The Yarbrough Clan

The Best Name

2011-09-13T10:33:00.010-06:00

I'm just going to go ahead and say it, Jeff and I picked out THE best name for our daughter!

Have you seen this movie?

I don't remember liking the movie all that much, but I did LOVE one of the characters' name. I asked Jeff about it quick and we finished watching.

Fast forward one year:
When I found out I was pregnant with our first child I was so excited, I went and bought a blanket at Target. We didn't know the gender yet, but I can tell you the blanket I bought sure looked rather boyish! :)

A couple months into the pregnancy I was having some rather strange dreams, and they were all about baby boys. Here is the worst of them:

I was in the hospital with my new baby. The room was HUGE with blind less windows. I remember it being very high up too. I was loving on this tiny thing in my arms when I looked down and saw that it was a boy with full on chest hair and a head that looked exactly like this, ponytail Mohawk and all:

Image Source

Everyone should know who Sanjaya Malakar from American Idol season 6 is right?

I woke up horrified!

Lucky for us, we found out that we were having a girl, and after the initial emotions of knowing I was going to hold a sweet baby girl, I was just so happy to know that she would not look like Sanjaya!

We named her OLIVIA JOY. Perfect name right? It gets better.

Two weeks ago my Father-in-law, Larry was looking at family history sites online. His grandma on his dad's side passed away when he was around four or five and he didn't know much about her, but he knew people called her Mae. He and my Mother-in-law Renea have been looking for her name for a few years now, and could not come up with anything.

As Larry was looking at a web page he found by accident, there she was, HIS grandma.

Olivia Mae.

Her first name was Olivia and that is why she has been so hard to find.

Do you think it's the best name yet? It is perfect for our little family. We didn't have the privilege to meet Miss Olivia Mae, but I hope she is looking down on our family and smiles at our beautiful daughter. I know we will meet her someday.

We are so lucky to have Olivia and not a hairy Sanjaya :)

First day(s)

2011-09-08T21:27:00.006-06:00

Olivia has started Preschool AND dance and I can't believe she is old enough for either one!

She loves going to Preschool and has adjusted so well to her classroom, teachers, and friends. I signed up to clean the classroom on Wednesdays which isn't at all a bad job. Only because I get to eat lunch with her before I have to clean :)

Today was her first day of dance. I'm very sorry about the blurry pictures, she was dancing around so much I couldn't get a good one. She LOVED it! She even showed me some moves they did on the bar and across the floor. I love my little Ballerina!

Landon:

- He has taken his first steps (September 1st)

- He waved goodnight to his daddy (September 7th)

- He loves music and starts to move his head

(Stevie Wonder style) whenever he hears it!

- He makes sure we're watching when he does something cute. He looks over and smiles at us to make sure we are paying attention to him.

- He knows his mommy and daddy love him by all the kisses and hugs they give him...

- He LOVES his sister!

Forever Families

2011-08-21T14:56:00.003-06:00

How lucky am I to know that I can live with my family forever.

For some reason, the last couple months I have been picturing or worrying about something bad happening to one of my family members. First I envision Landon choking on a coin and because I'm "too busy" I don't notice until it's too late. Then I picture Liv being abducted from her preschool (she started on Friday). I also see Jeff getting into a horrible accident and not making it out alive! Horrible thoughts right? Thinking of these made-up events sometimes kept me up at night worrying, and I seriously had a hard time shaking the thought that something bad was going to happen.

My mind was not at all comforted until one day I was reading THIS wonderful talk by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I didn't get to finish the whole talk because I kept reading these same words over and over again.

"I testify to you that our Father in Heaven loves His children. He loves us. He loves you.
When necessary the Lord will even carry you over obstacles as you seek His peace with a
broken heart and a contrite spirit. Often He speaks to us in ways that we can hear only
with our heart. To better hear His voice, it would be wise to turn down the volume control of
the worldly noise in our lives."

Life is great for me and my little family. Jeff and I are safe, our children are beautiful and healthy, my extended family is also healthy. I need to relax and enjoy the time I have with them. Who knows, that time may be short. And if it is, I know I can be with them forever through God's plan for us.

The other night a friend on Facebook posted about a family who a week ago had to say goodbye to their 7 month old daughter Ruby Jane due to liver failure. You can find her story HERE. Usually I don't read blogs of people I don't know, but I read this one and cried the whole time. I cried for the fact that I have an 8 month old who I don't know if I could live without in this world. I cried for this family who is surviving this hard time because of the knowledge that they will be able to one day see their sweet baby girl again.

