the lloyds.

happy birthday, little man

2012-01-13T00:55:00.000-07:00

graham-
you have made this year more memorable than any we have ever had before.
we now have a special place in our hearts for elevators, pickles, bread, remotes, balls, books, toilets, flashlights, holes, cords, stairs, stairs, and did I mention stairs? these are your favorite things.
thank you for bringing such a sweet spirit into our lives.
you have given us meaning, driven us to be better, and helped us to have the happiest days we have ever known.
we can't wait to watch you continue to grow.
we love you and hope you have a very happy birthday!!
love, mom and dad

it's the most wonderful time of the year

2011-12-31T13:04:00.005-07:00

we were kind of failures at pictures this christmas. I was feeling extremely lazy all christmas season and I guess we were just enjoying making it magical for little graham, even though he doesn't get it at all. I actually don't think he ever even noticed that we had a christmas tree in our living room. little unobservant sweetheart.
thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you for the gifts and christmas cards. they were wonderful! I also failed at doing that this year, so just know that we love you and hope you had a great christmas!
welcome 2012...

mischievous man with a creepy smile

2011-12-13T10:23:00.004-07:00

can't believe this little man is 11 months old today. as you can see he'll get into just about anything and loves to protect those 4 top teeth when he smiles. my favorite things about graham lately are his love for elevators, how he points his toes when he's concentrating, his 7 teeth and mullet hair that matt won't let me cut, his babbling, how he can spot goodnight moon in any pile of books, a daredevil through and through, when he lays his head on my shoulder when i'm trying to put him in his car seat (he's a smart fella and he knows i'll sit and snuggle with him instead of put him in the car). we can't wait to celebrate his birthday in a month. CRAZY!

he has ear infections in both ears and a sinus infection at the moment (he definitely has my immune system. sorry, buddy.). his bubble gum flavored medicine reminds me of my childhood. we're spending the day watching christmas movies and doing crafts found on pinterest. he's ecstatic about it.

my sweet grandma

2011-12-04T00:33:00.012-07:00

Rhoda Cutler Wiscomb

1922 ~ 2011

Rhoda Cutler Wiscomb died peacefully on December 1, 2011, after a courageous battle with cancer. Born May 24, 1922 in Salt Lake City to Heber Charles Cutler and Emma Conder Cutler. Attended East High School and the University of Utah, where she was affiliated with Chi Omega Sorority. She had a large group of friends, many of whom she had known since childhood. They maintained their friendships until the end.
Early on Rhoda worked for Auerbach's, United Airlines, and the Remington Arms Plant. For 33 years, she worked at the University of Utah in Admissions and as Administrative Assistant for the Dean of Student Affairs and lastly at the Alumni House. She married Douglas Cahoon in June of 1944, a pilot in World War II, who was killed in action. She later married William Donald Wiscomb on April 7, 1947. Their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple in 1956. They were married for 54 years and had 3 wonderful children whom she adored, Nan Mead (Bill), Pat Horsley (Rolfe) and Don Wiscomb (Jill). She adores even more her 14 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren, with more to follow. She considered her family her greatest accomplishment. She served in various LDS Church callings and as a hostess in the Beehive House and the Relief Society Building. She loved planning and giving parties and was a gracious hostess. Rhoda loved her family and was a great example to all. Special thanks to the dedicated staff at Emeritus Care Center and her hospice nurses (thanks Debi).
Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Lawn Chapel, 2350 East 1300 South, where friends and family may call one hour prior to services. Interment prior to funeral services at 11:00 a.m. at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 South Highland Drive.

on Saturday we got to celebrate my grandma's life.

she was an extraordinary woman.

I have felt such a special spirit during this Thanksgiving and am so glad my grandma could spend it with us. mainly, I am thankful for eternal families this year, and the knowledge I have of the plan of salvation. how lucky to have a testimony of this principle to make times like this not quite so hard.
my grandma was beautiful with perfectly done hair and polished nails, charming, the best hostess in town, and always made everyone around her feel special.
I am so grateful for all she has done for me over the course of my life. I am also grateful that she raised the most wonderful woman in the world, my mom.
Here are some random pictures from the funeral/Thanksgiving:

I love you, grandma.

a day in the snow

2011-11-21T08:51:00.004-07:00

last weekend we went up to my sister-in-laws cabin. we had fun spending time with matt's family and introducing graham to snow. he's not sure what to think about it. we didn't even get a crack of a smile during his first ever sledding experience.

thanks, robisons! the cabin is amazing.

someone is feeling much better

2011-11-11T08:35:00.012-07:00

and now that he's interested in eating again, apparently I can't get food in fast enough. he had eaten a whole piece of bread and an entire string cheese before this.
so proud of his work.
I'm happy to have my guy back to normal.

many firsts

2011-11-02T23:55:00.006-06:00

hooray for graham's first halloween, our first time going to gardner village, and the first holiday/halloween in our house.
very exciting stuff.

costume inspired by the beautiful fangs grown by graham.

dracula was feeling a little under the weather. poor thing is getting three teeth, had hand-foot-mouth disease, and now has a stomach flu. we were lucky to even get a half smile out of him. hope the little guy feels better soon. send good thoughts our way.
happy halloween (two days ago)!

catching our breath

2011-10-25T00:01:00.018-06:00

i haven't posted for about two months..

it makes me sad. every time i go for awhile without blogging i consider stopping all together.
i'm sure many people do this.
sometimes it just seems like another daunting task on my to do list.
however, i didn't give up. :)
here are some of the many things that have happened in the last couple months, which explain my absence:

first off, we moved. oddly, i don't even have a picture of the outside of our house...just the first meal we ate there. obviously my priorities are a bit off. anyways, we've lived here for exactly 18 days. first impressions of the house: so expensive, fun to decorate, i live on a farm, i'm a hillbilly, wow- completely different experience having a baby with his own room.
i was beyond devastated to move out of my parent's house. yes, i'm that type of girl. how can we ever thank them for all that they've done for us this last year!? we love them.

these two handsome men got blessed. wyatt always gives the most beautiful, sweet blessings. it was so fun to honor these cute boys (they didn't wear these dino onesies on their blessing day, just to clear that up. aren't they so cute though?).

graham called dru before he got dressed to make sure they'd be wearing the exact same thing.

these five moved to michigan, which means i spent as much time with them as i possibly could. i got to hang out with tate once a week this summer. seriously the best.

my mom, wyatt, and i had birthdays.

okay, so really those are the only things that happened in the last couple months. moving is H A R D with a baby though, in my defense.

In Graham news-
he is learning something new every day. it's so much fun! he is crawling, pulling up on furniture, picking up food with his hands, has three teeth, and is talking non stop. he loves to pull his hair when he nurses, could eat grapes for every meal, got his first fever at nine months, puts his fingers in any hole in his body (nose, ear, mouth), constantly feels sticky ever since he started eating breakfast, always has lint in between his fingers and in his neck (even though i clean them fifty times a day), is getting more shy, loves mom, and could look at books all day.

a byu fan.

quite the daredevil. we'll have to watch him closely when he grows up.

very hyper around dad.

the worst sleeper alive. this just recently dawned on me. i don't know these things, he's my first. i just thought that's how babies were. tonight he was crying for so long in his crib and actually fell asleep sitting up. is that even possible? i guess, with his dad's genes. matt can also fall asleep anywhere, in any position. these men amaze me. anyways, we've got a stubborn one on our hands.

help me...

unfortunately this is not staged. yes, i put his binky in my mouth sometimes. i don't like when it gets lost.

eats like an angel.

in fact, he'll do anything for food.

check out that bed head.

i think we may even have a chef on our hands. rachael ray is his favorite show. he can barely even concentrate on picking up his grape.

is binky obsessed. he'll lose friends for them. sorry, wells.

wells is catching on nicely though.

still gets called a girl by everyone. honestly, i don't think any stranger has ever called him a boy.

has the chubbiest little hands. he's doomed with the combo of matt and i's fingers. no offense, matt. :)

he couldn't be cuter.

my child, the vampire.

