has an excellent memory! Sounds like we will have to find a new Santa adventure this year as well!

A Bead for Every Occasion

Many of you know of my love for all things beautiful. . .clothes, home decor, men, and of course jewelry. So, instead of going through my ongoing battle with buying jewelry that always broke, I decided to start making my own jewelry a couple years ago with the help of my sister and friend Jamie. We all received so many comments on our creations, that I decided to take it to the next level. In July 2008, A Bead for Every Occasion was born. Today I am excited to announce that our company is now home to 6 amazing artists who all have their own unique style and fun personalities. It's been a bit of a struggle to get the company up and running, and I've made my fair share of missteps - but things just keep getting better and better for us. We sell jewelry online at shopabeadforeveryoccasion.com, are currently looking to sell in local stores, and also host parties at our friends and clients' homes where you can buy a custom design or create one of your own. I'm sure you'll be hearing much more about the company, but for now go check out the designs and enjoy! :)