Today in church, speakers talked about families and the Plan of Salvation. I had a hard time paying attention because of the toys around me. It seemed like I was playing with them more than my children (whoops). But I sure did pay attention when it was time for the closing song, and I couldn't help but get emotional as I thought about the words:

Families Can Be Together Forever

I have a family here on eath.
They are so good to me.
I want to share my life with them through all eternity
Families can be together forever
Through Heavnly Father's plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.
The Lord has shown me how I can.

No matter what happens in this life, if I live a righteously I can always live with my family! I love them and I'm thankful for that knowledge.

Overload

2011-08-19T21:13:00.007-06:00

I have so many pictures to post! I didn't think our summer was that eventful, but apparently I was wrong... Sorry for the picture overload!

We have a preschooler!!!

Olivia's Tangled themed 4th b-day party

Pin the tail on Maximus

Olivia's friend B had her mom sew her this beautiful Tangled dress!

Yeah, this cake was VERY stressful for me. I thought it turned out alright.

Frying pan plates

Our Saturday trip to Telluride!! This place is BEAUTIFUL! It's no wonder why Tim McGraw sings about it!

I think she loves the smart phone the most! :)

Fun week in Denver with my parents included the ZOO, Water World and.... Shopping!!!! :)

I love this pic of my mom and Landon.

This was one of the most fun food projects I have ever done. I can't take credit for the design, but it was a hit with everyone!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of his sleeping position.

Dolores River Fest. Flo Bots.

Yep that's it! Sorry I couldn't load more pictures for you. I know you are all wanting more :)

Half way mark!... and bugs

2011-06-02T20:58:00.008-06:00

We made it! Our little boy is 6 months old and we can't believe it! He is such a little busy body and has to be doing something constantly!

Favorites:

- When holding a toy, he twists his little wrists (they are actually big wrists)

- He loves food. I give him vegetables first and after those are finished I give him fruit. It's so funny to watch that first bite of fruit. He puckers up his lips and really enjoys every bite.

- He loves to laugh and smile. He thinks Olivia is especially funny.

- When he gets excited he slaps his hands down on the ground or on his legs as hard as he can and almost knocks himself over

We love Landon and have been so blessed with an easy-going sweet boy.

Olivia is growing up WAY too fast! She is such a love bug but has also been into bugs. She likes to go exploring in the backyard to find rollie polies and worms. She was stung by a bee the other day. It was very traumatic, but she doesn't seem to be too bothered by them now.

Olivia's favorites:
- She knows what to do to when Landon is crying before I do. She often gives him her blanket or a toy if he is crying.

- She is constantly calling us on her "phone" to come play at her "house".

- She loves to sing with me and asks to sing songs over and over and over again.

- She gets so excited to see bugs!

Lions, Tigers and Bears

2011-05-23T08:07:00.007-06:00

Okay, not so much tigers but I'm talking REAL lions and REAL bears!

My sister-in-law Raedene has cute parents who live north of Cortez on about 70 acres of land... where the elevation increases slightly and the population decreases. Her parents invited us and a few others to a Switzerlandian Mountain Goat roast. Sounds fun right? The meat was pretty good, and tasted mostly like beef.

After dinner the kids wanted to take a nature walk down the canyon. The adult tour guide (aka another parent) wasn't interested in taking children under the age of 8 down (aka my child). So Raedene offered to go and I said I would tag along.

As we were walking Readene informed us of the old black bear who was residing in the area. I don't think they have actually seen him, but have spotted tracks and had fur stuck in the barbed wire. Either way, I was nervous the whole trip down. After about 15 min of walking we stopped at a picnic bench her parents set up near a small lake (I like to call it a watering hole). This is about the time Olivia started dancing like she needed to go potty. Great, my newly potty trained 3 year old is a mile from a bathroom, how am I going to convince her to go potty in a bush. After trying to talk her into it she promised me she didn't need to go and we headed back to the house.

I remember getting in the car and looking at the clock because Jeff was stuck back at the house with a not too happy Landon and I realized it was way past his bedtime (Landon's not jeff's). It was 8:30! Sorry Jeff...