2011-09-01T10:58:00.005-06:00

baby graham has had a very hard week!

monday we finally went to the doctor for his 6 month check up (we're a little behind. his stats are 90% for height, 18% for weight. just like dad, still.).

this means lots of shots...five to be exact.
the poor kid doesn't do well after shots. tuesday was a horrible, horrible day. but not uncommon after a doctors appointment.
however, later that night i discovered another reason why he was soooo grumpy...
we've got 2 teeth people. i know you're thinking of the front bottom teeth. that would be nice.
nope, graham decided to do things a little differently and got the top fang teeth first (matt is SURE they aren't the fang teeth, but just the ones right next to the front teeth.).
my stomach dropped a bit when i found them. it will look pretty weird.
now that it's had time to sink in, i'm thrilled about it.
how cute will my little vampire be?

**i can't get any pictures of the fangs, which i feel good about.

our not so boring month (and reasons for being mia)

2011-08-23T00:47:00.008-06:00

reasons for not blogging:
-family coming into town. this included my sister erin and her four kids, and maddie and graham's friend wells being here for a whole month. life was good.
-pure laziness.
-soaking up graham. boy, is he changing. he started sitting about three weeks ago, now says da da, shows beginning signs of crawling, and gives me french kisses. it is sooo fun to see him learn new things.
-going to see my sister and brother-in-law do a triathlon in burley, idaho. they rock.
-big changes in our lives. a new job, house hunting, etc. for an ocd/planner such as myself, this has caused much anxiety.
-a very fun family trip to boise/mccall, idaho.

now I also have anxiety about how behind I am in blogging. so, I'm just throwing out a bunch of pictures to get caught up.

hanging with wells, pool time, family meals:

lagoon! graham was in H-E-A-V-E-N:

the stars of the triathlon:

finn AND tuck are finally home! these four are together at last:

(graham: 7 months, tuck/finn: 3 months, wells: 5 months)

mccall, idaho:

boise, idaho:

I'm extremely sad all of this fun, summer stuff is over. my favorite season is just around the corner though. my birthday, halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas all in consecutive months.
oh happy day!

in your short life...

2011-07-13T00:46:00.021-06:00

-you’ve decided that you really like to smile at everyone you see.
-you’ve learned how to give the best hugs and slobbery smooches in the world.

-you’ve fake coughed 1,547,592 times (perhaps taking place in the picture above). okay, that’s a guestimation. you do it all day long, though.
-you’ve loved bath time since you were tiny. you just barely discovered you can splash in the water and it makes it that much more fun. you also like to swim in your floaty.

-you've become the only person in the world that thinks I'm pretty funny. it makes me feel good.
-you’ve lost most of your hair except for a mullet in the back. it is FINALLY growing back. I'm happy about it.

-you’ve been on a couple of airplane rides. we’re taking advantage of the time that you can still sit on our laps and don’t need your own ticket. they’ve taken you to texas, california, and colorado.
-you’ve always loved to eat. your favorites are pickles, applesauce, and otter pops.

-you’ve discovered that you hate juice. you still prefer my milk over any drink in the world. I secretly love that.

-you can't get enough of those delicious pacifiers.
-you’ve been a little slow at rolling over, but have finally mastered it quite well. you’re still working on sitting up...except you don’t work on it at all because you want to stand 24/7. occasionally we trick you into it.

-you’ve been my #1 shopping partner. you love target, and fashion place mall.
-we’ve been told we have identical lips 1,000 times. and that we’re twins.

-you have three younger cousins, all boys. wells, finn, and tuck are going to be your best friends.
-sometimes you are stopped and admired. the most frequent comments are that you have pretty eyelashes and that you are extremely tall. and of course they love your toothless grin as well.

-you’ve been called a girl several times by strangers (maybe it’s the eyelashes? see comment above). sometimes I don’t take the time and effort to correct them, because it usually results in them feeling stupid/awkward silence. your dad gets very upset by this though. you’re manly, I promise.

-speaking of manly, you already love trucks, balls, and anything on wheels. you also love dolls, though. you’re sending us some mixed signals.
-your giggle makes everyone stop what they’re doing to laugh right along with you. it’s just that cute and contagious.

(why are they so wide? oh how I wish I were computer savvy.)

-you haven’t gotten better at the cry it out method. I lay you in your crib, and a month later you still cry yourself to sleep every night. you even kick your legs in anger so hard that you undo all the snaps in the legs of your pajamas. at first I would basically crawl in bed with you after about 20 minutes. I know I'm not supposed to do that, but I felt so bad. now, I don’t have much sympathy. it would be really helpful for all of us if you had a bedtime. it’s not that bad, is it?
-however, ever since I’ve let you cry it out, you’ve been really good at sleeping through the night. hallelujah. it could be that all the screaming wipes you out? we are both much happier during the day.

-you’ve discovered you enjoy structure. you have a morning and nightly routine that you really enjoy.
-you take naps, but only if someone holds you.
-you’ve started to reach for me when someone else is holding you. I LOVE IT.

-you’ve been very delightful, except when in the car. I am very grateful for music that I can turn up loud loud loud to drown out your screams.
-you can’t stop smiling when dad gets home from work. even if you’re in a really bad mood. it’s adorable.

-I already think you’re pretty cool. I know I can’t really tell, but from what I know so far you’re going to be a happy, laid back little guy.

-you’ve enjoyed my dancing and singing in the kitchen far too many times. thank heavens no one has walked in on us during those moments.
-you think any peculiar noise is pretty dang funny.

-you’ve taught dad and me patience and unconditional love.
-you’ve brought us more joy than anything in the whole wide world. we are so lucky to have you in our family.

happy 6 months! it has flown by. we got you some more adult toys to celebrate. you are stumped by them. we love you, graham!

Matt Turns 27...

2011-07-10T23:51:00.006-06:00

Today was a good day.
Matt and I are polar opposites. Somehow it works out really well for us.
He is a gospel genius, outgoing, really smart with geography/animals (wink wink), social, confident, hyper (in a good way), an accent wizard, driven, sympathetic, optimistic, strong, loyal, content, quick to apologize, the most adorable dad, tall/dark/handsome, lovable, and basically the whole package. For me, this list could go on and on. He seems to have every quality I lack, which is why he's so good for me. He pushes me in many ways. I am lucky to have such a great guy to be around all the time.

On Saturday we went up the canyon for some food and fishing.

On Sunday, Matt's actual birthday, he got a tent to go with the outdoor theme we had going.

And some other silly presents as well..

Birthdays wouldn't be complete without flank steak, creamed corn, baked potatoes, and ice cream cake. Matt's dream meal. Thanks, Patty.

And thank you, Dru, for arranging the hats so beautifully by the cake. :)

To wrap up the celebrations, we had a camp out in the living room, complete with cards and popcorn.

It has been so fun to celebrate Matt this weekend. He is simply the best!

a happy fourth

2011-07-09T08:34:00.006-06:00

I love the fourth of july...this year was especially wonderful.

we took a last minute, 48 hour trip to vail, colorado. graham was very tired after traveling..he feel asleep in a standing position. amazing. he takes after his dad who can also fall asleep anywhere/in any position.

together again.

pickles are delicious.

we also went to the parade in provo.

and took a stroll up the canyon.

we topped the weekend off with fireworks.

all of this= heaven.

wells gets blessed + kevin returns

2011-06-26T14:59:00.014-06:00

Maddie and Matt came in town a couple weeks ago and blessed sweet Wells. It was such a cute blessing and great food/company.

The guest of honor. He's handsome.

Enjoying the wonderful food. I love Will in this picture. Cheers.

Graham was just overjoyed for Wells.

He's cute.

The Cranes. Move home, please (Yes, I will say this in every post).
A week or so later Kevin (Matt's youngest brother) got home from his mission.

Anxiously waiting after an hour of delays...

Meeting Kevin for the first time and he was already getting hugs. That's a big deal.

Together at last.

Kevin brought us all authentic dresses from Vanuatu. They are quite colorful. We love them! We all wore them to his homecoming and Matt's sister overheard members of their ward commenting that Matt must have married a very confident girl to wear such a bold dress (did I get that story right, Stef?). Embarrassing that they didn't notice the other nine girls wearing their island dresses as well. They must think I have great style.