Sunday Raedene informed me that this is what her parents camera snapped the same night of our nature walk...

Are you kidding me?? Can you tell that's a mountain lion? Notice the time stamp. A little over an hour after we were at this small lake (watering hole) this is what their motion camera caught! We had been standing RIGHT there! He was sniffing our scent I know it, and now he knows what I smell like!! Pretty sure I'm never taking a nature walk again! Unless someone around me has a gun or slingshot or even a cell phone!

Oh my!

Easter

2011-04-26T21:53:00.004-06:00

Easter 2011

We loved celebrating Easter this year. I feel so blessed to have shared it with such a healthy and happy family! I was explaining to Olivia that although the Easter bunny is fun, Christ's resurrection is the real reason why we celebrate Easter. I'm so glad she can start to understand what is really important! I love my family to pieces and I'm such a lucky girl to have them!

Side note: Olivia started calling The Book of Morman "The Book of Morning" :) I guess we need to work on that! :)

Side, side note: Landon tasted his first rice cereal yesterday! He is such a champ!

Three Months

2011-03-10T12:14:00.004-07:00

There has been a lot going on around here! We have moved from Greeley and are living in Cortez CO. It has been a crazy month and I'm glad we are finally able to get back to normal life; growing boy, story time and tantrums (I swear we need super nanny to come to our house)!

Landon turned 3 months on March 2. He has been such an easy baby. He sleeps 7 to 9 hours at night, and loves watching the tv and Olivia play. He has become a mommas boy which makes the day VERY long!

We really miss Greeley, but we are glad to be here. The town is really growing on me, and I love looking out the window and seeing mesa and mountains. It sure beats looking out the window of our condo in Greeley and seeing another building.

Oh and one more thing.... Go U-N-C Bears!

Blessing Day

2011-01-15T07:34:00.005-07:00

Olivia loves her little brother, and is so good with him!

Bath time! Getting ready for church

Landon had a great blessing given to him by his dad. Most of our family made the scary journey to Greeley in the snow to be there with us, and we are so glad everyone who did, came. We were even more glad they made it home safely! The white blanket was made by Great Grandma Luck.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-10T19:54:00.005-07:00

Christmas Eve at Meme and Papa's house

Cute stockings made by Grandma Yarbrough

Santa gave Liv a Pillow Pet!

Landon gave Liv this train

What a fun Christmas in Greeley!

Early Christmas Present

2010-12-20T12:07:00.003-07:00

He's here!

Landon Wayne Yarbrough

Dec 2nd 2010

6 lbs 15 oz

19 3/4 in long

The planned c-section was uneventful (thank goodness)! Landon came out screeming and wouldn't stop. The doctor told us he was glad he was going home with us. :) We love our sweet little Christmas blessing!

Turkey Trot

2010-11-29T16:29:00.003-07:00

Jeff wanted to run the Turkey Trot here in Greeley, but because I wouldn't run with him, we hyped up the race to Olivia and even found her the cutest Nike Shox (she calls them her Skechers). She started the race off great and was so excited to see the geese at the park. Once they left the park it started to get boring and she lost interest. Not to mention the fact that it was only about 10 degrees outside! She started getting cold and refused to run.

People thought she was pretty cute and tried to cheer her into the finish but she just gave them dirty looks... Maybe we will try a Fourth of July race this summer when it is warm!

Pre-race anticipation

At the finish line

Almost 39 weeks pregnant! (3 more days!)

Halloween

2010-11-14T20:19:00.005-07:00

I thought it would be a good idea to post these before Thanksgiving gets here!

We had an eventful October filled with baby showers, pumpkin patches, and trick-or-treating. Thanks to everyone who made it a great month!

Our Day(s) to Remember

2010-09-03T20:02:00.006-06:00

Jeff and I have been LUCKY parents... I've mentioned before that Olivia won't get out of her bed until we come and get her.

Today is a day to remember... She actually scared me half to death this morning. Jeff was taking a shower and I was still in and out of sleep when I hear a little voice saying "hi mom". I look over to see Liv's head pop up over the side of my bed. I loved hearing that voice, and I am actually glad she is coming out of her room on her own! (she didn't come out today after nap though.)

More exciting news, Olivia has now been PACIFIER FREE for a whole week. We have been wanting to get rid of that thing for a whole year, but Jeff and I weren't ready to get rid of it yet. It was WAY too convenient!