It's so fun to have Kevin home!

the triple whammy

2011-06-18T10:07:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow is Kevin's homecoming (Matt's little bro), and our three year anniversary, and Matt's very first Father's Day. How fun to celebrate so many things in one day!
I just wanted to give a little shout out to Matt. He is the best husband and dad around. What would Graham and I do without him? He completely takes care of us. We love you, Matt! We hope tomorrow is a very special day for you.

p.s. Aren't these pictures the cutest? I'm obsessed with these two.

vacationing in paradise.

2011-06-13T22:39:00.012-06:00

some of the horsley clan went to coronado for memorial weekend. this is my favorite place on earth! this trip converted matt as well and now he might be as big of a fan as me.

some favorite moments:
-while walking to breakfast a little kid looked matt up and down, then turned to his dad exclaiming, "whoa, he's really tall." maybe you had to be there. i laughed for several minutes.
-racing our strollers on a walk. when speeding past some fellow pedestrians they looked in the strollers shocked that "there really are babies in there."
-matt's flight got cancelled, so he had to fly to l.a. and drive to san diego with two random men from his flight (sounds like tourture). half way there the driver got pulled over because the cop thought he was drunk. awesome.
-admitting to my family that sometimes i think graham is a girl in my head. ("oh, she looks tired." you get the picture.) i'm a horrible mother and matt was seriously disturbed when i told him this. i guess it's because i'm a girl myself, so i think everyone is? i love that graham's a boy though. he's my best friend and the coolest baby i know.
-eating breakfast on the patio in the morning. HEAVEN.
-debating how to pronounce smores.
-graham and wells. they are dreamy.

sadly, i forgot my camera! luckily maddie took some classic pictures. all of them were taken after matt left. he was there, and he did have fun.

matt crane can be very creepy.

his hair is delicious though.

we had to get some souvenirs. of course they have matching swimsuits. embarrassing. graham looks high.

racing....

...which led to fights.

thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful trip pat and rolfe!

yes, please.

2011-06-10T10:46:00.004-06:00

check out this giveaway on oh happy day.

i couldn't think of anything better.

many highs and lows

2011-05-17T08:48:00.006-06:00

the last couple weeks have been full of action. some events exciting and some absolutely dreadful.

highs:
-meeting finn robinson (4 pounds 3 ounces) and tuck bennett (3 pounds 15 ounces).
-having erin, maddie, and wells come visit.
-celebrating the twins just days before their arrival with family and friends.
-seeing pictures of our friends/cousin's new babes.
-watching graham and wells do tummy time together. seriously hilarious.
-graham starting to giggle at matt and me. it sure takes a lot of effort, but after dancing around him for hours it's well worth that five second chuckle.
-the pediatrician telling me i can start giving him rice cereal (please pray for me that it helps with sleeping).
-learning that graham is still in the 90% for height and 40% for weight. he takes after his dad's build, which is my favorite.
-matt finally being able to set up the golf net i got him for christmas.
-matt and graham being able to spend three full days together.
-my family. they save me sometimes.
-going on a spontaneous date night with the hubby. my mom is the best.
-matt getting to talk to his little brother who only has one month left on his mission!
-walks around my parent's neighborhood. there is nothing better.
-i'm sure other good things have happened, i just can't think of them at the moment.

lows:
-getting deathly ill the week that the twins were born and everyone was in town. i've never been so sick. i threw up 25+ times, no joke.
-the scare of my parent's basement flooding. everything we own is down there. awesome.
-my doctor's office. it took me two full days to get a prescription once i went in for being sick. don't even get me started.
-having the above mentioned prescription suck once i finally did get it. thank heavens for my dad getting me something different, and much stronger.
-being sick during my first mother's day. call me selfish, but i was kind of excited to have a day dedicated to me. shoot.
-the fridge being broken for over a week now. i really miss ice.
-everyone's appliances breaking, for that matter.
-graham deciding that he hates bottles. this proved very difficult when i lost my milk for a couple days.
-the check engine light in our car coming on.
-finding out our monthly insurance bill is going up....again. i swear it's getting to be as much as rent.
-poor graham getting shots. worst thing in the world for several reasons. i feel awful and so does he for the next 24 hours.

okay, so most of the lows were caused by my sickness...but it was really, really awful. i think i'm still recovering a little bit. thank heavens for all of the exciting things going on around here to keep me occupied.

A Visit From The Easter Bunny

2011-04-26T10:27:00.007-06:00

We had a very fun Easter weekend. Graham and I were spoiled with gifts and chocolate.
The Easter bunny forgot to bring Matt something. Whoops. :(

The unofficial theme this Easter was books, books, and more books. Graham got two wonderful ones from his grandparents:

I LOVE this book and would read it every year around Easter time when I was little. How fabulous is that cover? The pictures are amazing. Thank you grandma Pat!

He also got this from grandma Lloyd. Yes, that is Graham's face. Hilarious. He'll love this.

All in all it was a very nice day. However, nothing beats this Easter story. We've been laughing about it for days. Gotta love Matt Crane. Happy spring (as I look out the window and it's snowing right now. Grrr...)!

It's Finally Summer...Forever.

2011-04-19T11:28:00.006-06:00

Okay, at least for a while. Matt turned in his last paper of college yesterday. He is officially a grad.

This is kind of bitter/sweet for me.
For our first three years of marriage we have both been students. Although this can add stress, it is all we've known. Sometimes I ache for the simple days of living in Orem, working, and going to school. I would be so tired at the end of my busy days that it seemed daunting to have to walk up the three staircases to our apartment.
It is scary to me that we are actually adults now. We are having babes, looking to move into a house that we will be staying in for more than a year (we've moved six times since we've been married. I wonder if I'll get stir crazy in the same place?), and Matt is working eight hour days. Scary, scary, scary. With all of that being said, it is so fun/exciting to start this next stage. Being a mom is by far the best thing ever. I'll probably have twenty kids. Okay, not really. But close because I've never loved anything more.

Anyways, back to Matt...last night we left Graham with grandma and went out to celebrate his big day! Of course he chose to go to Crown Burger and a movie. I didn't complain.

And just for kicks...how can I be sad I'm not in school when I get to hang out with this handsome man all day?

Congratulations, Matt! We're so proud of you.

P.S. We bought a small popcorn and a large drink at the movie and it totaled ten dollars! I'm still in awe. So ridiculous. You can tell we never purchase concessions. Yes, I'm one of those that sneaks in my own normal priced treats.

1, 2, 3 Months Old...

2011-04-13T11:11:00.006-06:00

Happy 3 Months, Graham! You certainly keep us happy and entertained around here. Some frequents/favorite things/facts of your life so far include:

-smiling at everyone you see, especially mom and dad.
-only pooping about once a week. when you finally do, watch out.
-your favorite book to look at is Olivia. I think that's a girl book buddy. we'll work on that.
-baby einstein always makes you and mom happy. she can finally leave your side.
-you've slept through the night once, which was heavenly for everyone. most cute moms talk about waking up every couple hours and checking on their baby to make sure they are breathing the first time they sleep longer than normal. you have the worst mom in the world. I didn't wake up once and when I did discover you'd slept through the night I made your dad go check on you. I didn't want to ruin a good thing. feel free to repeat that at any time.
-you take a short nap in the morning and a very long one in the afternoon. although it isn't at any particular time, I tell people you're on a schedule to make myself feel like an accomplished mom.
-speaking of sleeping, you are always in the weirdest position. your head is seriously almost touching your back from the intense back-bend you've got going on. you also love to stretch after a long nap or sleep.
-you always have a stuffy nose in the morning but never throughout the day. don't worry, it is mom's obsession to clean out your nose.
-you've been told you have red hair and get called chubby a lot. in reality you're very tall for your age (90% for height) and average for weight (50%). you must carry it all in your belly, chin, and cheeks. you also have a small head. you get that from your dad.
-you don't do the star pose anymore when we're changing your clothes. mom misses it. it was her favorite thing. now her favorite thing is when you rub your eyes when you're tired. it's the cutest.
-you have beautiful blue eyes that get brighter and brighter each day. you also have a dimple on your right cheek.
-you've always had a strong head. now we're working on rolling over (you occasionally roll from tummy to back, and once from back to tummy.) and sitting.
- you like baths, having lotion put on after baths, blinds, sucking on your hands, grabbing at toys, the animal cards aunt maddie gave you, walks (sometimes), watching tv, and standing. in fact, I can barely ever get you to sit down.
-you talk all day long. the first real sound you've mastered is "ga". very appropriate since your name starts with a G.
-you don't laugh much. when you do it's just a single little chuckle. it gets mom and dad laughing every time.
-you looked exactly like mom at first. now you are looking more and more like your dad everyday. I'm not complaining about that. he's very handsome.
-everyone loves you and stops to look at you wherever you go. you frequently get told you are the most smiley and outgoing baby they've ever seen. you also get that from dad. well, maybe not the smiley part...but definitely the outgoing part.
-your dad seems to think you to have some personality traits from me, such as being kind of quiet and observant. mom had to remind dad that you don't talk yet. he sheepishly retracted that comment. in his defense, you are very even tempered and calm.
-you love cuddling and receiving kisses. I adore that.
-we love seeing your personality come out more and more everyday. we can already tell you'll be a hoot. we love love love you. Happy 3 months bug.