One morning we told her it was time to give the "pacers" to the babies. Olivia and Jeff wrote out an envelope to the babies and we put the pacifiers in our mailbox. Liv then was able to go to Toys "R" Us to get a toy. She chose Phineas and Ferb action figures, and hasn't asked for her pacer for three days straight!

Our last day to remember is August 31, 2010, when Olivia found her first invisible friend, the bunny. There was a stuffed animal bunny on the cover of a magazine. She pretended to pick it up and has been carrying it around with her everywhere she goes. I even almost laid down on it the other night.

Here she is with her bunny. She thinks it is "sooooo cute!"

Three Years Old

2010-08-15T13:10:00.011-06:00

Happy birthday to our little girl!

We love you so much!

This is how we celebrated the week of your third birthday:

-had a blast a Fort Fun with Reid and his mommy and daddy. You rode the race cars (go-carts), played mini golf and played some arcade games.

-went out on the lake with awesome friends who know how much you love to ride their boat! (I promise you did have fun even though you didn't seem like it in this picture! )

-Spent the day with Meme and Papa and had dinner at Red Robin

-had your friends over for rainbow cake and ice cream

-you had your first bike riding experience!

We are so blessed to have you in our home, and hope you will always know how much we love you and your fun personality!

Happy Birthday Boss!

Summer Fun

2010-07-09T21:06:00.009-06:00

Sorry about the picture overload! I just wanted to share some of the fun things we have been doing!

ZOO DAY
The weather was perfect, and the animals awesome!

Check out this photo...is that lady really posing for our picture?

I have never seen a peacock with it's feathers out. It was fun to see~

RODEO
Meme, Papa and Uncle David came up to Greeley to see the Rodeo.

Enlarge this photo and check out that dudes extra curricular activities :) (don't forget to look at sweet Olivia and cool David)

SPLASH PARK

We went to a fun Splash Park in Loveland with some friends. Olivia has started shutting her eyes when we ask her to smile. We think she gets it from Jeff. (See above picture of Jeff with Uncle David :) )

Baby

2010-06-05T21:19:00.004-06:00

Olivia is finally showing interest in her baby dolls. It's a really good thing, because baby number 2 is on the way! Olivia is going to be a BIG SISTER!

FUN DUE DATE FACTS:

Due: December 8, 2010

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Half Birthday: June 8

Birthstone: Turquoise

Birth Flower: Holly

This time next year, our baby will be 25 weeks old!

New baby will start kindergarten in 2016, be old enough to drive a car in 2026, and finish high school in 2029 (scary)!

94 days down, 186 to go!!!!!

We are a very excited family!

Pushing my car!

2010-05-17T14:11:00.005-06:00

This is for you Nik!

I thought I would share this funny picture of Liv!

Her obsession with cars and trains continues! I think I have seen her push a baby in the stroller um..... maybe once! :) If you look closely the green thing taking a ride is not a baby, it's a toy car. And of course we can't leave behind her swim duck. We try to hide the dang thing but she always seems to find it! At least she likes to wear her mommy's shoes. That's girly right?

I LOVE bedtime!

2010-04-14T19:12:00.004-06:00

When Olivia was younger she never once tried to climb out of her crib or really climb on anything. even though she did so well in her crib, October of 2009 we decided it was time to try a big girl bed. After many tears shed... by me, we did it. She slept perfectly in her big girl bed!! it is now 7 months later and our little girl still doesn't know she can get out of bed in the morning without us coming to get her! It's great!!!! I know... now that I'm bragging about it, she is going to get out about 10 times at bedtime and bug us at 6:00 am, but we are just enjoying it while it lasts!

First night in her big girl bed!

Spring Break

2010-04-06T17:12:00.011-06:00

Sunday after church this was our conversation:

Jeff: So... last chance, do you want to drive to Cortez?

Mirissa: Uhhh...... I don't know?
Jeff: Last chance.

Mirissa: Okay.

So I asked Jeff to check the weather. He told me it looked good, so we packed our things and headed on the road. Not telling anyone that we were going.

We made it to Wolf Creek and it was blowing snow, so we had to stop at the Rainbow Inn to stay the night. It wasn't a 5 star hotel by any means, but Olivia had the absolute best time. It was the first time we EVER let her sleep in our bed. She was in heaven!

Olivia jumping on the bed at the Inn

She had such a great time with her cousin Josh!