Sorry to all readers, this is purely for documentation. :)

Meeting Mr. Wellsley

2011-04-07T09:33:00.007-06:00

What better excuse for a trip than to meet an new nephew/cousin? We were all very excited to arrive in Dallas for the big event!

We had a lot of preparing to do for the big day. For the girls (Sorry Graham, you get lumped in the girl category.) that meant getting pedicures. You can't give birth with ugly feet. For the boys, a whole day of march madness.

The next day was Mr. Wellsley's birthday! This was just after receiving the good news that Maddie was at a ten and ready to push. Such a relief.

Graham could not have been more excited to finally meet Wells. We have been talking to him about it since birth. As you can see, they instantly hit it off and hung out together all week.

We are seriously concerned about Graham's head. One day while he's sleeping it may just roll off.

Another extremely weird sleeping position for Graham...but seriously, how cute is Wells? I can't handle it.

We were also able to do a lot of relaxing, walking, and playing with toys.

They were so sad that they had to leave each other...we can't even talk about it around here without shedding tears. Seriously, though. Matt and Maddie, thanks for allowing us to be part of your special week! Wells is perfect.

Nate Gets Hitched

2011-03-22T17:27:00.003-06:00

Matt's little brother Nate got married on March 12th. We love Kat and we are so excited she's part of the fam. The day was wonderful, even with a 2 month old. Excuse the lack of pictures...that is because of the 2 month old. He made the day a bit hectic.

Kat was a beauty.

Congrats you two!

Matt, Graham, and I are currently spending time in Dallas with new cousin Wellsley. He's such a gem. Pictures will come soon. These two are a riot together. Graham looks like an adult man next to this little nugget.

Blessing Baby Graham

2011-03-07T11:06:00.005-07:00

Matt was able to give Graham a really neat blessing yesterday. We felt so loved being surrounded by family and friends. Thank you for making this such a special day for our little family. I'll always remember it.

All Smiles

2011-03-01T10:24:00.012-07:00

Like all new moms I've become obsessed with my child. I know no one else is as in love with him as Matt and me. I know no one cares to see billions of pictures of him. Yet, why is it so hard to not share ones that I find so cute? Sorry for the Graham overload. However, if it weren't about him I would have nothing to post about. He has become my whole life. Matt's dad pulled out his mega nice camera and snapped some pictures of Graham on his one month birthday (about 2 weeks ago). Can you believe how big the little guy looks?

Highlight of life: When the three of us get in our pajamas and talk on our bed before Matt goes to sleep. Graham is so entertaining with his awkward faces and high pitched squeals.

We've been trying to capture some of these moments on film. We've failed miserably. However, I still compiled some of my favorites we've taken so far. Again, overload. But, simply delightful.

Hopefully we will do something, sometime, ever again that doesn't involve this cute boy. Then posts will be more interesting. Don't count on it though...

homemade dinner + screaming baby = romance

2011-02-16T15:09:00.007-07:00

Many of you who know Matt realize that he probably hasn't cooked anything in the kitchen since this time, two years ago. If I'm not around on a night he actually might starve and eat nothing for dinner rather than cook. It's a hilarious and quirky habit of his. So, a home cooked meal by him is a very big deal. He made his specialty for me on Valentines Day, chicken parmesan. It was delicious! We spent the evening eating, exchanging sentimental gifts (Matt made me a DVD/movie of our little Graham. If I ever figure out how to post videos you can see it sometime.), and watching The Bachelor. It was perfect. Graham didn't enjoy himself, and screamed through the whole meal and most of The Bachelor. Bummer. Hopefully your Valentines Day was just as relaxing/fun.

xoxo

2011-02-14T15:50:00.003-07:00

Okay, these were really taken for a love note for Matt. However, they are very appropriate for all of you as well.
Happy Valentine's Day!!

Love,
Matt, Eve, and Graham

Seeing the Outside World

2011-02-09T23:17:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week it was warm enough for us to go on a little stroll around the neighborhood. Boy was it nice to see the sky and get some fresh air.

Weather, if you could please get warmer so we could enjoy more of these walks I would appreciate it. It might just be the key to keeping me sane.

Our Week In Pictures

2011-01-29T15:34:00.008-07:00

I may be a bit obsessed with our little Graham...

Coming home from the hospital. Ignore the fact that I still look pregnant and like I've been hit by a train.

Day 1 of being home.

We love visitors.

Graham is very good at sleeping in his crib so far. Fingers crossed that it lasts.

He also seems to enjoy the car and sleeping with his hands by his face. In fact, it's really hard to get him to straighten his arms at all.

He's also discovered that he likes being on his side over his back. He has usually rolled to this position by the time someone picks him up after laying down.

Thank heavens for this seat. It has allowed me to get a lot of things done. Also, a special thanks to Grandma Pat. What would I do if I didn't live with my mom? She is always helping us, and even takes a shift during the night and stays up with our little guy. How lucky am I? I'm really dreading her leaving town next week. Volunteers to take over her position are welcome.

Despite what this pictures looks like, Graham is actually such a good baby! However, he does hate getting his diaper changed, taking baths, and being hungry. Occasionally he gets a tummy ache too, which I think is the case in this picture, and those annoy him as well.

He is already infatuated with his daddy. I won't get in the way of this best friendship.

Hooray for making it through the first couple weeks! I'm not going to lie, they were quite overwhelming for me. Luckily I feel like I know the little guy much better already, and I couldn't be more in love.

The Hospital

2011-01-22T18:50:00.008-07:00

I got very lucky with my labor and delivery! I went to the doctor on January 12th (the day after my due date). At the appointment my doctor stripped my membranes, which she had done the previous week as well. I wasn't very hopeful about it since it had done absolutely nothing the week before. However, the second time was the charm, and I started having contractions around 7 p.m. that night. They were about 10 minutes apart for the next two hours, and then started coming every 5 minutes for the next couple hours after that. After being super uncomfortable, we decided to head to the hospital around 11 p.m. They checked to see how dilated I was, and I was only at a 1 (which I had been at for about 2 weeks). They were going to send me home, but decided to let me stay since my contractions were coming about every 2-3 minutes at this point (I'm so grateful, I was in so much pain!). By the time they monitored me, and got me in a more permanent room, I had been at the hospital for about two hours before getting my epidural (heaven sent). Right after the epidural, they checked me again, and I was dilated to a 5! I was progressing really fast, and was at a 10 within the next four hours. I started pushing at 6:30 that morning, and again, everything was moving really fast (they even told me to stop pushing at one point because they didn't have a doctor in the room and his head was about to come out. eek!). After waiting for the doctor for about 5-10 minutes, I pushed a couple more times, and Graham was born at 7:12. We loved our stay at the hospital and are so grateful to everyone who came to see our little babe while we were there!

We love our little guy.

Welcome

2011-01-17T15:28:00.003-07:00

Introducing...

Graham Matthew Lloyd

Born January 13, 2011

8 pounds

20.5 inches

We instantly forgave him for being 31 hours late.

Dear Baby,

2011-01-11T12:36:00.003-07:00

You have officially reached your due date. We have been anxiously waiting for January 11th to come for many months now. It has been so fun to bond with you for the last several months, but we are ready for you to meet the rest of the world. COME OUT! Your uncle Wyatt started a trend in our family to analyze everything in numbers. Here are some facts about the last nine months since you became part of our lives:

14: The number of weeks that I rarely left the couch (weeks 6-19). I was sick, tired, and couldn’t keep anything in my stomach.
13: Average number of T.V. shows watched per day at the beginning of pregnancy while laying down feeling miserable.
14: How many absolute plain baked potatoes eaten per week for the first 18 weeks (basically every meal). They didn’t even have butter. This is so not like me.
124: The number of mornings that Matt made me a smoothie or milkshake in the morning and had it waiting for me before I even got out of bed. At first I tried to add fruit to it to seem healthy (and called it a smoothie instead of a milkshake), by the end it consisted of ice cream, chocolate sauce, and ice. It was oh so comforting to my tummy.
1,921: Miles traveled at 19 weeks pregnant to get home from Atlanta, Georgia.
5,437: The amount of times I have cringed thinking about the smell of our apartment in Atlanta since arriving home. That smell will forever haunt my nightmares, and instantly makes me feel nauseous to even just imagine it.
2: Number of seconds spent feeling sad that you were a boy instead of a girl (even though I constantly joke about it). I’ve never seen that expression on Matt’s face, seriously. Pure and complete joy. I knew having a boy would be worth it if it would make him that happy.
2,045,092: The amount of conversations Matt and I have had about our feelings of having a baby. Whether feeling anxious, so excited we can’t stand it, inadequate, nervous, weirded out, blissful, or any other range of emotion, it’s pretty much all we talk about.
67: The amount of times I've wandered around babies r us to get ready for you. I could draw a map of that whole store in my sleep. I know where everything is, and what every aisle contains.
187: The number of times I’ve gotten cranky or annoyed at Matt for no apparent reason since being pregnant.
187: The number of times Matt has commented on how excited he is for you to come so that I will be the normal Eve again.
18: The years I’ve spent longing to be a mom. I’ve never been more excited about anything in my whole life.
5,439: The number of times Matt has talked about fathers and sons outings. He’s so excited to have someone to do “boy” things with.

As you can see, you’ve already completely changed our lives and you’re not even here yet. We love you, and can’t wait to meet you any second now. The sooner the better, please. :)

xoxo,

Mom and Dad

P.S. Here are some things we've been doing in the last month to pass time. Getting together with friends and family, preparing your bed and other things, and just relaxing.

Graduated...

2010-12-16T08:57:00.004-07:00

and feeling so wonderful! I took my last final of college on Monday. We went to Spaghetti Factory to celebrate. Also, congrats to Matt for only having his internship left. It's amazing to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Pregnancy Dreams and Showers

2010-12-12T16:29:00.007-07:00

I've always heard that people have crazy dreams while they're pregnant. Here are a few that we've had that I don't want to forget:

-I was really busy one day, and had just barely had the babe. I didn't know how to get everything done with this other person to take care of, so I put him in the refrigerator for the day. I didn't even go check on him until the next morning. He was still just as happy as can be in the fridge, 24 hours later. If only he's that good when he comes out.
-I have a reoccurring dream that our baby isn't the cutest thing in the world, and maybe looks a little like an alien. Trying to get some assurance that this is totally normal, I told my mom about the dreams I'd been having. She excitedly exclaimed that she had the same dream, but not only was he not cute, he also had no personality. Thanks, mom. :)
-Matt keeps having a dream that we can pull our baby out of my bellybutton and play with him for a while. Once we're done playing with him for the day, we just stick him back in my stomach until we want to see him again.
-My favorite dream so far, which I had a couple nights ago: I was in labor, and was getting ready to push. My doctor told me I would be going into the parking lot to do the remainder of the delivery. I, of course thinking this was totally normal, got out of bed and hobbled to the parking lot with Matt on one side and my mom on the other. We were walking toward an unmarked white van, and all of the sudden Jennifer Aniston jumped out. She came right up to me, and told me that she would be doing the rest of my delivery. We all sat there, stunned, and Pat broke the silence by saying that we at least had to get a couple of pictures with her before I looked really awful. So Matt, Jen, and I posed for some pictures, got in the van, and she delivered my healthy baby boy.

Jen, if you ever stop by our blog, you're needed in Utah around the beginning of January. You were a really great distraction during all the pain, and it calmed me down to have you in my delivery room. Thanks! :)

You can tell that all of our thoughts center around baby, baby, and more baby. We are so excited for him to come (only 30 more days)!

Also, we have had some AMAZING showers the last couple weeks! It was not only a great excuse to spend time with family and friends, but helped us feel so much more prepared for the babe to come. We couldn't get through all of these excited, nervous, emotional, and joyful feelings we're having without your support! Thank you!

Feeling Thankful

2010-11-30T21:17:00.004-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Matt and I have a lot to be grateful for this year.
1) our little babe that we get to meet in just 6 short weeks (or hopefully sooner)
2) family and friends who have supported us during this special time
3) the countless blessings that we receive each and every day

We can't wait for the next month or so. We have so many exciting things to look forward to! I get giddy just thinking about it.

Fall Festivities

2010-11-01T22:38:00.009-06:00

This October consisted of carving pumpkins,

dressing up as Juno and Polly Bleeker for a Halloween party,

seeing Thriller (if you know me well, how proud are you that I could stand so close to this creep? I was sweating..),

and watching these cute kiddos get hyped before trick-or-treating.

We have definitely been loving this amazing fall weather. I hope it never snows this year.

Pat's Big Birthday

2010-10-04T17:42:00.006-06:00

Patty (my mom) had a very important birthday this year. Her only wish was to go to New York during fashion week. This was a fun excuse for all the girls to get together, and have one last party before me and my sister Maddie have our babes. We didn't get to go to any of the fashion shows, but we had a lot of fun getting all dolled up, pretending to be models (if there were a midget/pregnancy line I know they would have hired me...totally kidding :), and watching the beautiful people swarm in and out of the buildings. My mom saw Gwen Stefani, which was very exciting, and we saw some other famous celebs from The City, One Tree Hill, and America's Next Top Model. I was in heaven, literally. I don't know that I have ever loved anything more, and we decided we're going to make this a yearly tradition (love you Matt, wish you liked fashion).

Pat looked so hip that some fashionistas asked to interview her about her opinions on the latest styles. She gave some very funny answers. We hope it makes her famous.

A pathetic attempt at modeling.

On her actual birthday we threw a little surprise party at one of her favorite restaurants. She was really surprised to see my sister Erin and her kids there, who live in Boise. It was the first successful surprise party I'd personally ever been a part of. It was quite fun.

We love you, Pat! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

It's a....

2010-08-25T17:09:00.003-06:00

BOY!!

I already think he looks like Matt. We are thrilled and can't wait to meet the little guy! :)

Driving Across The Country

2010-08-21T19:11:00.008-06:00

A week ago Matt and I started our trek home. Since we'd already put 15,000+ miles on the car this summer, we decided to add another 2,000 and drive home from Atlanta instead of shipping our car. It was a much cheaper option. It was actually KIND OF (notice the emphasis, I'm trying to remain positive about the situation) fun to see Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and of course the familiar sites of UTAH!

The packed car..

Our first stop was downtown Atlanta. No, we didn't get very far. But we had to stop at the famous Georgia Aquarium before we officially left the city. It did not disappoint, and we saw many fish that we'd never even heard of before.

One bonus of the trip is that we got to stop in Dallas and see Maddie and Matt. We went kayaking (so entertaining when Matt Crane fell in the lake), and to a delicious Mexican restaurant.

Next stop...Gallup, New Mexico. Our activities there were not picture worthy. Just staying at a crummy motel.

Luckily, the next day we drove five more hours and arrived at Lake Powell! We got to take a rest from driving for about five days and spend time with family on the lake. It was heavenly. A big thanks to the Robisons for inviting us along.

On Friday night we finally arrived in Utah. We celebrated with Matt's family by going up the canyon for some smores.

We are so excited to be home!

Del Mar

2010-08-02T01:25:00.006-06:00

This year we had the annual Horsley family trip at Del Mar, California. The hotel was stunning, and the weather felt heavenly compared to the heat of Atlanta.

I didn't take one picture during the whole trip; hence the randomness of the photos below. I guess being pregnant has made me super lazy? I don't know. Luckily other family members took many fun pictures that I could steal.