Some of my recent crafts:

This cake was for the Relief Society birthday party. Thanks to my sister-in-law Lexie, it had a really good Raspberry/white chocolate chip filling! I was really worried about making it!

My moms birthday present: Acorns always remind my mom of her father who has passed away. I saw a tutorial online for an acorn wreath and decided to try it. I was explaining it to my parents, and my dad, who had just recently seen some acorns on the ground at a local store went to collect some acrons (so sweet I know!) I hope my mom thinks of grandpa Williams whenever she looks at the wreath.

An apron I made for my neice. (with a pattern) This was my first real sewing project and I had a great time making it!

My church is giving a beginning quilting class and I can't wait to post the finished quilt!

Butt

2010-03-05T21:00:00.011-07:00

Olivia is growing up way too fast for us and just in the last couple of days I have been able to hold REAL conversations with her! She can be VERY dramatic, but so fun at the same time! Tonight she let me paint her nails and toenails (which was very difficult as she was bouncing around to the music Jeff was playing).
Also tonight, I was lying on the floor, and she noticed my butt... okay, she calls buttons butts, and so she noticed my belly button peaking out of my shirt. She then tried with all her might to pull my shirt down to cover my butt. Even though we have never had a modestly talk with her, she knows that both our "butts" should always be covered up! :) I hope to always be a good example to her.

Just a few fun things about Olivia:

* She calls spaghetti scobetti
* She still loves trains and cars and now trucks
* She will tilt her head to the side and say sorry mommy
* She just started calling me Mirsa instead of mommy
* She loves to be a helper
* She runs into nursery every Sunday
* She loves playing with "the kids" which is any type of playgroup (or a random little girl at the Chick-fil-a play place.) Did someone say Chick-fil-a? mmmm I love that place!
* She loves all the teenagers on the track team

We LOVE this girl!

She is always lining up her trains.

Can you believe how long her hair is?

2010-02-06T07:47:00.006-07:00

Okay.... So when I am out in public and I find a person or group of people doing something interesting, I stare. I don't notice that I am doing it, until Jeff taps me on the shoulder and yells at me to stop staring! (I know, I know, Jeff never really yells, but you get the point.) He gets really embarrassed of his wife's chronic staring problem, so I had to blog about HIS adventures at UNC yesterday.

Because our printer is out of ink, Jeff has to frequent the computer lab to print off assignments. While at the lab yesterday he overheard a conversation in another language and couldn't distinguish whether they were fighting in their foreign tongue, or just having a loud conversation. Sitting in the cubicle, Jeff found a small hole to spy on the couple without being seen. Thinking he was alone, and paying no attention to his computer, he leaned in closer to get a better look. Not only was he staring, he had to lean away from his computer across the table to do it! Little did he know he was not alone, and he felt a tap on his shoulder as the girl next to him asks: "Is that interesting?"

Jeff was so embarrassed that he had been caught, he responded with a quick yes and went about his business on the computer.

AHHHH!

2010-01-18T14:59:00.014-07:00

The face says it all!

We took a trip to the Denver Aquarium before Jeff started this new semester. Olivia was afraid at first but we had a great time!

Awesome Tiger!

2009-12-29T14:25:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Christmas 2009

Mitch's Cold Stone Party: Happy Birthday Mitch!

Olivia's cousin Josh was so nice and tried to feed her ice cream. She would respond with crusty looks!

Christmas Eve:

The LDS church in Cortez does a live nativity scene every Christmas that is always really fun to see!

Christmas Morning:

Olivia's slide from Santa! It was a hit with the kids all week!

Time out after melt down in the bath:

Posted by The Yarbrough Clan at 1:22 PM

We Love SnOw!

2009-12-08T20:18:00.001-07:00

We started the 2009 December off at my parents church ward party. It was all centered around Who Ville and was absolutely amazing! Every room was filled with Who Ville activities they even had a hair saloon for the children. I felt like Jim Carrey was actually in Aurora Colorado, because the Grinch was AWESOME!

Olivia was afraid of the Grinch, but she was also afraid of Santa!

What a great time in Colorado for playing in the snow! We were excited to use Olivia?s outdoor outfit! She loved every minute of it? So did Chumba!

Yes, we finally have a Christmas tree! Olivia loved to help put up the ornaments!

Stinky Bug

2009-11-15T16:17:00.004-07:00

One Sunday after church, Jeff and Olivia were walking out to the car. There was a bug on the sidewalk and Jeff was very exited to teach Olivia that it was a stink bug. After watching the bug for a minute we continued on with our day.

This week we had a pesky fly in our home, Olivia kept waving her hand in front of her nose while saying "stinky bug, stinky bug". Now, when she spies any type of bug she either says "eww" or "stinky bug"!

Fall Fun

2009-11-08T16:11:00.025-07:00

It has been an eventful fall for us~

1.Our very first visit to a pumpkin patch~ Despite a two year old tantrum at the end, it was really fun! Olivia found the owner's kitty and really wanted to pet it. I didn't let her, but the cat seemed really nice!

2. Carving the pumpkins~ We stripped Olivia down and let her color her pumpkin. After another tantrum we had some great jack-o-lanterns!

3.Trip to the mountains~ We were able to visit Nikki and Mike in the mountains. I am almost glad Jeff got in an accident (thank goodness he is safe) because we were able to spend more time in the high country and had a chance to stay in the Fischer's new, beautiful home. What a view (the mountains, not the car) :)!

Jeff's car doesn't actually look that bad in the picture, but there was enough damage for the insurance company to total it. Jeff said the bank of the mountain saved the car from rolling. Luckily Olivia and I were in the car ahead of him! Goodbye Xterra :(

4. Church Halloween Party~ I love dressing up as a family!

I wish the weather would cooperate with our costumes! Maybe I just need to actually go to Hawaii someday! :)

5. Trick or treating in downtown Greeley~ The Richardson's always have the coolest ideas for fun and invited us to go with them to the stores and trick or treat! This was just enough for us that we didn't even bother dressing up on Halloween and stayed in the house nice and warm!

These pictures actually taken after Halloween~ :)

Sorry to add to this extra long post, but I really wanted to write some of our favorite things about Olivia before I forget!

~She has become so lovey. She will give us random hugs all the time! If she accidentally or not so accidentally hits me or Jeff with a toy, or if we say ouch at all, she will kiss whatever hurts no matter what she is doing!

~She still loves trains and cars!

~She has started reading to us. It is mostly gibberish, but she really knows the story lines and throws in key words of the story! (As a teacher, I love to see this! ) :)

~ She loves to dance! Especially to Miley Cyrus' new Party in the USA song! The bad part, is she makes us dance with her and wants to spin!

~ She has started cleaning up her toys. One day I heard her singing "queen, queen, queen" I finally realized that she was cleaning up her playing cards and singing as she did it! (she doesn't get that from me!)

~She has started taking off her clothes and diaper and sits on the potty all by herself! I guess it's time to start potty training! I don't think I am ready for it yet! :)

~ We love our little hula girl! She brings so much love and joy into our home!

~ I really have to start to pay attention because she is starting to repeat everything we say. Great.

I love 99.9 The Point!

2009-10-04T19:38:00.009-06:00

So... Jeff was working very hard Tuesday at his work study job blowing up the basketballs for UNC P.E. classes when the voice on the radio told him to be the 9th caller and win tickets. Not really knowing what the tickets were for Jeff dutifully dialed the given number.

Jeff recalls the following conversation:

Lady: "Hello, who's this?"
Jeff: "Uhh, this is Jeff"
Lady: "Congratulations, you just won tickets for Colbie Caillat!"
Jeff: "Seriously?" (Jeff told me he responded with "seriously?" but I think he probably screamed like a girl!)

I love Colbie and didn't believe him all day! The concert was last night (Saturday) and I have to say I love her even more. She did an awesome job live and it was a really fun show (besides the fact we were surrounded by teenagers acting like...well teenagers)!

She had two openers, Trevor Hall and Howie Day. I really like the song COLLIDE by Howie Day, but I was more impressed with Trevor Hall. Jeff even liked him so again, you know it's good if Jeff likes him! Trevor has a Bob Marley feel but a really unique voice. Here is his website if you would like to hear him: LISTEN

After the show Trevor and his drummer were signing autographs. I nervously made my way through all the teenage girls, said a dumb comment, got an autograph, took a picture, then walked away while letting out a giant sigh of amazement!

It was a great date with my favorite guy! Yeah for 99.9 The Point!

Trevor Hall (am I allowed to post these?)