However, the trip just did not feel the same without Matt! He was too busy working, and had to miss out. He really would have loved the beach, golfing, and in-n-out runs, just to name a few. :(

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for such an AMAZING trip. I can't wait to go back soon (hint hint).

The Sweet Matthew

2010-07-12T14:26:00.004-06:00

Matt turned 26 on Saturday. I always love a chance to spoil him, but this year was especially fun because of all he’s done for me lately. This first trimester of pregnancy has been a challenge, to say the least. I felt nauseous 24 hours a day, hated all food, was extremely tired, and other normal pregnancy stuff. Matt completely took over all of the household duties, and waited on me hand-and-foot whenever he was home. I knew he was a good guy, but he has completely amazed me these last couple months. It was definitely my turn to do something for him...

Matt was able to leave work early for the first time all summer. He came home, opened presents, and enjoyed his favorite cookies. Then we went out on our first date in 2+ months. It was a blast! Matt, you're the best. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

The Family Visits Atlanta + July 4th

2010-07-08T16:24:00.006-06:00

A couple of weeks ago my family came to visit Matt and I. We had fun exploring Atlanta. Some of the highlights during their trip included the Princess Diana exhibit and discovering delicious restaurants (my favorite being a place called Canoe, in Buckhead).

It was beyond wonderful to have them here! Please, anyone, come visit me.

Poor Matt has had to sit at home with me a lot over the last couple of months because of morning sickness. However, we love the fourth of July. Regardless of how I felt, I wanted to go out and celebrate. We headed to Lenox Square in Atlanta with Matt’s brother Nate, and his friend Race.

We were so anxious for the fireworks to start after waiting for 2+ hours. It was a little disappointing to discover that our view was blocked by a tree, and right when they started, Matt couldn't find his cell phone. We worried about it during the whole show. It's okay, we still enjoyed it...and yes, we found Matt's cell phone in the car (whew!).

I wish we could have been at The Stadium of Fire with Matt's family, or with mine at whichever park they decided to go to this year. We made the best of it though, and had a lot of fun!

The News..

2010-06-24T14:24:00.004-06:00

When I was a young, I wrote Santa  Claus one Christmas with a simple request. All I wanted that year was a  baby brother. Needless to say, I was disappointed on Christmas morning. Some fifteen years later, my wish has finally come true  (however, it doesn’t have anything to do with Santa, I'll be the mom instead of the sister, and we don’t know  if it will be a son or daughter quite yet).

I ’ M            P R E G N A N T!!

due: 1.11.11

Matt has had the hardest time keeping this a secret. He was overjoyed when I told him the news. This baby is already very loved.

Happy Anniversary

2010-06-19T12:49:00.005-06:00

Today marks 2 wonderful years together. I can't imagine my life without Matt. We are perfect opposites (I mean that in a good way :), and he has definitely made my life feel complete. I was supposed to be in charge of planning the anniversary this year. Of course I have nothing. I'm the worst wife. He's being very sweet about the lack of plans. We'll probably just head to a movie tonight (if he gets done with work before midnight). The least I could do we let him know publicly how much I love him, and how grateful I am that he's my husband.

The Coca-Cola Factory

2010-06-07T15:48:00.005-06:00

We heard that the Coca-Cola Factory was a must when we got to Atlanta. This week we headed there with some friends. Our favorite part was definitely at the end, when we got to try 64 different drinks made by Coca-Cola. We are so glad we finally went and that we have such good friends here to hang out with!

Sunday Drive

2010-06-03T15:10:00.005-06:00

On Sunday night, Matt and I took a little drive around some of the fabulous neighborhoods here in Atlanta. We discussed our dreams for our future house (Ya know, the usual. Living on a lake, having homemade root beer in our basement, a "secret" room, just like in the movies, that opens from a book shelf in our amazing library. Stuff that will totally happen. Not). Anyways, we saw some amazing homes, and ran into this beautiful lake that we stopped at and relaxed on the dock.

It was really fun to hang out because I feel like I never see Matt. He doesn't get home until 11:30 or 12 at night, so we can never go out and do anything. He's doing really well here though, and we're enjoying the hot weather.
Like last post, I haven't really done anything too exciting this week. My family comes next week (I hope that includes you Erin, of course you're invited), and I'm hoping they will force me to get out and explore a bit. :) Here are a couple pictures of our apartment complex (I would take pictures of the inside, but our apartment is a little messy).

Atlanta So Far

2010-05-25T19:58:00.009-06:00

So, I know I haven't posted much. The truth is, not much has gone on since I've been here. I've used this time to rest and recuperate from my awful semester. So far, I've:

Slept 10-12 hour nights
Watched an entire season of The O.C. in 4 days
Started reading Hunger Games
Taught myself how to knit (if you count doing row after row of nothing knitting)
Slept some more
Watched more TV and movies

As you can see, nothing to report.

The first day I was here we went into the city with our friends Courtney and Hyrum, their cute daughter Zoey, and Matt's little brother Nate. We went to this famous little fast food restaurant called The Varsity (everyone thought it was gross; I thought my hot dog was delicious). Then we just walked around the fun streets of Atlanta.

I promise I'll take more pictures of how beautiful this place is. It truly is so green, and pretty amazing. Also, pictures of our 600 square foot apartment to come. It's awesome.

The Last Two Weeks

2010-05-15T20:29:00.009-06:00

Yesterday I arrived in Atlanta; the place I'm supposed to call home for the next four months. It's hot, humid, and sticky here. It's also green, lush, and beautiful. After being apart from Matt for two and a half weeks, I was so excited to finally see him. However, while apart, I did have a wonderful time in Utah.

Today was my first official day in Atlanta. I spent it being lazy, laying by the pool with the girls. It's going to be a good summer. :)

The End Of An Era

2010-04-25T21:15:00.009-06:00

I have lived in Provo for the last four years. I always felt ashamed to say that I've loved my experience here in "happy valley" (I don't know why, probably because people are so ruthless about BYU and Provo in general). But, as Matt and I packed up our apartment and I realized that if all goes according to plan I'd never live in Provo again, I couldn't help but cry. College has taught me so many valuable lessons. I figured out how to pay bills, do my own taxes, clean, cook, hold a church calling, have a job, etc. I also can't imagine my life without my college education, and the passion I've grown for community health.
Obviously meeting Matt was the highlight of my experience here. We dated, got engaged, and spent our first 2 years of marriage being students here. Thinking back on all of the memories I have in this small town, I can't help but feel pride in saying how much I love Provo.
Despite the security of our lives here, we are excited for what lies ahead of us. I can't wait to see what our future holds. :)

Tatertots

2010-04-15T11:37:00.005-06:00

My cute sister-in-law Chelsea just opened an etsy shop!

She makes fabulous hair clips that are darling for little girls and make great gifts.
Make sure to stop by and take a look. :)

p.s. Chelsea's sister also has an etsy shop that I would love to purchase from. As you can see, they are one extremely talented family!

Las Vegas

2010-04-14T15:22:00.015-06:00

Last weekend we went to Las Vegas with Matt's brother Greg and his wife Rachel. We had a blast!! Matt and Greg got to go golfing, and Rachel and I sat by the pool and got way too much sun. We stayed at the Luxor, which was actually quite cool. The pyramid was kind of freaky, and totally made me want to go to Egypt (this was before you told me it was gross, Steffany).

All in all, it was a fabulous trip and so fun to spend some time with Greg and Rachel before we leave for the summer. Matt leaves for Atlanta in 2 weeks..I don't leave until May 14th. We have so much to do before then. I can't even think about it without crying (literally). We're so glad we got to go on this little gateway before the madness starts. :)

The Wedding!

2010-03-22T09:34:00.007-06:00

My best friend Beth got married last Friday!! It was such a neat day, and their reception was a hoot. We did a lot to celebrate this exciting time for Beth and Brad, including spending the weekend in Park City for one last getaway, and dinner with friends. Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Congrats Beth and Brad!! Thanks for letting me be a part of your special day. It was amazing.

Miami, Florida.

2010-03-15T08:52:00.008-06:00

This semester has been challenging, to say the least. I've never had so many break downs, sicknesses, or anger management issues. What was I thinking trying to take 18 credits and work? I know it will be nice to only have 1 class left until I graduate after this semester (if I can even pass all my classes with this insane schedule), but I think I bit off more than I can chew. Luckily, we were able to take a little break from the insanity and go to Miami with my family. Honestly, it wasn't my favorite place I've ever visited (I truly felt Amish with all the clothes I was wearing compared to the locals). However, it was MUCH needed and so fun regardless.