Howie Day

We were REALLY close!

Olivia was really trying to get my attention in the car. When I finally looked back, this is what I saw! She is so goofy!

Best Birthday EVER!!

2009-09-26T10:58:00.011-06:00

For my birthday Jeff surprised me with tickets to Cirque du soleil!!!!!

Jeff really wanted to bring Olivia, but I wasn't certain it was the best environment for young children. We had seats right in the middle of a long row, so I wasn't too happy when the show started and my sweet Olivia was afraid of the dark and wouldn't stop crying. Jeff took her out and I thought they had missed the whole first half, but they had found three empty rows at the top and turns out we could even see better from up there! I'm glad Jeff won the disagreement because she loved it and sat quietly most of the show and even clapped for the trapeze artists! Jeff now knows why I talked this show up so much, and he was so impressed, especially with the live music! It was such a great day!! Thanks Jeffery Wayne!

This isn't the best picture, but if you look closely you can see the damage to Olivia's eye from the Oreo crumb. To bribe her to be quiet at Cirque du soleil, we took some Oreo's. She didn't need them at the show, so I decided to give them to her on the car ride home. She kept whining, which isn't unusually for my sweet Olivia, so I just ignored her for a while. When I finally looked back, she had Oreo all over her face and it was hurting her eye. The next day her eye was swollen shut and we had to get her some antibiotics!!

Olivia's love for trains continues! She likes to line them up and then lie down on her tummy and look at their faces! (I just missed her lying down sorry~!)

Poor Chumba, he is so good with her!

A reading two year old?

2009-09-01T07:53:00.017-06:00

It might just be memorization, but really... someone is on to something! I heard about this program you can buy that teaches them to read when they are way young. Instead of spending a ton of money, I decided to create a couple words and test it out.

I think I cheated and made the cards too colorful, and will make them less obvious next time... or maybe I will just buy the real reading kit!

Here are a few birthday pics.

Reid and Olivia watching a trian video. They did not want to be disurbed!

Two Years Old?

2009-08-13T09:45:00.018-06:00

I can't believe Olivia is already two (well...technically not until tomorrow the 14th). She has brought so much joy, laughter, tears and tantrums into our lives! I couldn't have asked for a better spirit in our home! We love her to pieces. She especially has Jeff wr apped around her finger, they have so much fun together.She really does love her daddy!

As you can tell from the last blog, her obsession with trains and cars is off the hook. Often, she will put her baby dolls underneath her armpit, carry them around for a minute and then she is back to her trains.

She is talking more and more everyday. The word of the day is pretty and she loves showing us her newly painted "pretty" toenails.

We love this little girl!

CHOO-CHOO

2009-07-26T20:18:00.010-06:00

CHOO-CHOO!!!!!! That's really all that has been coming out of Olivia's mouth recently! These videos were shot all in the same day, within 2 hours of each other. She just can't get enough of trains! we love it!

Whose bed is it?

2009-05-28T13:27:00.028-06:00

Olivia had her first go at corn on the cob. I never saw her tiny little chompers move so fast before. She only ate out of the middle, and adamantly refused help from Jeff. You could have heard her crunching a mile away. She loved it!

For Mother's Day,Jeff bought me awesome tickets to the Rocks. We had unlimited food and beverages (pop). Afte
r seeing how many brats Jeff put down I was wondering if this was more of a present for him? Even though they lost, we had a blast, especially because we were warm in the suite!

Awwwww The Bolder Boulder. It was Logan and Jeff's first crack at it. What a fun memorial day ritual. As you can see, Ashley and I looked stunning... as usual! Everyone loved our fun outfits, as they really show the atmosphere of the race.

I was trying to get my mind off my aching body so I gave a high five to an innocent bystander. As I looked back a dirty glare was pushed in my direction. I guess he was only there to cheer on a family member or something?

While Ashley was showing off her Rainbow Brite socks to get Mardi Gras beads, Logan was keeping in check with his inhaler/nebulizer/bad back/etc. I think he was fooling us the whole time, as he and Ash ran a really good race. We couldn't ask for better running mates. Meanwhile, Jeff was calling everyone in his contact list to chat with breath to spare. I can't believe he could run a 10K without training one second!

Thanks Meme and Papa for watching Olivia during the race.

Whose in charge of that girls hair anyway?