Thanks Pat and Rolfe for the wonderful gateway!! It was much needed.

Bangs..

2010-02-26T09:48:00.006-07:00

I need help people...this is mainly just for family because they are the only ones who have to pretend to care. I have a hair appointment tomorrow. I can't decide what to do with my bangs. I was thinking about going for the straight across..but Matt thinks that's a very bad decision. He told me a couple of days ago that I am nothing special with this haircut. It's my BFF's wedding in a couple weeks, and I don't want to look like a dog at it.

Should I go for the major swoop...

Straight across....

Or just leave it the way it is (which I feel is quite boring)..

Another image to consider...

Decisions, decisions. The verdict is still out..

Our LOVEly weekend..

2010-02-22T08:27:00.007-07:00

We went and roamed Park City for Valentine's Day. I am so grateful for the person that Matt has helped me become in the last couple years. I am definitely more friendly, less critical, and more driven because of him. We hope you had a great holiday as well.

Celebrating Bethan...

2010-02-08T08:03:00.008-07:00

As many of you know, my best friend Beth is getting married in March. This weekend we had a little get together to celebrate her big day. It was so fun to see old friends, and meet new friends as well. I'm so excited for Beth and Brad, they couldn't be more perfect for each other.

After all the chaos, we went to Los Hermanos and Comedy Sportz with Beth and Brad. It was fun to relax and hang out. Although, Comedy Sportz was having an off night..but it was still fun.

We're so excited for these two...March 19th can't come fast enough for them

(and me as well...I can't wait for the festivities, and that means the semester is ALMOST over. I may die of exhaustion before then).

Mingling With Moviestars

2010-02-01T08:04:00.008-07:00

A couple weekends ago we went to check out Sundance. It was so much fun, as always, to walk around Main Street and stalk stars.

Apparently there was someone famous in this car. I asked a stranger next to me who it was, and she said very matter of factly, "Angelina Jolie." WHAT!! I would have given by right arm to see her. When I excitedly told everyone else in my group, they poo-pooed the idea that it was her very quickly. Although, it didn't stop Pat from trampling over the crowd to get to the other side of the street and find out who was really in the mysterious jeep. It turned out to be some singer I've never heard of.

If you get past the car exhaust, this is Malin Akerman getting into the car. We saw her about 4 times walking along the street. She even smiled at us.

So several days later, thinking all the Sundance hype was over, Pat and I were eating lunch at Zupas in Provo. I look up and see Eric Bana getting a soda maybe 15 feet away from me. We watching him eating his soup for about 20 minutes. You could basically say I had lunch with him.
Sundance was fun this year and it was exciting that we actually saw some stars!! Until next year..

Dallas, Again.

2010-01-23T11:59:00.005-07:00

Last weekend Pat and I were able to go visit Maddie and Matt in Dallas. It was so fun to see them!! We did so many fun things, and I only took 4 pictures the whole time. Highlights from the trip:

Maddie and Matt spoke in church the Sunday we were there. They did terrific.
Sleeping on an air matteress with Pat.
Eating the best sushi I've ever had.
Going to a restaurant called Hattie's. Not only do I LOVE the name, but the food was delicious too.
Matt's homemade hashbrowns and eggs. So yummy.
Spending 4.5 hours at a warehouse sale getting Maddie approximately 10 lamps for her house. They are literally in every corner or nook you can imagine in her apartment. They look really great though! :)
Finally seeing The Lovely Bones. I LOVED IT!!
Watching a small portion of the Golden Globes.
Buying a FABULOUS skirt from Anthropologie. I can't wait to wear it.
Pat's class she gave to Maddie, Matt, and I on how to use a paper cutter (see last picture).
Driving through the ghetto of Dallas and for the first time in my life wishing Matt's gun were present.
Going to the creepiest antique shop I've ever seen. Straight out of The Strangers (the scary movie that changed my life...for the worse).
Experiencing 5 guys without fry sauce...all I have to say is I don't like ketchup.

Thanks for letting us visit, you guys! It was a blast and I'm sure I'll be back very soon. Sweet Matt was supposed to go out of town for work the weekend I was in Dallas. His trip got cancelled last minute, which was the only downer of the vacation. He could of come and partied with us in the big D.

A Very Merry Christmas..

2009-12-29T11:08:00.006-07:00

A special thanks to our families and friends who made this holiday so special. We don't know what we would do without you!!

Christmas Festivities

2009-12-22T09:54:00.019-07:00

We have done a lot to celebrate Christmas this year:

1) We got our house festive. We bought a big tree and some decorations. It may take me several years to accumulate neat ornaments though. :(

2) We kept the Horsley family tradition alive, and walked around the Festival of Trees.

3) We attended some holiday parties and got some great white elephant gifts.

4) We've been watching Christmas movies at home and seen them in theaters. We went to see A Christmas Carol in 3D. I of course thought it was scary, Matt loved it. We had fun with our 3D glasses.

5) I saw the Nutcracker with my sisters and nieces. I LOVED it (as I always do), and will try to attend every year.

6) Most importantly, we've gotten to reunite with family we haven't seen/talked to in a while. Yesterday we talked to Matt's brother Kevin, who is on a mission. We skyped with him, so it was like we were face to face (very cool!!). We have also been so excited to spend time with Mads, Wy Wy, and Steph.

As you can tell, we've really enjoyed being done with school, and are trying to soak up every second of Christmas break. I'm so excited for Matt to open his presents on Christmas. I think I did good this year folks. More updates to come and Merry Christmas. :)

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-12-02T09:21:00.007-07:00

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I love the meal, and the anticipation of Christmas. We had an especially great Thanksgiving this year. On Wednesday night we went and made gingerbread houses at Matt's parents. Ours was actually terrific. It took us about 3 hours to make, but I was very happy with the results compared to last year.

On Thanksgiving day Matt played in a turkey bowl (which he is still sore from..we should work out more often) and I watched the parade all morning. Then we had a delicious meal at Pat and Rolfe's.

Right after eating, we left on a little road trip to California. It was dreamy to be in Coronado, which is a Horsley family favorite. My mouth waters thinking of the food we eat. The only downfall of the trip was that I forgot to bring pants. That's right, I didn't bring one pair of pants. I had some pajamas and a few skirts, but it was quite cold and miserable.

Thanks Pat and Rolfe for a wonderful and relaxing vacation. It was the perfect way to start finals. It calmed us down. We hope you all had a fun Thanksgiving break!

Last Week...

2009-11-09T09:04:00.011-07:00

Last week was interesting..we had some fun things happen. Matt was able to shadow an anesthesiologist (finally :) He watched 3 surgeries. I thought it sounded quite gross, but he LOVED it. I've never seen him so giddy. Very exciting! I was deathly ill all week. I got sick on Halloween. 5 days later, and still not feeling one ounce better, I decided I needed to take it easy. I called in sick to work and ditched out on school. I'm finally feeling about 85% normal. Why does sickness always come at the worst times? I feel like I have so much to catch up on because of all I missed last week. Thankfully, I've had Matt to take care of me. He was constantly making me soup and hot cider, and took care of all of the household chores for the week. He's the best!! It's an understatement to say that we were excited for the weekend. I was looking forward to getting insane amounts of sleep and we had some fun things planned. These fun things included the So You Think You Can Dance concert with the girls!! I LOVED this season, and couldn't wait for the concert.

Fun fact: Randi was totally Matt's first make-out...ever. We had our own little dance party when she made it into the top 20. I wasn't even jealous, just a little proud to have such a cool hubby. Totally a Lloyd family claim to fame.

It was the best night in the world.

Halloween

2009-11-03T14:59:00.009-07:00

We did a lot of fun things to celebrate Halloween this year! It started off by going on the ghost tour in Ogden. We did this in Salt Lake last year, and it was a blast. We decided Ogden would be super spooky because lets face it, it's a weird place. It was very scary and Matt got really into it this year. He kept trying to capture orbs in our pictures. He was very satisfied with some of the results. (I won't show you those pictures because they are super boring. Seriously, over 100 pictures from the ghost tour, and they are mainly of nothing. Just Matt taking a picture of a building and such to try to capture orbs. Cute thing.)