Before we had Chumba, I never in a million years would have thought a dog would be sleeping on my bed. Gross right? Well Chumba now seems to think he is KING of the interior (house)! Here is the perfect example...

Just a fun picture of Olivia in the bathtub. There was a perfect curl right in the middle of her forehead. My mom taught me this poem, I think it fits my little girl perfectly!

There Was a Little Girl
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It just gets better!

2009-05-08T07:41:00.035-06:00

About a year into our marriage I kept bugging Jeff about having a baby. We were so not ready, but I thought I had us convinced... until Jeff told me we should get a dog to test out our parenting skills (Hello!! Story of Marley and Me all over again!) I agreed and we went to the dog shelter in Denver to find our newest best friend. We found the most beautiful Golden and as we went back to ask to play with him, he was walking out with his proud new owner. After that, I knew I wanted a "dark" Golden Retriever. My sister in law Stephanie told us about an add in the Denver Post. I kept asking the man if the puppies had darker fur and he thought I was crazy. We didn't hesitate to drive down the next day and pick up Chumba (which means Luck in Tagalog). I apologize again for all those people who have been welcomed by Chumba at our door. I don't know what we would do without our crazy dog! I mean, Jeff and I both bawled after watching Marley and Me. Chumba truly is a part of our family.

Chumba LOVES to snuggle!

Now... I don't think Jeff was expecting me to tell him I was pregnant two months after getting our "training" dog!!!!

Skipping over pregnancy and delivery..... (I don't want to think about it)!

We brought Olivia Joy Yarbrough into this world. I was a huge cranky pants because she was in the NICU, so I apologize for anyone I might have offended. It was really hard for me to see my daughter (who was healthy) have to stay in there for so long. I love my family so much and feel blessed to have them all... including Chumba.

And... a couple of recent photos. Sorry this is taking me so long!!!

The Reception

2009-04-02T18:36:00.015-06:00

I know I know, I will get to the good stuff soon (Olivia and Chumba). This is more for me than anything, mostly because I still haven't made a wedding scrapbook. Maybe when I don't have to work! (Okay... probably not)!

The reception was held at my parents office off Arapahoe Road. Our family and friends turned it into a beautiful reception and we were grateful for all their work. The food was wonderful and the best part was a hot chocolate station!

The second reception was held in Cortez! Thanks Yarbrough family for making it a beautiful day!

The Denver Temple

2009-03-29T15:13:00.011-06:00

It was such a beautiful day outside and the temple ceremony was wonderful. We were surrounded everywhere by people we love.

Est. October 22, 2005

2009-03-17T10:25:00.010-06:00

Although it has been three years since Jeff and I were sealed together, we thought it would be fun to start at the beginning.

Jeff and I met at a church baptism, I thought he was very handsome and I was nervous to talk to him. I overheard a conversation he had with a friend and with my spy ears I learned that Jeff served a mission in the Philippines. After their conversation was finished I knew it was my chance to talk to him. I didn't know what to say, so I confirmed the fact that I had just learned. Jeff recalls that these were my exact words. "So... the Philippines huh?" The baptism was starting at that point and that was the extent of our first meeting. Needless to say, He thought I was a snob and I was already falling in love! A couple of weeks later my roommates and I were having a fondue date at our house. I decided to ask Jeff!

THE ENGAGEMENT!

After spring semester 2005, Jeff left me in Greeley to stay with his parents in Cortez for the summer. He asked me to come visit over the 4th of July weekend. I was nervous to drive the full eight hours by myself and Jeff graciously offered to meet me halfway. His family thought I was crazy, but Jeff was more than willing to spend four hours in a car with me. For those who have driven on any kind of road trip with me know what a fun singer I am! Jeff asked me to marry him while he and his family treated me like a princess. We set the date for October 22, 2005 (yes, during the middle of the semester!)

This was the picture we included in our wedding invitations.

Our beautiful Girl

2008-10-28T13:33:00.000-06:00

It is hard to express how much we love our beautiful girl! She is such a joy in our lives and we are so blessed to have her. For now, here are a few pictures from this fall.

2008-10-28T13:23:00.000-06:00

Okay, so they are not really that special, but I had a lot of fun making these cupcakes for Jeff's birthday. Jeff bought me a book of really neat cupcakes, and I couldn't put it down for a week! It was upsetting when on his actual b-day we all had the stomach flu and didn't feel up to all that sugar!