We had so much fun celebrating the holiday. Now, on to my favorite month...can I just say, Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. The SYTYCD concert and New Moon coming out also help a little bit...November, thanks for being here.

Mexican Cruise

2009-10-19T20:39:00.007-06:00

I have been such a snob lately. I have had so many fun trips planned right in a row. I don't know why they all fell into place within a months span, but it's been very fun!! This vacation was DREAMY...I surprised Matt with a planned cruise for his birthday. We've been looking forward to it for months and finally got to go this past week. I want to remember it in detail, so I'm going to go through it day by day. Sorry, might be boring for you. We took TONS of pictures too, so beware.

DAY 1

We went straight to the buffet and the pool

DAY 2

Ensenda, Mexico. It was a little disappointing. I'd heard it was gross, but it was even worse then I expected. There was nothing to do or see. We walked around this fish market, which was interesting, and then ordered virgin margaritas and guacamole. It was delicious. It was formal night that night. It was fun to dress up and get fancy.

DAY 3

For our first day at sea, we explored the ship a lot. We played miniature golf and swam. We also went and saw a fun show of an impressionist.

DAY 4

The best day!!! We went to Cabo San Lucas and swam with dolphins. I was having stomach pains because I was nervous the dolphins would eat me, but once we got in the water with them and I calmed down we LOVED it. Cabo was really nice. It was quite pretty and had some fun shopping.

DAY 5

We didn't have much to do for our second day at sea. It was a bit windy and cold so we couldn't lay out (bummer). We played pool, and went and saw the helicopter pad. This was our table for dinner. Some crazy people, but a fun group to eat with every night.

DAY 6
We were so sad it was over. But we got a little treat at the airport. While going through security, Matt spotted Mitt Romney. We were very excited and rushed through as fast as we could. After stalking him for a while, Matt decided to go ask him for a picture. He was kind of nice, but you could tell he did not want attention. This is the picture that resulted. I of course was way too chicken to go with Matt to talk to him, so he had to try to capture the moment by stretching his arm out to get the picture. Not a great one, but at least we got Mitt's face. It was a very exciting way to end the trip.

We had so much fun this week!! It was so delightful to be away together and relax.

Dallas Visit

2009-10-06T10:12:00.005-06:00

This past weekend Dru, Pat, and I went to visit Maddie and Matt in Dallas. It was a blast and their apartment is darling!! We did a lot of relaxing, watching conference, eating, and furniture shopping.

We decided it would be fun to go to chef Blythe Beck's restaurant from The Naughty Kitchen. It's a show on the oxygen channel I think? Anyways, it was delicious and we even got to meet Blythe!!

For some reason I only pulled out my camera when we were eating...I promise we did more then that. Thanks Maddie and Matt for letting us come, I can't wait for next time. :) In other exciting news, my best friend Beth got engaged while I was gone!! We are so so so excited for her and Brad. We can't wait to move to Salt Lake so we can hang out with them more often. Congrats!

Her ring is super pretty!!

My Birthday/New York Weekend

2009-09-22T20:21:00.010-06:00

Last weekend was my 22nd birthday. We went to New York with my parents to celebrate!! Lets talk about the best birthday I've ever had...Matt disguised all my presents so I'd have no idea what they were. In the picture below you can see how he put 22 pennies and 2 candies on the inside of the wrapping paper to throw me off with this one, and I had no idea it was a DVD. Every gift I opened I was completely shocked because the box implied that it was a completely different shape, or weighed 50 more pounds then it really did. He did so well on my gifts. Folks, I finally got an iphone. I've wanted one for maybe 3 years. I was shaking/ in shock with excitement. He got me some other wonderful gifts as well.

This was such a dreamy birthday!! We had so much fun in New York with my parents. They're the best. Matt, thanks for always making birthdays so amazing. :) You're the best too.

Goodbyes..

2009-09-14T08:43:00.003-06:00

My sister Maddie and her husband Matt moved to Dallas yesterday. I was such a bawl baby and cried basically all day. People even asked me if I was pregnant because I had so many emotions going on (and I've put on a little weight lately). Maddie has been my source of strength here in Provo. I currently have no one to watch the bachelor with, chat with at work, go to the mall with, or borrow clothes from because she's left me. Maddie has molded my personality in so many ways. I've learned how to be kind, helpful, generous, and many other wonderful things from her. We're excited for them to start this new adventure but they will be very missed.

Back to School

2009-08-26T14:25:00.004-06:00

Today is Matt and I's first day of school. Matt has a pretty rough semester. He's working 30 hours a week and taking 12 credit hours. We won't see each other much because he has night classes 3 times a week. This summer has been so much fun for us!! We've had some bad things happen but we've done a lot of fun things as well.

GOOD: camping, 5 guys and a movie every Friday, California, guitar hero, golfing, CNA program with Maddie, buying Notting Hill, fishes, good meals, swimming, Matt's work promotion, Monday night dinners up the canyon.

BAD: Getting a new transmission, replacing the car windshield, flat tire (I hate cars), Fred dying, Kevin leaving, Wyatt moving, Anticipation of Maddie moving, hardly saving any money when we expected to save tons (whoops).

For our last official summer night we had a date on our balcony. We've been wanting to eat out there all summer so it was fun to finally do it and reminisce about our summer and talk about the year ahead.
Oh how I hate school...adios lazy summer days.

A Farewell and A Birthday Party

2009-08-23T22:44:00.008-06:00

This week my brother and his family moved away so Wyatt could go to Med School. It was a very sad farewell. My brother is the most humble, sweet guy in the world. I always enjoy being around him and leave hoping that his goodness has rubbed off on me just a little bit. He was the person that beat me up, made fun of me about boys, played basketball with me everyday when I was going through my tomboy phase, always took time to hang out with me, and protected me the whole time a was growing up. We had a little farewell dinner with the family to say goodbye. We already miss you Wyatt, Chelsea, and Tate.

On Saturday we went to a birthday party for Tyler at Seven Peaks! I'd never been there so I was super excited.

It was a fun day! Now...back to school.

New York!!!!!

2009-08-18T12:08:00.004-06:00

I had to announce this to someone because I'm just that excited: we just booked our tickets for a marvelous vacation to New York. We're ecstatic that we get to go there over my birthday weekend with my lovely parents. I can't wait!!! I love birthdays...and parents for making this possible. I don't know what we did to deserve this trip, but we sure are excited.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

2009-08-11T16:29:00.007-06:00

Last night Matt and I went to the bee's game with my family.
We had so much fun chatting, playing with kids, eating lots of treats, and trying to catch baseballs.

A lot going on...

2009-07-26T09:49:00.009-06:00

We were excited to celebrate the 24th this year since we lived in Boston last summer and missed it. We went to Salt Lake and the boys went golfing and the girls went swimming at the Salt Lake Country Club. My uncle has a membership and we felt like high rollers...then we went back to Pat and Rolfe's for a wonderful dinner. (Homemade cafe rio!! Yum!!) We were then going to go to a carnival but were all too lazy and tired from the week so we hung out, rewatched bachelorette episodes, and were entertained by Tate.
The next morning Maddie and I had to wake up at 5:30 to do a clinic for our CNA program. Did I ever mention I'm doing a CNA class at SLCC this summer? I have class every night from 4:30-8:30 and 4 Saturdays in August and September we go to clinics at nearby nursing homes and hospitals. I feel very cool in my scrubs and actually really really love the program. It's so insteresting to learn about and clinics are tiring, gross, interesting, funny, helpful, and eye opening all at the same time. I can't imagine how attached you'd get to the cute people if you worked with them everyday because I only worked with them for 1 day and am already obsessed with some of them. This was our first clinic and I'm excited to see how the rest go.

Fred died..(our fish). Who knew that when you changed the fish water and replaced it with freezing cold water the fish would go into shock and die!? Whoops!! It was a sad day at our house. Fred was our first pet. We immediately went to the pet store and replaced him with Theo. Theo poops more but he's cute and we're going to take better care of this one. It's a good thing we started with a fish and not a dog..

Also, I chopped my hair off. It's completely gone. Pictures to come soon...